Harrow residents are experiencing longer call wait times, persistent fly-tipping, and delays in highway repairs, according to the latest performance report. The Performance and Finance Scrutiny Sub-Committee reviewed the Strategic Performance Report for Quarter Four of 2024-25, which highlighted these challenges alongside other key performance indicators.
Several performance indicators were rated as red,
signalling areas where the council is falling short of its targets. Specifically, the council did not meet targets for:
- Percentage of customer calls successfully answered by Revenues and Benefits (target 90%, actual 86%)
- Average wait time (seconds) before a telephone call is answered (Revenues) (target 240 seconds, actual 498 seconds)
- Average wait time (seconds) before a telephone call is answered (Benefits) (target 180 seconds, actual 219 seconds)
- Fly-tipping incidents per 1,000 people (target 12, actual 12.77)
- Percentage of actionable highway defects rectified within timescale (either reported or found during cyclic inspections) (target 87%, actual 77%)
To combat the fly-tipping issue, the report indicates that recruitment to key posts took place in quarter 4, including support officers, managers, and team leaders.
The Strategic Performance Report for Quarter Four also highlighted challenges in meeting saving targets for parking and recycling, as well as performance issues with the tri-borough enforcement contract. Rising costs of temporary accommodation, driven by increased demand, a lack of affordable options, and reliance on nightly paid accommodation, continue to put a strain on the council's resources. To mitigate these costs, the council is acquiring properties through the Property Acquisition Programme (PAP) and increasing the Temporary Accommodation Demand Fund by £3 million, bringing the total to £7 million.
The sub-committee also reviewed the Revenue and Capital Monitoring 2024-25 Final Outturn Report, which detailed the council's financial performance for the 2024-25 financial year. The report indicated a balanced revenue outturn, achieved after a £1.553 million contribution to the Budget Planning Reserve. This contribution will increase the reserve balance from £21.213m to £22.766m as of 31st March 2025, as there was no call on the Budget Planning Reserve in 2024/25.
The sub-committee considered proposed indicators and targets for 2025-26, as well as targets for the following two years, which are aligned with the Corporate Plan and Council Priorities, according to the Strategic Performance Report for Quarter Four. According to the target setting 2025-26 to 2027-28 final document, some indicators are being discontinued, such as the separate average wait times for Revenues and Benefits telephone calls, which are being replaced by a combined metric. New indicators are also being proposed, such as resident satisfaction with the telephone service and the proportion of adults with a learning disability in paid employment.
