Agenda item

Mr L. Breckon CC, Lead Member for Resources, and Mr P. Bedford CC, Lead Member for Transformation and Ways of Working, will be in attendance for this item.

The Commission considered a report of the Director of Corporate Resources which provided information on the proposed 2023/24 – 2026/27 MTFS as it related to the Corporate Resources Department.  A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 10’ is filed with these minutes.

In addition to the Lead Member for Resources, Mr Breckon CC, who remained for this item, the Chairman welcomed Mr Bedford CC, Lead Member for Recovery and Transformation, who had joined the meeting remotely. 

Arising from discussion and questions, the following points were made:

Growth

(i)             Customer Service Centre (CSC) – The reduction in funding would not affect services.  A programme of improvement had been put in place two years ago which had resulted in new on-line processes being developed.  With further improvements planned, for example on the blue badge scheme, whilst demand had increased, the impact of this on the CSC was being reduced.  Similarly, improvement in providing on-line feedback had been developed in areas such as home to school transport.  This meant that the Council was now more proactive in keeping parents up to date on their applications which reduced the need for them to contact the CSC.

(ii)            Compared to three years ago, Members noted that the adoption rates for recently developed online access had risen from 75% to 97%.  This had significantly reduced the number of calls into the CSC.   Assurance was provided that the service recognised many residents still preferred to telephone through the CSC and this would therefore always be an option open to residents. 

(iii)          Call waiting times were measured both in real time and on a monthly basis.  The vast majority of callers were kept waiting between 1 - 13 minutes.  There were some cases where people were kept waiting for longer, but this was during busy periods, for example during school admission periods.  It was acknowledged that performance was not as good in the adult social care section of the service, but this was due to difficulties in being able to recruit suitably qualified staff to that area.

(iv)          New processes had been introduced which meant the CSC would now monitor officer responses to queries raised and passed on through the centre. 

(v)           Lone Working App – This application helped to support and ensure the safety of officers working alone out in localities.  Different solutions had been tested but this had been identified as the best approach.  It was considered a moderate spend for something that would help reduce the risk and vulnerability of officers working in the community.  It was suggested that this might also be useful for Members.

Savings

(vi)          Ways of Working Programme – This programme continued to be rolled out and whilst it was recognised that the County Hall campus was not currently being fully utilised, good progress towards this was being made.

(vii)         That Council had learnt from the restrictions imposed during the pandemic requiring people to work from home and was now moving towards a more long-term hybrid approach.  Many organisations including other local authorities were operating in this way. 

(viii)       The cost to support the adjustment to new ways of working (including improved IT software) had resulted in an increase in the budget initially, but this had been taken into account when the business case for the Ways of Working Programme had been developed.  These costs had been offset by existing infrastructure being removed and the savings made through delivery of the Programme.  In response to a question raised, Members noted that it cost the Council significantly less to support officers to work flexibly and that spend on IT had been reduced by over £1.2m over the period of the MTFS.

(ix)          A general policy requiring staff to be in the officer for a set number of days per week had not been imposed.  The approach adopted was for managers to agree arrangements which best suited their service area and whilst providing flexibility prioritised meeting the business needs of the Authority.  It had to be recognised that, given the range of services provided by the Council a single approach would not work as well.  Also, a return to imposed office working would increase costs and risked further impacting the current pressures faced to recruit and retain staff.  

(x)           The Lead Member for Recovery and Transformation provided assurance that steps were being taken to make the best use of the County Hall campus both to support services and the needs of the Council’s own staff, but also to reduce cost and generate income through renting parts of the building.   Productivity was also being monitored to ensure this was retained as changes were made.  If it was shown that productivity started to drop, or services were negatively affected by the change in approach, then the Programme would be reviewed.

(xi)          As part of the Ways of Working Programme staff welfare and wellbeing continued to be a key consideration, as well as support provided to new members of staff.  Offices were being adapted to ensure the best use of space to support a more collaborative working environment.  Members were assured that Departments and service teams would continue to be located together.   A Member commented that on a visit to County Hall they had been provided with some assurance when speaking with officers that the refurbished offices were being used and working well.

(xii)         Contact with officers remained unchanged and the Deputy Leader emphasised that Members should be able to continue to contact officers via Teams or to email them in the usual way, irrespective of whether they were based at home or in the office.  The needs of the business were prioritised by managers and so contact during normal business hours was supported.

(xiii)       Place to Live – The contract with Nottingham Communities Housing Association (NCHA) was working well.  They now managed sites and acted as the first point of contact for tenants.

At this point in the meeting Mrs A. Hack CC declared a non-registerable interest in this item as she was employed by a competitor of NCHA.

(xiv)       Sale of Castle House – The savings identified had taken into account the loss of the rental income that would otherwise be generated from the property.  Such income had been small and there had been an overall net cost to the Council, hence the proposal to sell to deliver the identified saving.

RESOLVED:

(a)  That the report and information now provided be noted;

(b)  That the comments now made be submitted to the Cabinet at its meeting on 7^th February 2023 for consideration.