Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

To appoint a Chairman of the Panel for the remainder of the municipal year.

RESOLVED:

That Cllr Tipp be elected Chairman of the Panel for the remainder of the municipal year.

RESOLVED:

That Cllr O’Sullivan be appointed Vice-Chairman of the Panel for the remainder of the municipal year.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2023 as a correct record.

The minutes of the meeting held on 19 January 2023 were confirmed and signed.    

To note any declarations of interest made by members in connection with an agenda item.  The nature of the interest must also be specified.

Members are asked to discuss any possible interests with Democratic Services prior to the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.

To note any issues raised during the public participation period.

There was no public participation.

To receive a summary of the support given to businesses, households and  communities in 2022/23, together with support being administered from 1 April 2023.

The Panel received an update on the range of support given to businesses, households and communities in 2022/23, together with support being administered from 1 April 2023.

In the 2022/23 financial year to date the Council had administered and distributed various grants, payments and funds totalling £18,552,930 as well as undertaking various initiatives to support residents with the cost of living, such as the community hubs.

A member referred to the 99 exceptional housing costs awards, from 187 applications, and it was queried why this appeared to be relatively low compared to other schemes, and whether there were any concerns with the application process. In response, it was explained that no concerns had been raised with the process, applicants were offered assistance with completing forms where required, and awards had been targeted at households in exceptional financial hardship, given the £45,000 funding available.

In answer to the question about Waterside food bank, it was explained that the Council  was working with a range of partners, including Waterside Foodbank and the intention was to actively promote local support for residents across the Forest, including food banks.

It was noted that most of the financial assistance outlined was government – funded, and whilst this might help address local poverty and deprivation through this short term funding, it was queried whether the proposed task and finish group would examine and consider how to alleviate or deal with the symptoms in the long term. It was confirmed that the task and finish group would consider this.

Members commended the considerable work undertaken by the team, both in promptly distributing grants and payments, but also in networking and joint collaboration with partners to maximise local support where it was needed and communicating the support available.

RESOLVED:

(a)   That officers continue to work with Council partners to identify emerging issues and explore further opportunities for joint working to support our communities and the most vulnerable residents across the District.

(b)   That the Panel support the recommended use of £20,000 from the residual Council Tax Hardship fund, to be used for work with partners supporting the Community Hubs, and to contribute towards the employment of a Financial Inclusion officer as set out in the report.

(c)   That the intent to establish a Task and Finish Group, to report back to the

Community, Partnerships and Wellbeing Overview and Scrutiny Panel, on the

development of our strategic response to supporting our communities, be supported.

To receive a presentation on progress with the delivery of the ICT Strategy.  

The Panel received and noted a presentation on progress with the delivery of the ICT strategy, the slides from which were with the agenda pack.

A staff restructure had been undertaken to facilitate the delivery of the digital strategy.  A new Assistant Director had been appointed to oversee the service.

The presentation covered staffing, strategy, operational and delivery aspects. It also outlined the work programme and operational updates including service desk, infrastructure and security and solutions. Other work included work on a data strategy, and adoption of Microsoft 365. Members noted the completed website upgrade.

In answer to a question, it was confirmed that the Council Chamber upgrade was due to be completed on 5 April.

Members noted that the ICT training modules for staff and councillors were being reviewed.  

Members thanked officers for their hard work in maintaining service provision and a very informative presentation.

To receive a summary of staff efficiency ideas submitted in 2022/23.

The Panel received and noted a summary of staff efficiency ideas submitted in 2022/23, a copy of the slides is with the agenda pack.

The Scheme had been launched in March 2021 and was regularly promoted within the organisation.

Many of the ideas coming forward were general suggestions, rather than efficiency saving ideas. A summary of the ideas and responses to them was given. The results were made available to staff.

To receive an oral update from the Portfolio Holders on developments within their Portfolio areas, including Performance Dashboards.

The Panel received an oral update from the portfolio holders on developments within their portfolio areas, including performance dashboards.

Cllr Cleary, Leader

The Waterside Steering group had been restarted and as chair the Leader was pleased with both the attendance at these meetings and the focus on collaboration to bring together and communicate the next steps in delivering the vision for the Waterside.

Through the HR Committee, work was underway to support NFDC being an employer of choice as well as a range of initiatives to improve recruitment processes.

In relation to the priority around democratic engagement and the preparations underway for the May 2023 District and Parish elections, it was noted that the new Voter ID requirements coming on top of the boundary review made for a challenging time. The Chief executive was chairing fortnightly project meetings, in the context of a cross - Council commitment to deliver a successful polling day and count.

On the KPI for ‘Vacancies filled first time’, it was confirmed the HR Committee had recently received details on this issue and recent performance was showing improvement. Work was also being done on branding and communications, and improvements to the applications process.

On the ‘Number of subscribers to the Resident’s email’, improvement would require a step change in approach, which could be considered by the new Council.  Private sector websites sometimes boosted subscriptions by requiring sign – up before the website could be fully used, although this could be off-putting for customers. There was a balance to be struck and officers would consider what more could be done to reach the target of 14%.

The Council was well prepared across its information offices to assist persons with the need to provide Voter ID for elections, and it was noted that a relatively small number of residents had  applied for voter authentication certificates. The last figure was under 100 and it was important to step up communication on the issue and support the Government’s wider campaign around voter ID, and target likely areas where fewer residents would have the traditional forms of ID.  Polling station staffing would be adjusted to take account of Voter ID, for which government funding was being made available.  

A query was raised about the relative benefits of hybrid working, and it was explained that this way of working was part of the Council’s efforts to be an Employer of Choice, and employees valued both working from home and meeting fellow team members. It was anticipated that the new council administration would consider the future use of office accommodation. It was explained that productivity of staff was managed through performance interviews, regular contact and focussing on targeted outcomes.

Cllr J Heron, Portfolio Holder, Finance, Investment and Corporate Services

The portfolio holder referred to the two KPI’s having a red status, namely General Fund and HRA budget variations, and explained that both external factors out of the control of the council and internal factors had again caused budget variations.

He paid tribute to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.

a)      To consider the Panel’s future Work Programme, including any reviews of previous work undertaken; and

(b)     To receive any updates on Task and Finish Group work.

The Panel reviewed and noted its future work programme. 

It was agreed to accept Cllr Harris’ suggestion of inviting representatives from the New Forest Enterprise Centre to a future Panel meeting to receive a progress update.