Highland Council members will examine the latest Annual Report on Statutory Performance Indicators this Thursday as they meet to review how key services have delivered over the 2023/24 financial year.
The report highlights a positive year, with nearly 80% of indicators meeting or exceeding targets.
Council Leader Raymond Bremner praised staff for their efforts, noting visible improvements in services supporting vulnerable groups, including children, young people, and those relying on housing benefits.
Convener Bill Lobban said he was encouraged by the overall rise in performance, adding that quicker homelessness processing times and improved offender supervision showed the real-world impact of service delivery.
Out of 81 total indicators, 70 had sufficient data for analysis, and 55 of these were on or above target.
That represents a 2% improvement on last year’s performance at the same time.
The indicators come from a blend of local performance metrics and national benchmarking standards, with 34 of them defined as Key Performance Indicators.
These KPIs give councillors a snapshot of how well the Council is doing in delivering essential services across the region.
In 2023/24, analysis of 27 of those KPIs revealed that 85% were either on target or within acceptable performance thresholds.
Children’s Services saw a notable drop in the number of young people accommodated outside the region, falling from 20 to 13.
Criminal Justice performance also improved, with the percentage of offenders on new Community Payback Orders seen within five days rising to 62.6%, up from 46%.
Council finances showed greater efficiency too, as the cost to administer benefits fell from £30.76 to £28.99 per case.
Processing times for changes in Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims sped up, improving from 1.9 to 1.6 days.
Planning services were more efficient, particularly for major applications, which now take an average of 38.6 weeks—down significantly from 75.2 weeks.
Housing Services also performed better, cutting the average length of time to resolve homelessness cases from 45 to 35 weeks.
Library services became more cost-effective, with the net cost per visit reduced from £1.31 to £1.07.
The report ties in with the Council’s Performance Plan, which outlines the key operational and strategic goals for Highland Council and uses the Local Government Benchmarking Framework to track progress.
Alongside national indicators, local metrics continue to shape the Council’s reporting and focus for improvement.
Councillors will use the findings in this year’s report to guide future decisions and keep services moving in the right direction.
