Committee Report Checklist
Stage 1
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Yes / No |
Date |
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Councillor engagement / input from Chair prior to briefing |
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Relevant Group Head review |
Yes |
09/09 |
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MAT+ review (to have been circulated at least 5 working days before Stage 2) |
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This item is on the Forward Plan for the relevant committee |
Yes |
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Reviewed by |
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Finance comments (circulate to Finance) |
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Risk comments (circulate to Lee O’Neil) |
LO |
10/09/26 |
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Legal comments (circulate to legal@spelthorne.gov.uk) |
LH |
11/09/26 |
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HR comments (if applicable) |
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For reports with material financial or legal implications the author should engage with the respective teams at the outset and receive input to their reports prior to asking for MO or s151 comments.
Do not forward to stage 2 unless all the above have been completed.
Stage 2
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Completed by |
Date rec’d |
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Monitoring Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
L Heron |
11/09/26 |
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S151 Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
T. Collier |
9/9/26 |
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Commissioner engagement |
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Delete as applicable: |
No issues |
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Comments in S. 7 |
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Confirm final report cleared by MAT |
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Title |
Community Wellbeing Q1 2026/27 Performance Report |
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Purpose of the report |
To consider and acknowledge |
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Report Author |
Terry Collier, Deputy Chief Executive Karen Sinclair, Group Head of Community Wellbeing |
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Ward(s) Affected |
All Wards |
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Exempt |
No |
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Exemption Reason |
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Corporate Priority |
Community Resilience Services
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Recommendations
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The Committee is asked to: To consider and acknowledge the Q1 2026/27 Key Performance Indicators for: · Housing Options · Housing Benefits · Independent Living · Leisure and Community Development
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Reason for Recommendation |
Community Wellbeing has a suite of performance updates which enable services to monitor performance over a fiscal year and address any issues if performance is faltering. |
1. Executive summary of the report
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What is the situation |
Why we want to do something |
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• Each service area has a number of Key Performance Indicators, which must be monitored and reported on a regular basis |
• Regular reporting of progress against key plans and KPIs is essential for monitoring and managing performance and delivery and identifying improvements to the way the Council and individual services operate. • Regular reporting will identify progress and enable timely action to be taken in areas of emerging inferior performance. |
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This is what we want to do about it |
These are the next steps |
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• Monitor and report on performance for Q1 of 2026/27 |
• The Committee is asked to review the performance in the services outlined in this report and provide feedback on any key areas where improvements are required. |
2. Key issues
2.1 To ensure effective and joined up reporting of performance, there is a requirement to present our performance against our targets to Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee (CWHC) on a quarterly basis.
3. Key Performance Indicators
3.1 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) across services are monitored monthly, quarterly, or annually, depending on the individual measure specified.
3.2 The Council has established a framework of 43 Corporate KPIs for 2026/27, approved by CPRC in April 2026. These, along with service KPIs, are reported and reviewed by MAT+ on a monthly basis, with updates to CPRC and relevant Service Committees quarterly. This supports the governance and performance recommendations arising from the Best Value review.
3.3 Across Community Wellbeing, we have 16 service KPIs. The breakdown by service area is
· Housing Options – 7
· Housing Benefits – 2
· Independent Living – 4
· Leisure and Community Development – 3
3.4 6 of our service KPIs are also Corporate KPIs which are reported to CPRC.
3.5 Appendix A shows our KPI performance for Q1 in 2026/27 and includes structured narratives for each KPI, providing context and insight into performance trends. Within the Appendix the rows highlighted bold are Corporate KPIs.
3.6 Some KPIs are shown as percentages and others as absolute numbers, reflecting the several types of performance being measured. Background information on selected KPIs also helps explain their relevance and contribution to service delivery.
Q 1 data headlines
3.7 Housing Options
· Temporary accommodation spend has reduced and is currently on track to deliver the required savings. Forecasting will remain prudent, reflecting the demand volatility and unpredictability associated with homelessness presentations. Please see paragraph 4.1 regarding some associated risks around this KPI.
· The average length of stay in nightly accommodation was 228 days in Q1, which remains above the March 2027 target of 120 days.
Improvement activity is ongoing to reduce reliance on nightly accommodation and improve throughput.
· The average length of stay in temporary accommodation is subject to a March 2027 target of 78 weeks. Q1 performance met the 54-week milestone, indicating positive progress towards the year-end target
3.8 Housing Benefits
· Both targets have been met by the Housing Benefits team, during the busiest time of the year.
3.9 Independent Living
· KPI IL1, which measures the number of older people actively participating in Independent Living support groups, did not meet its target for Q1. This was primarily due to a reduction in client numbers, including four clients who passed away and a further seven who either moved into full-time care or relocated away from the area. The team will work with existing clients, partner organisations and referral routes to promote and encourage new participation.
3.10 Leisure and Community Wellbeing
· Quarter 1 results show we are currently on track to achieve the annual target of 50 community leisure activities in targeted communities.
4. Risk implications
4.1 There are statutory duties linked to two of our KPIs. These are set out below, together with the procedures in place to mitigate the associated risks.
· H17 Number of families in shared accommodation for more than 6 weeks.
Families are rarely placed in shared accommodation, but when they are weekly checks are carried out to ensure that families are moved into self contained accommodation as soon as possible and do not exceed 6 weeks.
· IL2 DFG Applications completed within 6 months
Regular meetings, attended by the Group Head, are held to ensure these applications are closely monitored, with budgets reviewed as part of this process. We also regularly meet with Foundations, SCC and are due to meet with MHCLG to discuss strategic alignment of DFGs.
4.2 There is a risk implication for KPI ref H14, Total spend on Temporary accommodation. A lot of work is being done by the Housing Options Team to reduce temporary accommodation costs. As we have been more robust in our investigations before placing a household into nightly-paid accommodation, we have seen the number of complaints rise. There have been 33 stage 1 complaints already received in April-August 2026, compared to 14 in the whole of FY25/26 and 18 in FY24/25. The risk of judicial review has also increased.
4.3 The number of ‘suitability reviews’ has also gone up, as we are enforcing offers of accommodation that we believe are suitable, but may not meet residents’ preferences (e.g. because the property does not have a garden or is a flat rather than a house).
4.4 We are currently direct letting many of the nominations that we receive from housing associations to homeless families in temporary accommodation. This means that those on the Housing Register are not seeing these properties advertised on Homes4Spelthorne. We have been transparent about why we are temporarily taking this approach, with explanations both on SBC’s website and the Homes4Spelthorne website. However, residents on the Housing Register are already becoming frustrated. We are developing a guide for councillors to help them support residents.
5. Financial implications
5.1 There are no direct financial implications relating to this report.
6. Legal comments
6.1 There are no legal implications arising directly from the recommendations in this report.
Corporate implications
7. Commissioners’ comments
7.1 No formal comments from the Commissioners.
8. S151 Officer comments
8.1 There are no direct financial implications arising from the report, however it is positive to note that the KPI for reducing nightly paid accommodation spend is currently on track and contributing towards the Budget savings target.
9. Monitoring Officer comments
9.1 Monitoring performance plays a vital role in driving improvement and demonstrating transparency. Performance information enables elected members, public and senior management to scrutinise service delivery providing assurance that the Council’s strategic objectives and priorities are being achieved.
10. Procurement comments
There are no procurement implications arising directly from the recommendations in this report.
11. Equality and Diversity
11.1 Services take account of any equality and diversity issues that impact on delivery of services and therefore on performance areas outlined in this report.
12. Sustainability/Climate Change Implications
12.1 There are none.
13. Other considerations
13.1 There are none
14. Local Government Reorganisation Implications
14.1 As part of the LGR corporate services theme, work has been undertaken to assess performance data alongside the Government’s outcomes framework guidance. Performance monitoring will form part of the new West Surrey Council’s role.
15. Timetable for implementation
15.1 Quarterly reporting to Community Wellbeing and Housing Committee, with Q1 reported to CWHC in September 2026.
16. Contact
16.1 Terry Collier – t.collier@spelthorne.gov.uk
16.2 Karen Sinclair – k.sinclair@spelthorne.gov.uk
Background papers:
There are none.
Appendices:
Appendix A – KPI Quarter 1 2026/7 for Community Wellbeing