Agenda and minutes

1.1  Apologies were received from Cllr Sharon Patrick and Cllr Ben Hayhurst.

1.2 Cllr Clare Joseph attended the meeting virtually.

2.1 There were no late items and the agenda was as published.

3. There were no declarations.

4.1 The Complaints and Member Enquiries Annual Report is a standing item within the Scrutiny Panel work programme so that members (and scrutiny Commissions) have oversight of the trends and patterns in the Councils’ complaints and Member Enquiry processes.  The 2021/22 report was submitted for review by the Panel.

Questions from members of the Panel

4.2 In 3.2 of the report, it was noted that the volume of complaints to the council had reached unprecedented levels which was undoubtedly causing additional stress and pressures within services.  What additional support was being provided to help services reduce the volume of complaints?

·  It was acknowledged that there had been a significant rise in the number of complaints and member enquiries.  It was recognised that this had caused increased pressures on services, but staff were processing complaints efficiently and making sure responses were provided to residents.  Although there had been a significant increase, the actual number of complaints where the Council had adjudged to be at fault by the respective Ombudsman was relatively small. The volume of complaints had of course impacted on response times which were up by between 5-10 days depending on the nature of the complaint.

4.3 Do officers see a distinction between members' enquiries and complaints, and how are overlaps in the system identified? Do officers also seek learning from members' enquiries and is information about response times available?

·  There was a distinction between complaints and member enquiry processes in that whilst the former had defined two stage process, the latter was less formal.  Officers were always alert to any overlap between the two processes, and when it was in the best interest of the resident, member enquiries were considered within the complaints process.  Similarly, in some instances, officers are also mindful that the same issue might be raised within both processes at the same time and would want to avoid any duplication.

4.4 Whilst it is positive that there is a process in which learning is derived from the complaints process, should residents need to complain to see service improvements?

·  The complaints process is just one source of intelligence and feedback which the council can use to develop more effective services.  In many cases it is intelligence from the complaints process which gives the earliest indication that there may be problems with a service, and help to specifically identify where improvement might be needed.

4.5 Given that both leaks and lifts continue to generate many complaints from local residents, do you think the complaints process is capable of delivering systemic change?  Are there other processes aside from the complaints process which can deliver improved outcomes for residents?

·  The way that services strategically respond to complaints does vary and whilst some may have a developed process of reflection and change in their complaints handling, others may be more reactive. There were also a range of performance measures which help to maintain oversight of services and help to direct service improvement.  There was also borough wide and service specific engagement  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.1 In each municipal year Scrutiny Panel holds a question time session with the Chief Executive to ask questions about strategic direction, performance and decision-making within the Council.  This question time session coincides with the one year anniversary of the commencement of Chief Executive time in Hackney, and is therefore a helpful juncture for reflections of the first year in office.

5.2 Following the Panel’s formal invite to this session, 3 topic areas were selected by members which will form the basis of the Q and A session. The areas selected were:

·  How the Council is developing metrics and evaluating the outcomes for all council services / activities

·  How the Council is restoring public confidence in the organisation

·  The methodology and ownership for developing a whole system approach to anti-racism for Hackney Borough.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO)

5.3 The CEO started by commending the good work of Tim Shields (previous CEO) and the leadership team in maintaining a strong and stable organisation throughout and after the pandemic.  Such was the strength of the organisation, it was apparent to the incoming CEO that there was no need for any wide ranging restructure of the Council.  As the year has progressed however, a number of service areas have been identified for improvement:

·  Performance management - where there is a need for a greater organisational understanding of  how this drives improvement and vision to how services should look in 6 months / 12 months’ time;

·  Human Resources and Organisational Development - to give more support to inclusion and anti-racist action across the council;

·  Climate action and net-zero target - to give greater priority and leadership to this work across the organisation.

5.4 The leadership team was already in transition with two of the Group Directors starting in their role months before the Chief Executive and one starting more recently.  The Head of Legal and Governance was also invited to join the Hackney Leadership Team (HLT) and was very much focused on the work of the Council and the journey ahead.  Both the corporate leadership team and the Cabinet team were now amongst the most diverse in London and across the country.  The new leadership team had brought a wider range of skills and experience to HLT which was invaluable to the organisation.  Further on from this, a more developed relationship was set up with the wider leadership team, including Directors and Head of Services.

5.5 In the first HLT meeting with the Cabinet, the CEO identified 5 key areas for the organisation:

·  Visible Pride and Passion - that the senior leadership are present and prominent within the organisation and who are actively proud and passionate about the Council and Hackney as a place;

·  Inclusive, open and transparent organisation - continuing its commitment address racism;

·  Improving the metrics and data performance of the organisation - with an emphasis on improved outcomes for local residents rather than focus on services.

·  To prioritise improvement in three service areas: adult social care, children's social care and housing;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.1 The council’s budget update to scrutiny is a fixed item on the agenda of the Scrutiny Panel. The Group Director for Finance and Corporate Resources presented to panel members, highlighting the following key issues (slides are available to view in the meet recording).

·  The latest OFP and HRA forecast is predicting an overspend of £7.8m for the former and £9.6m for the latter;

·  There were significant cost drivers for local authorities (contracts, pay aware, energy costs, pension increases) which were adding to financial pressures;

·  London boroughs were predicted to make cumulative savings of around £600-700m per annum through to 2025-2026;

·  The 2022/23 pay award of £1,950 will result in cost pressure in excess of £13m for the council overall (HRA and GF);

·  The mini-budget provided no additional funding for local government to cope with inflationary pressures;

·  Rates of interest for loans through the PLWB have increased significantly to local government resign from 1.58% to 5.12% over a 1 month period which will impact on borrowing;

·  Council’s energy is purchased collectively through a LASER framework operated by Kent County Council over a 6 month period - currently 70% of gas and 50% of electricity has already been purchased and these are below the current CAP rates.

6.2 The Panel requested further information on what the council was doing in response to the Cost of Living Crisis.  The presentation to Panel members noted the following:

·  The Poverty reduction Framework set out the approach of the council prioritising 4 areas: simplifying access to support; maximising income, building existing partnerships and equipping front line services to better support residents in need. Additional funding has been secured for Integrated Care Funding.

·  In terms of impact: 48% of children were living in poverty after housing costs, households not in work (or one working adult), with a disabled adult or carer or low formal qualifications were also identified to be at greater risk of poverty.

·  Financial support provided by the council included£638k to Discretionary Housing Payments, £57k to Discretionary Crisis Support Scheme, £150 fuel rebate paid to over 98,352 residents;

·  Household Support Fund has allocated £2.8m to Hackney to redistribute to children and families 0-19 years, Pensioners and help with housing costs and risk of homelessness.  The scheme has now been extended to March 2023.

·  A centralised information suite has been developed to help residents experiencing financial difficulties;

·  In terms of debt, the council is now issuing notices to residents but instructed to work with residents to develop affordable repayments (extending arrangements);

·  Similarly, officers are working with tenants in relation to rent arrears and eviction continues to be a last resort.

6.3 Whilst members of the Panel welcomed the range of help and support that has been in place for local residents and tenants, there was some concern over the accessibility of the support available.  There were also instances of people being encouraged to apply but then being told they were not eligible.  What are officers doing to ensure that help is getting to those who  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

7.1  The new administration for 2022-2026 made a policy commitment to:

‘...further promote youth participation in our democratic functions by inviting young people to attend each of the Scrutiny Commissions, to help make sure council decisions and services work for young people.’

7.2 The scrutiny function is therefore reviewing the current arrangements for the engagement and involvement of children and young people within the overview and scrutiny function in Hackney as part of a broader ambition to further involve children and young people (CYP) in local democracy.  An options paper was presented for the Panel to discuss.

7.3 The short report Improving Engagement and involvement of Children and Young People in Scrutiny in the agenda sets out:

·  Current arrangements in which children and young people are engaged and involved with scrutiny;

·  Local engagement structures for children and young people;

·  Principles for extending scrutiny engagement with children and young people.

·  Several suggested proposals to improve children and young people’s engagement with scrutiny are put forward for members to discuss and agree.

7.4 Panel members noted and agreed the principles for engaging young people set out in the paper (summarised below):

·  Young people should be engaged and consulted in those settings in which they naturally congregate, feel safe and can communicate freely;

·  Consultations should be flexible to reflect the differing degrees of involvement and time commitments that young people may have;

·  Approaches to consultation should aim to further develop the knowledge, skills and understanding of young people;

·  Whilst social media is an important tool for initial engagement, young people prefer face-to-face methods of consultation and preferably through peer to peer research;

·  Young people should be compensated for their contribution to consultations in recognition of their time, expertise and insight (and in parity with other adult consultees);

·  Parents should be involved in CYP consultations as they continue to play an important role in shaping the views of young people and remain a significant influence over the way that they engage with and utilise services.

7.5 The Panel agreed to take this work forward and to ensure that this was properly resourced.

8.1 Panel members noted and agreed on the minutes of the 14th July 2022.

9.1 The Panel noted and agreed the work programme for the remainder of the municipal year 2022/23.

10.1 There was no other business and the meeting closed at 9.30pm

10.2 The date of the next meeting was 20th February 2023.