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Quarter 1 Corporate Performance Report

Summary

Agency board report number: SEPA 42/23 - July 2023

We present the first quarterly corporate performance report of this financial year, covering the period April-June 2023.

In our Annual Operating Plan 2023-2024 we set out nine performance measures. We will use this set of performance measures to assess our progress in delivering this plan throughout the year.

The report describes progress made on the performance measures during Quarter 1.

A new dashboard style performance report has been developed for performance reporting for the new year.

Accompanying this report is a supplementary corporate performance measure document. This document sets the context around each of the nine performance measures. This document will be published on our website.

Executive Summary

This year’s Annual Operating Plan includes nine performance measures. Each quarter we will produce a report to explain how we are progressing with those measures. This is the first quarterly report. It covers the period April-June 2023.

In case readers would like more context to help them understand each of our measures, we have produced a separate reference document, “Explaining our corporate performance measures 2023-2024”. This document is provided alongside the first quarterly report. It will be published on our website and a link will be provided to it in future quarterly reports.

In this first quarter we are on track to achieve seven of the nine measures. Corrective action is in place for the other two measures. We are considering the steps to take to bring our work to be net zero in direct emissions by 2025 and regenerative by 2030 back on track. A small delay responding to one complaint this quarter means that we missed our target for responding to complaints on time. We have taken corrective action and aim to bring this measure back on track for the remainder of this year.

Some highlights this quarter are the completion of a river restoration project on the River Levern and a new initiative to tackle illegal waste operators who advertise on social media and on-line.

Performance Dashboard

1. Improve

• Measure: Implementation of three river restoration projects.
• Q1 - Green

Through river restoration we aim to restore as many natural characteristics of a river as possible and reintroduce natural habitats and biodiversity. One hectare of vacant and derelict land has been transformed at the River Levern. The project has improved access to high quality green and blue space in an area of social deprivation. Two other projects are on track to meet their milestones.

2. Improve

• Measure: Increase in the length of rivers where fish movement is not restricted by man-made barriers.
• Q1 - Green

We are on track to open up 69km of inaccessible river. We have issued or varied two licences to ease fish passage. Two projects funded by the Water Environment Fund are in progress. We have scoped 18 fish barriers to determine if action is required in future years.

3. Protect

• Measure: Reduction in number of illegal sites in a year.
• Q1 - Green

Operators that carry out activities illegally can have a detrimental impact on the environment and local communities. We have closed 12 illegal sites and have identified eight new illegal sites. We identified nine unlicensed waste operators who were advertising on-line, and we are taking action to prevent them operating illegally.

4. Protect

• Measure: Complete the implementation of an integrated and simplified authorisation framework in line with statutory deadlines.
• Q1 - Green

The Environmental Authorisations (Scotland) Regulations, introduced a framework of common procedures designed to standardise, simplify, and streamline the processes for complying with environmental legislations. The Scottish Government plans to consult later this year on draft regulations which will bring waste, water, and pollution prevention and control activities under the framework. We have set up a dedicated project team which is preparing to implement the regulations.

5. Improve

• Measure: Being regenerative by 2030 and net zero in “direct” emissions by 2025.
• Q1 - Amber

We have reduced our direct emissions by around 58% compared to our 2006-2007 baseline. Our emissions remain below pre-pandemic levels. We are working to reduce our estate and develop options for an offsetting programme.

6. Warn

• Measure: Alerts and warnings issued for all significant flooding events.
• Q1 - Green

Our 24/7 flood forecasting and warning service enables people, businesses, and communities to take action to protect themselves. We have issued all alerts and warnings on time this quarter. We have issued a daily flood guidance statement to more than 900 responders every day.

7. Avoid

• Measure: Compete all planned updates to our flood maps.
• Q1 - Green

Flood maps enable SEPA, other public authorities, communities, businesses, and emergency responders to make decisions and take action to reduce the impact of flooding in Scotland. We are on track to publish the updates to our flood maps by the end of March 2024.

8. Improve

• Measure: Percentage of complaints responded to within timescales.
• Q1 - Amber

It is important that we handle and respond to customer service complaints. We closed three Stage 1 complaints and two Stage 2 complaints. We missed the deadline by one day for one stage 1 complaint. This means that we closed 80% of complaints received within the timescales. We are expecting to bring the response time back in line within our timescales over the course of the year.

9. Improve

• Measure: Percentage of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and Environmental Information requests (EIR) responded to within statutory timescales.
• Q1 - Green

We are responding to 65% - 75% of requests within statutory timescales (target is 82% by the end of March). We are seeing a significant increase in the number of requests (67% more than the same quarter last year). The areas of interest are the water environment, and regulatory information, such as permits and enforcement notices.

We use a Red, Amber and Green traffic light measure status to highlight if we are on course to achieve measures.

• Green - Achieved or is on course to being achieved.
• Amber - There may be problems or some minor slippage, but solutions have been found to keep the measure on track to being achieved.
• Red - Major issues have been identified and solutions are still being worked on. The measure is likely to be delivered late or not at all.