Agenda and minutes

1.1  Apologies from Cllr Will Brett.

2.1  None.

3.1  None.

4.1  The minutes of the meeting held on 13^th October 2014 were agreed.

5.1  The Chair welcomes Bruce Devile, Head of Business Analysis and Complaints.

5.1.1  The report on pages 15-30 of the agenda provides details on the key developments in improving the complaints, member’s enquiry process and information about the volume of complaints and enquires for 2013/14.  Previously the report was submitted to Standard Committee.  The key points highlighted from the report were:

5.1.2  The complaints and members enquiry process was reviewed following concerns about quality and customer satisfaction levels.  The emphasis in the new process is to obtain a resolution to the problem as opposed prioritising issuing a response to the customer.

5.1.3  The process was changed in 2013 with the significant change being a move from a 3 stage complaints process to a 2 stage process.

5.1.4  An additional step was introduced to the process.  This is the sign-off of a complaint by the relevant Assistant Director (AD) for the service area.

5.1.5  The volume of complaints escalating from stage 1 to stage 2 has dropped from 14% to 7%.

5.1.6  Performance targets for complaints and members enquire is based on the average number of days to resolve.  This was introduced as an incentive to staff to resolve straight forward complaints quicker.

5.1.7  In 2013/14 the Housing Ombudsman Services (HOS) assumed responsibility for local authority housing complaints from the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO).  To date only the Local Government Ombudsman has produced a report and the HOS are reported to be taking 8-9 months to complete casework.

5.1.8  Reports on the volume of complaints from LGO for London boroughs on page 25 of the agenda outlines the volume of complaints referred.  It was highlighted that London Borough of Hackney (LBH) is low in comparison and the volume of complaints upheld on Council decision was a healthy 83%.

5.1.9  In relation to Members enquires cases, these remained open until the complaint is resolved.  This means cases can take longer to close especially cases related to Hackney Homes.

5.2  Discussion, comments and responses

a)  Members raised the following queries in relation to the members enquiry process:

·  Why a response was always received on the 10^th day not before or after?

·  Why a response was not being sent to the resident when a Member requested it?  Members queried if this related to the service area not wanting the resident to see the response they gave, because it disputed the facts stated by the resident.

·  Responses could be inconsistent especially Hackney Homes cases.

·  Response time to an urgent enquiry was unsatisfactory.  Members suggested these queries should have a different process because they required a quicker response time than 10 days.

·  Members highlighted although the process had changed.  Their interaction with the service remained the same.  Members asked when they would have the ability to track the progress of an enquiry.

The Officer confirmed urgent cases did not have a separate process.  In the meantime the Head of Service offered for urgent cases to be sent to him and he would ensure they were  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1  The Chair referred Member to the Executive response (on pages 33-37 of the agenda) received, related to the Commissions recommendations made about the Council’s review of its governance structures.

6.1.1  The recommendations were supported.

6.1.2  The Chair referred to recommendation 4 and informed the first debate was scheduled for Full Council meeting in January 2015.

6.1.3  Members expressed support for joining up neighbourhood meetings.  The Assistant Chief Executive for Programme Projects and Performance advised Lea Bridge Ward was scheduled to trail a joint meeting date unfortunately the CAP was postponed due to a police emergency.  This has been rescheduled.

6.1.4  A Member of the Corporate Committee asked if the scrutiny commission could review the role and responsibility of this Committee.  It was highlighted that Members were confused about their role and the purposed of the committee outside the financial remit.  The Cabinet Member for Finance suggested the commission reviewed the Share Intelligence Report produced by the consultant who conducted the review, to understand the recommendations made on the role and purpose of the Committee.

The Chair agreed review this matter further and suggested the Commission invited the Corporate Director of Legal HR and Regulatory Services and the Chair of the Corporate Committee to discuss the role and remit of the Corporate Committee as outlined in the constitution.

Members agreed.

6.1.5  Executive response to the Commissions recommendations was noted.

7.1  The Chair welcomed the Cabinet Member for Finance, Councillor Geoff Taylor and Corporate Director for Finance and Resources, Ian Williams to the meeting.  Also in attendance was the Assistant Chief Executive for Programme Projects and Performance, Joanna Sumner.

7.1.1  The Corporate Director Finance and Resources presented information on the financial challenge; budget and total public spend in Hackney.  The main points noted were:

·  The average person is still feeling the effects of the austerity.

·  The UK suffered a deep recession from 2008, but is recovering well and has overtaken France.

·  The Gross Domestic Product for the UK has fluctuated each quarter over the last few years.

·  The current challenges result from limited investment in national services post 1945 and the development of a powerful social democratic that expects consistent services.

·  The UK borrowing is increasing and national debt is rising at a speedy rate.

·  UK government has prioritised four key areas of spend: international development, welfare, NHS and education.  All other public sector spend areas are unprotected and will feel squeeze.

·  Public sector employment has changed and started to fall.

·  Public sector is expected to experience five more years of unprotected resources like the last four years, which means local government will experience further spending and staff reductions.

·  Wider public sector change impacting on spend is:

NHS - fragmentation and shortage of resources with a £30 billion gap

Schools - new funding regime implemented meaning less council control,

Welfare reform - universal credit roll out date changed and brought forward from 2016 to 2015

City regional policy affecting urban areas.

·  The high spend areas does not necessarily cover a large volume of people.  The areas of high public sector spend cover a small percentage of the population.

·  Public sector services will be required to find saving for 2015 and beyond as the gap between income and funding widens.

·  Local government has a small proportion of the funding under its control.  Funding that comes into Hackney is shared with public services: Police, Fire, College, Academies and Free Schools, Transport, NHS, Department of Work and Pensions.

·  Emerging themes noted of challenge areas related to spend are work based benefits and housing pressures.

7.2  The Chair presented the Terms of reference and outlined the objectives of the review. 

7.2.1  The aim of this review was to find ways to provide services that meet the needs of service users and local residents. Prevention focused to reduce need and build capacity within the Council.

7.2.2  The anticipated outcomes were noted to be:

• Practical recommendations from individual ‘deep dives’ into particular areas, that will describe the actions different services should take to reduce unnecessary demand/cost;
• A ‘whole place’methodology for thinking differently about services that can be deployed across the council and beyond;
• The development of skills within the council, beyond scrutiny commission, so that this kind of thinking becomes embedded in how the council works.

7.2.3  A working group Chaired by the Chair of G&R was set up.  This  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

8.1  The work programme was noted.

9.1  None.