A THIRD of Dorset Council performance indicators have been classed red or amber, meaning they are not ‘on track,’  with the rest set at green.

But a report dealing with the monitoring of key issues concedes that some measures can be out of date by several months by the time they reach councillors – although this should be solved by a new reporting tool which will be available later in the year to councillors and, in time, also to the public.

Among the items rated red are worsening figures for the collection of council tax and business rates and for timely answering of Freedom of Information requests and requests for personal data the council may hold.

The council figures also highlight  the number of roads needing urgent attention – although extra government funding of more than £9million is expected to help with this.

Housing also features in the red warnings with the number of homes being built less than required to meet the Government’s five-year supply target.

Amber warnings include the time it takes to deal with planning applications and the percentage of staff turnover, although both are said to be improving.

Other amber indicators include working days lost to long-term sickness, which is worsening, with some departments more prone to sick leave than others often because of the stresses of the job – with children’s services having the highest rates at over 7 days while corporate development lists just over 3 days.