How meaningful are the council's measures of performance?Measures change from time to time, and therefore it can be difficult to compare performance in a meaningful manner. However, in the Council's performance supplement to the annual report and accounts, comparison of performance is made against neighbouring local authorities, as well as the all Scotland figure, where appropriate.
How does the Council know whether services are improving?The Council records a number of indicators of performance, such as how long it takes to re-let a council house. These indicators tell the Council whether services are improving.
How are Council policies made?Every year the Council becomes aware of a range of issues that require new policies and strategies to be produced so as to meet new challenges and improve performance. The Council takes on board the requirements of the Scottish Executive, public concerns, and developments in service delivery in identifying areas of work. Policies follow procedures to make sure that aims are established, that views are taken on board, that changes to services are identified, that specific actions are decided upon and that measures of the success of the policy are produced.
Does the Council check that action plans are followed through?Yes. The Policy and Performance Unit in the Chief Executive's Department regularly asks colleagues whether actions have been put into place and reports back to the Council on the position.
Do Council policies include targets?The production of each policy involves the Council setting targets for the aspects of the service that users and the public more generally feel to be most important. Targets cover the service itself and more general issues, for example, they may include targets for class-sizes and exam results, or for training schemes and unemployment.