Performance management is about improving outcomes for the people of Herefordshire by ensuring that the council works as effectively as possible, supporting growth in the economy and helping to protect the most vulnerable. This is done by planning our activities, monitoring progress, making reactive changes and tracking challenges to progress.

The council's performance management framework sets our approach to business planning, monitoring performance and risk management. Having a structure in place helps us to ensure alignment of resources, people and finance to our ambitions set out in the Council Plan.

Our Council Plan sets the high level ambitions for the council over a four year period, 2024-28 and is supported annually by a delivery plan which provides detail on the specific projects and programmes of work which will make progress on these ambitions.

Each quarter cabinet receives a public report providing progress against the deliverables and measures within the delivery plan, as well as an update on spend against council budgets.

Alongside the public reporting of performance to cabinet, there are a range of mechanisms used by officers to ensure good performance of council services. These range from management board, to directorate leadership teams, service team meetings and personal development plans. Service areas are responsible for their own performance and continuous improvement.

Across the council's work there are also a range of external regulators and assessors, such as Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission as well as both internal and external audit functions. These bodies provide feedback on council services which help to identify areas for improvement to ensure Herefordshire residents receive good services.