Agenda and draft minutes

1.1  Following formal nominations for the position of Chair, Councillor Rebecca Rennison was elected by the Members as Chair of Budget Scrutiny Task Group Customer Services.

2.1  None.

3.1  As per the agenda.

4.1  None.

5.1  The Chair informed the Budget Scrutiny Task Group that the Governance and Resources Scrutiny Commission approved the Terms of Reference at its meeting on Tuesday 8^th September 2015. 

5.2  The work of the scrutiny task groups is defined in the TOR on pages 1-8 of the agenda.

5.3  There will be two phases of work.  Phase 1 will consider the approaches to budget savings for 2016/17 to give Members an understanding of the direction of travel and where savings will come from. 

5.4  Phase 2 will look at the budget savings for 2017/18 through to 2019/20 and help shape the priorities for budget savings in 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20.

5.5  The Budget Scrutiny Task Groups are aligned to ongoing officer work on the corporate cross cutting programmes.  The Groups are:

·  Customer Services

·  Enforcement

·  Public Realm

·  Adult and Children Social Care.

5.6  Members noted the Terms of Reference.

6.1  The Chair welcomed Edward Rogers, Head of Libraries, Culture and Heritage and Kim Wright, Corporate Director Health and Community Services from London Borough of Hackney to the meeting.

  Libraries, Heritage and Culture

6.2  The report is as set out in the agenda.  The main points highlighted from the report were:

6.2.1  Hackney Heritage Service comprises Hackney Museum and Hackney Archives.  Hackney Museum holds over 7,000 artefacts reflecting the history of the borough and hosts a regular programme of exhibitions which are free to the public.  Hackney Archives holds the documentary and pictorial history of the borough.

6.2.2  The Heritage Education Team delivers learning activities related to current programmes of events and topical themes across both the archives and the museum, and engages with every non-independent primary school in the borough.

6.2.3  The heritage service was used by 38,413 people in 2014/5, and in addition to this dealt with 1,551 remote enquiries.

6.2.4  The Cultural Development Team supports the cultural and creative industry sector in the borough with business and fundraising advice, and work to ensure that art in the public realm and in regeneration projects is of quality and relevance to local residents.

6.2.5  The work of cultural development is largely in providing an advisory role to the cultural sector and delivers the Hackney One Carnival and Discover Young Hackney Youth Arts Programme.

6.2.6  In 2014/15, there were £1.7 million visits to Hackney Libraries.  This is 11% more than in 2010/11.  To date they have delivered £1.2 million in savings.  This service has made efficiencies in relation to procurement and staff.

6.2.7  Hackney has 8 libraries in the borough.  7 are managed by LBH staff.

6.2.8  In Hackney 1 library is run by volunteers but this is a very small library in comparison to the other libraries in the borough.  Having volunteers running a library works well in rural areas and villages.  This model has worked in a limited number of urban settings e.g. Merton.  The volunteer model requires 10 volunteers in replacement for 1 FTE member of staff.  A volunteer run library service in Hackney may be part of the answer for savings proposals.

6.2.9  Monitoring data shows libraries are generally used for studying and accessing the internet.  The length of time spent in libraries per individual has increased.

6.2.10  The current model for the library service is to provide sufficient staff to retain the current opening hours, lending facilities, study space and access to computers and information; and to deliver activities and events to the public.

6.2.11  Libraries in well located buildings and with high footfall, are used for events and activities and these are delivered through a combination of staff led programmes and partnerships with external bodies at no cost to the service.

6.2.12  Channel migration such as self-service has also helped to provide efficiencies in the library services.

6.2.13  The Council is considering working across borough boundaries.  In the past there was reluctance to do this but resource constraints are making this more of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1  Members agreed the next meeting would be 5^th October 2015.

7.2  Members commented on reviewing the following at the next meeting:

·  Information on the cross cutting Customer Service programme from point of contact to resolution for a customer

·  High level modelling from libraries on the potential savings based on the options presented in the paper and discussed the meeting

·  Information on the customer service side of Planning Services.

7.3  The Cabinet Member for Finance from LBH highlighted the Council is facing big financial challenges and there are a number of unknowns in relation to changes being made by the Government e.g. Housing Revenue Account (HRA).  The Cabinet Member informed G&R would be proposing to hold a special session with Living in Hackney Scrutiny Commission to discuss the funding of the HRA.

8.1  None.