Agenda item

Councillor Rebecca Longbottom, Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience, Review and Resources:

a)    advised that during the summer a full review of Portfolio Holder responsibilities was undertaken to ensure the responsibilities continued to successfully align with the objectives of each portfolio

b)    highlighted that the review had seen her portfolio having gained some additional responsibilities, previously under the Portfolio Holder for Our People and Resources as detailed within her report, additionally Equality and Diversity (Service User Prospective) had also joined her portfolio formerly under the Portfolio Holder for Reducing Inequalities

c)    reported that whilst a number of the services under her portfolio were back-office services, each played a vital role in supporting our front-line services and ensuring these functioned effectively

d)    presented her report to Performance Scrutiny Committee providing an insight into key activities and achievements during the past twelve months, covering the following main areas:

·       Audit

·       Channel Shift

·       The Council’s Website

·       Complaints Handling

·       Customer Engagement

·       Corporate Health and Safety

·       Democratic and Electoral Services

·       Equality and Diversity-Service User Perspective

·       ICT

·       Performance (Including Systems and Process)

·       Procurement (Excluding Social Value)

·       Project Management

·       Strategic Information

·       Revenues Service

e)    extended her thanks to the team of officers that supported her Portfolio for their hard work, dedication and commitment to supporting the residents of Lincoln

f)      invited members’ comments and questions.

Members congratulated the Portfolio Holder on the content of her report, which was one of the best ones ever seen.

Comments and questions were raised and responded to by the Portfolio Holder for Customer Experience, Review and Resources and/or officers as follows:

Comment: It was disappointing that the Chair and Vice-Chair of Audit Committee had failed to attend both a recent Audit Committee meeting and the Fraud Awareness training offered to all members.

Response: Audit Committee meetings and fraud awareness training were extremely important to the efficient and safe operation of the Council. The Portfolio Holder would ask the Chair and Vice Chair of Audit Committee why they failed to attend. Online module training or training via Teams meetings would be helpful to keep members up to speed.

Question: How many people had been caught creating nuisance on motorised scooters?

Response: This area of work was something only Lincolnshire Police could deal with. Officers would speak to the Public Protection and Anti-Social Behaviour Team to see if they could obtain the details. However, it was urged that members continued to report any incidents.

Question: Why was it so difficult for the Member concerned to successfully log on to Citrix remotely?

Response: Officers would speak to the IT help desk to seek address to this problem. There were currently modifications being trialled to make improvements to the system.

Question: Why was the Lincoln Project Management Model chosen as the preferred tool for use by the Council?

Response: Although the Lincoln Project Management Model was not always suited to every project, it had been reviewed to ensure it remained effective at supporting the delivery of Council projects and to ensure it was as easy to use as possible. Additional tool kits could be added for relevant projects, and a refreshed model would be launched to project managers in the near future.

Question: Some residents experienced difficulty in accessing digital online systems to report issues. Were there any plans to introduce more user-friendly systems like ‘Fix my Street’ used at the County Council?

Response: Yes, indeed. There were several more user-friendly improvements/software implications being explored through GR space.

Comment: All member training should be provided on-line to make it easier for members to access.

Question: In terms of corporate health and safety, there were issues in relation to lifts failing in multi-story car parks and a particular instance of lack of maintenance on a Council property close to a lake. What measures were being taken to assess the risks?

Response: The Portfolio Holder would make further investigations regarding these matters and respond to the member concerned under separate cover.

Comment by Chair: Most of the questions asked of officers at the recent Performance Scrutiny pre-meet had been answered and circulated to members of the Committee this evening for information. Thank you.

Question: How was feedback received from the Citizens Panel shared with members?

Response: Officers would respond to this question under separate cover.

Comment: The failure to get the Guildhall clock repaired did not reflect well on the Civic Service area.

Response: The Guildhall clock was very old with many moving parts which had to be specially manufactured to get it mended. Many of the movements had failed now and would take time to be replaced. We must be patient.

Question: Staffing resource issues were impacting performance. How was the Council moving forward with filling staff vacancies, further retention of staff and feedback as to why members of staff were leaving?

Response: This area of responsibility came under the remit of the Portfolio Holder for Climate and Corporate Strategy. However, the Portfolio Holder was aware that career grades were being offered to staff members now to encourage staff progression.

RESOLVED that:

1.    Additional further information be circulated to members as requested.

2.    The content of the report be noted with thanks.