Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from Councillors D Anthony, T Dixon, M Tett and K Wood.

There were none.

The minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2022 to be confirmed as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on Thursday 1 December 2022 were agreed as a correct record.

Public Questions is an opportunity for people who live, work or study in Buckinghamshire to put a question to a Select Committee.

The Committee will hear from members of the public who have submitted questions in advance relating to items on the agenda. The Cabinet Member, relevant key partners and responsible officers will be invited to respond.

Further information on how to register can be found here: https://www.buckinghamshire.gov.uk/your-council/get-involved-with-council-decisions/select-committees/

There were none.

To receive an update on the process of the budget scrutiny recommendations made in January 2022

Contributors:

Councillor Martin Tett, Leader

David Skinner, Service Director for Finance (Section 151 Officer)

Papers:

12-month update report

The Chairman welcomed Councillor J Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, and the officers to the meeting. The Cabinet Member advised that most of the actions had been completed and invited Members to ask questions.

The following points were noted during the Committee’s discussion:

·       A Member was interested in what lessons the Council had learnt from the Social Work Academy. The academy cohorts were managed by Children’s Social Care so further information would be provided outside the meeting.

ACTION: S Murphy-Brookman

·       Due to the success of the Social Worker Academy, the Talent Academy had been rolled out across the Council. The Social Worker Academy primarily attracted people at the start of their careers, whereas the Talent Academy included people returning to work, people wishing to become managers or subject experts.

·       It was noted that the timetable of key strategies had not been shared with Members on a quarterly basis however it had been published on the website in March and updated quarterly. This commitment would be reviewed.

·       In terms of contingencies, the emerging position was to improve from Q2. Based on the current forecast, not all contingencies were expected to be fully utilised.

·       In response to a Member’s request, data relating to the cost of preparing the local plan would be circulated to the Committee.

ACTION: D Skinner

The Chairman thanked the Cabinet Member for the 12-month update.

To consider the Q3 Performance papers as reported to Cabinet on 14 February 2023.

Contributors:

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources

Holly Pedrick, Head of Insight and Business Improvement

The Chairman invited the Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, Councillor J Chilver, to introduce the report. In the Cabinet Member’s presentation, the following points were highlighted:

·       The report outlined the Q3 performance with national and regional benchmarking information. 67% of indicators were green and 22% were red. The proportion of green to red indicators had remained similar, though red indicators had slightly increased from 18 to 22.

·       The average web chat response time was 59 seconds, slightly below the target of 50 seconds. The service had been suspended in the last quarter due to resources needing to be redeployed. The service had restarted this quarter, with additional staff being trained to support it.

·       Two red indicators related to the average processing time for new housing benefit claims and housing benefit change claims. This was due to an 11-week system closure as a result of implementing a new countywide revenue and benefits system which was now in place. The service had brought in additional resources to clear the backlog and also improved automation to enable faster processing.

·       The average phone call waiting time had improved significantly and was now at 2 minutes and 42 seconds against a target of three minutes. 97% of phone calls were answered against a target of 90%. Customer satisfaction was maintained at 80%.

·       The investment portfolio continued to increase, currently being at 74% against a target of 64%.

·       The percentage of staff who feel happy, motivated and valued at work was 74%; an increase since the last reporting period.

The following points were noted during the Committee’s discussion:

·       A Member noted that the unemployment measures did not distinguish between unemployment and economic inactivity. It was suggested that a more in-depth analysis could be carried out to compare figures with other authorities in a more meaningful way. The Cabinet Member noted the suggestion.

·       A number of links on the Council’s website were still being hosted on the former District pages. It was noted that the process of implementing a single planning system would take around two years. The content and material on the website had been brought up-to-date.

·       Housing benefits had been partially replaced by Universal Credit. In limited circumstances, people could be eligible for housing benefit rather than universal credit. Information on these criteria would be forwarded to the Committee for information. It was noted that processing times for housing benefit claims were still a useful KPI and was also monitored nationally.

ACTION: D Skinner

·       The residual waste per household indicator referred to waste that had not been recycled. The figure represented an average across households per quarter.

·       The number of planning appeals referred to valid appeals, meaning any appeal that met the criteria for appeals, not the number of lost appeals. This figure excluded enforcement appeals. It was suggested that the wording should be made clearer to avoid confusion.

·       A Member highlighted the importance of scrutinising performance across portfolios. The Cabinet Member noted the suggestion and advised that each portfolio holder spoke in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

For Members to consider the Work Smart Estates Strategy.

Contributors:

Councillor John Chilver, Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing & Resources

Sarah Murphy-Brookman, Corporate Director for Resources

Sarah Keyes, Service Director for HR & OD

John Reed, Service Director for Property and Assets

Papers:

Update Report

Work Smart Estates Strategy Report to Cabinet

Appendix 1: Financial Implications

Appendix 2: Estates Strategy EqIA

Appendix 3: Strategy Member Feedback

The Cabinet Member for Accessible Housing and Resources, Councillor J Chilver, introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

·       The Work Smart Estates Strategy had been approved by Cabinet in January 2023. Flexible working arrangements were now embedded across the Council, with a standard of two days a week working in the office.

·       The piloted office redesign on the second floor of the Gateway office provided a higher staff-to-desk ratio and more collaborative meeting spaces. The design was well-received and would be rolled out further.

·       Four floors at the Walton Street Offices (Aylesbury) and one floor at King George V House (Amersham) were being closed to reduce occupancy costs. These offices would permanently close in the future, with an application for a certificate of immunity from listing for the Walton Street Offices being progressed. Relocation of the archives, emergency operations centre and registry office would need to be addressed as a result of the closure.

·       Options for a smaller office in the town centre of Aylesbury and Amersham were being explored to ensure availability of a Council Access Point for face-to-face delivery of services for residents.

·       The Gateway in Aylesbury was confirmed as the Council headquarters.

·       Staff were also currently being relocated from the Library in High Wycombe into Queen Victoria Road Offices.

·       Consultations were being held with staff, unions and members, and updates would be provided regularly throughout the process.

The following points were noted during the Committee’s discussion:

·       A number of Members commended the report, work of the teams delivering the strategy and the momentum of its implementation.

·       A Member asked about detailed timeframes for the project to be completed. The Cabinet Member advised that an indicative timeline could be found in the report, though an exact timeframe was not set as of yet. The Committee would receive regular updates on the progress, which would outline the timeframes for completion in more detail.

·       The impact of remote working on inductions for new staff were discussed. The induction process had been redesigned due to the pandemic, taking into account what had worked well and what processes other organisations followed. The candidate experience prior to commencing employment was identified as important. An onboarding programme has been developed with managers, providing prospective staff with workbooks prior to commencing employment. New employees were provided with a local induction plan and were also required to attend a corporate induction by the Corporate Management Team. There was also a specific induction progress in place for people working on service desks. New managers were given a corporate induction to outline ways to support their teams. Inductions were a mix between digital and face-to face-meetings, though emphasis was on face-to-face contact with other departments to develop networks and relationships.

·       The new ways of working were well-received by staff. The together survey revealed that 87% of staff within the Resources Directorate felt they had a good working relationship with their manager. All Corporate Directors focused heavily on staff engagement and satisfaction to ensure consistency. Meetings were also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Committee will discuss the work programme and agree the items for the next meeting.

Contributors:

All Committee Members

Papers:

Work Programme

Members were asked to note the work programme and were asked to email the Chairman and the senior scrutiny officer with further suggestions.

The next meeting will take place on Thursday 6 April at 2pm.

Thursday 6 April at 2pm.