Agenda item

This report provides an overview of activities and progress made on work areas within the Business Management Portfolio, which fall within the remit of this Committee. This information is provided in relation to the Portfolio Holder for Business Management being held to account.

Discussion:        

Members received an overview of activities and progress made on work areas within the terms of reference of this Committee covered by Councillor Rupert Turpin, Portfolio Holder for Business Management, which were:

• Customer Contact;
• Democracy and Governance;
• Audit and Counter Fraud;
• Revenue and Benefits;
• Income Generation (including new Joint Ventures);
• Risk Management;
• Business Management;
• Commissioning, and;
• Medway Norse. 

Councillor Turpin responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

• Covid-19 related increase in demand for the Revenues and Benefits and Macmillan welfare services:

·       The Portfolio Holder advised that he received a statistical dashboard on a monthly basis and expressed confidence in the ability of the Revenues and Benefits Team to meet the needs of customers, recognising that it was currently operating in very difficult times. The service was responding well to Government initiatives including prompt payments from the hardship fund for people who could not work due to Covid-19. Changes to Universal Credit processes were being automated which would put the team in a good position to deal with increased demand. He referred to a range of transformational initiatives including the hosting of core Revenues and Benefits systems in the cloud which were freeing up officer time. 

·       Reference was made to the rise in referrals experienced by Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust (KMPT), many of which were for debt related mental health problems. It was suggested that facilitating direct referrals from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and KMPT would be of benefit. The Portfolio Holder noted that suggestion and recognised the need for financial assistance to be provided quickly. He referred to the high praise that the Revenues and Benefits team had received for their work with the DWP at the introduction of Universal Credit. 

·        The Portfolio Holder advised the Macmillan service was offering support over the telephone to reduce the risk of service users contracting Covid-19. He offered to make enquiries to confirm that the Macmillan services was working well in the current difficult circumstances. He shared the view expressed by Members that the public message should be to encourage people to promptly access any medical service they needed during the pandemic and not delay seeking help because they wished to protect the NHS.

• Medway Norse: In terms of the re-recognition of Unite the Union, the Portfolio Holder commented that he hoped that Medway Norse could again work successfully with Unite but noted that some members of the workforce had joined another union which Medway Nose was working with.

• Kent Access Permit – The Portfolio Holder confirmed that this was not on the risk register. He stated his confidence that a Brexit deal would be achieved and that the Government was working with haulage companies to ensure they had the paperwork in place for the Kent Access Permit. The Council had been assured that there was no prospect of a lorry park in Medway given its distance from Dover.

• Budgeting process assumptions: The Portfolio Holder commented that assurance had been received from the Government that there would be recompense for lost fees and charges income. Other forms of Government support grant were also being received and savings were being made, for example through the cancellation of cultural programmes.

• Remote working: Referring to a recent staff survey, the Portfolio Holder reported that most staff considered that they were as productive or more productive working from home. It offered flexibility and a better work life balance. It remained to be seen what elements of the new ways of working would be retained post Covid-19. Councillors were encouraged to access documents electronically and good progress had been made although the Portfolio Holder recognised that there were occasions when a hard copy might be preferable, for example when viewing large maps. The Portfolio Holder expressed his admiration for the way in which Councillors had adapted so quickly to new ways of working. He added that the Council had been complimented on the quality of its live streamed meetings, which were available to view for 180 days after the meeting. He praised Democratic Services and ICT for their work in enabling remote meetings. 

• Customer Contact – Asked if he would review the equality impact assessment in relation to the closure of the transport office within the dynamic bus facility, the Portfolio Holder responded that he was not aware of any complaints but would look at it again if equality issues were raised with him.

• Kingsley House: The alterations to the housing services provided at Kingsley House was raised and the Portfolio Holder advised that the service was under review. It was envisaged that it would be a remote one to one service rather than a drop-in service, although a face to face contact would remain for vulnerable customers. It would be kept under review with the key focus being on delivering the service that people needed.

• Parking permits during Covid-19: The Portfolio Holder advised that, should there be another period of lockdown, the command structure that had been put in place during the pandemic would determine how parking permits would be enforced. With regard to any plans to introduce digital parking permits, opportunities to increase digital options for parking were always under consideration as the general direction in parking was an increased use of technology.

• Customer and Business Support (CABS): Asked if there were any plans to review and increase the CABS telephony service which was currently operating at full capacity, the Portfolio Holder responded that, in view of the Council’s difficult financial situation, it was important that the service worked flexibly to ensure that sufficient staff operated the telephony service during known busy periods. On-line booking systems would also help in this regard.

• Retention of a booking system for recycling centres: The Portfolio Holder advised that it was now possible to visit a recycling centre every two weeks. There may be further adjustments and people would have different views on whether the booking system should be retained but flexibility within the system was important.

• Weekly waste collection: Reference was made to the weekly waste collections which had been operated by Medway Norse for the past year. The Portfolio Holder advised that the feedback he had received was that it remained an excellent service.

• Police Crime Commissioner (PCC) Elections: Asked whether the forthcoming elections might be conducted by means of postal votes only, the Portfolio Holder commented that he would be very surprised if this was the case, referring to the low turnout for PCC elections.

• Electoral registration: The Portfolio Holder undertook to check whether there were any plans to conduct an audit of Route 1 properties where 10% of properties contacted said the information needed to be amended.

• Remembrance Day: The Portfolio Holder said that he would pass on Members’ praise to Mayoral Services for the efforts being made to mark this important occasion this year.

• Government support in relation to Covid-19: The Portfolio Holder praised the Audit team which had been redeployed to assist with fraud detection in relation to grant applications from businesses. He also praised the Business Rates team which was distributing Government grants to eligible people who had lost income due to shielding having been contacted by track and trace. In response to a question on Covid-19 grant allocation, he confirmed that his own local Conservative Association had not received a grant.

• Crematorium: The Portfolio Holder praised crematorium staff and said that it had coped well with increased demand. Renovation of the crematorium had been completed two years ago and this had included investment of £1.6m in new equipment. In addition, six months prior to the pandemic, digital equipment had been installed to enable live broadcasting of services and this was being provided free during the pandemic.

• Parish Councils: With reference to the ability of the 11 Parish Councils within Medway to hold legally convened meetings during the pandemic, the Portfolio Holder responded that Parish Councils were organisations in their own right and had a responsibility to ensure they complied with the law. He reported that the Monitoring Officer had contacted the Parish Councils to offer advice on how to overcome the risks to the six-month rule where Councillors ceased to hold office if they did not attend actual or remote meetings. The Portfolio Holder added that, at his request, the Monitoring Officer had asked Parish Councils to report any incidences where Parish Councillors had been disqualified due to the application of the six-month rule.

On behalf of the Committee, the Chairman thanked the Portfolio Holder for Business Management for his attendance.