Agenda item

This annual report provides an account of the role of the Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement. It details their ambitions for their areas of responsibility, how they have and will undertake political challenge and leadership and what their priorities and ambitions are for the year ahead.

Discussion:

The Portfolio Holder for Community Safety, Highways and Enforcement introduced his report and highlighted the increased pace of activity in relation to Medway 2.0. The first redesign of processes had been completed and was in use through a soft launch. The next processes to be redesigned were scheduled to be completed in December. The Portfolio Holder added that he was pleased to have built on the work of his predecessor and the support of officers.

The following issues were discussed:

Nuisance Vehicles – Members welcomed the redesigned process for reporting nuisance vehicles which was much improved, it was asked what savings would be attributed to the Council’s budget following this change. The Portfolio Holder explained there had been a soft launch of the process, users would have found no change in using the system, but there were significant improvements in functionality for officers. It would be difficult to ascribe a monetary value to savings, however, the team were pleased with the results and associated time savings which made for a more efficient service for residents.

The Chief Information Officer added that the processes developed for the new reporting system would be repeated for other areas, thus reducing software and licensing costs for the Council.

It was asked whether the nuisance vehicle processes could include signposting to other relevant services for vehicles being driven which were causing nuisance. The Portfolio Holder agreed to review how this might be implemented through Medway 2.0 with partner organisations.

Fly tipping – Members commented that fly tipping remained an issue in the area and the process to report this was cumbersome. The Portfolio Holder agreed and said it was an area the Council were reviewing. In response to a question when the redesign for fly tipping would be completed, the Portfolio Holder stated that seven further processes were scheduled to be completed in December. He added that once a suite of processes had been completed a ‘report it’ section of the website would be created incorporating those new processes.

Staff engagement – in response to a question about staff and union engagement in the development process, the Portfolio Holder confirmed staff and unions had been involved in the redesign, their experience was helpful, particularly where there were known blockages in current processes.

It was asked what the impact on staff would be of Medway 2.0. The Portfolio Holder stated that he wanted staff to be engaged in the transformation and the opportunities in new processes to provide an improved service.

Accessibility – in response to a question about whether the Council had considered different language requirements and speech to text options, the Portfolio Holder stated that the google translation service had meant translation largely automated into the user’s preferred language. In relation to speech to text software some consideration would need to be given on integrating Microsoft into the system to enable that.

Member User Group – a Member commented that he had used the new nuisance vehicle reporting system and found some areas where he would like to suggest minor improvements such as taking photographs directly from a smartphone, he asked when a Member User Group would be in place to facilitate further testing. The Chief Operating Officer confirmed that the group was being set up and Group Whips had been asked for nominations for membership.

It was asked whether motion detection cameras could be used to monitor fly tipping hotspots. The Portfolio Holder commented that this could be considered however, the Council had to focus on particular areas and had published a wall of shame for people for fly tipping culprits to highlight the problem of fly tipping.

ANPR Cameras – a Member expressed disappointment that refuse lorries had not been fitted with cameras as this would aid the Council identifying nuisance vehicles, the Portfolio Holder commented that the Chief Information Officer would be able to take this away to review and that completing the transformation work in-house was positive in ensuring development met the Council’s need rather than working through third parties. He added that the License taxis trade may also be able to be used to identify nuisance vehicles through dashcams.

Recruitment - in response to a Member’s question whether staff recruitment to support system redesign had been completed the Chief Information Officer stated that the posts had been filled and staff would be in place by early November.

Resident feedback - it was commented that resident feedback was vital in improving the systems in place to promote use. Some apps have systems where people can sign up for alerts, and it was asked whether the Council could consider a similar facility. The Chief Information Officer stated the ability to create a dashboard to receive feedback and provide live reporting by ward for Members was planned for next year.

It was asked whether resident user testing could be considered for future redesigned processes. It was agreed this could be considered.

Licensing and Net Zero – it was commented that the licensing objectives could be reviewed to encourage support for the Council’s net zero targets. The Portfolio Holder agreed and stated that licensing public events could also be requested to take account of net zero targets. He added that there were significant opportunities to use licensing objectives to nudge behaviours and support mitigation.

CCTV – Members commented that the use of rapid deployment cameras had been a significant factor in reducing anti-social behaviour in some areas and it was asked whether their use would be extended. The Portfolio Holder stated that he was pleased that the cameras had a positive impact, however there were, at this time, not enough cameras.

Decision:

a)       The Committee noted the report.

b)       The Committee recommended officers explore the possibility of user testing groups at community hubs.