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Agenda item

Draft work Corporate Committee work programme 2023/24

Decision:

To note the Business Regulation - Service Plan Update report and appendices.

 

To note the latest version of the Corporate Committee Work Programme

2023/2024.

Minutes:

Business Regulation – Service Plan Update

 

9.1  The Council’s Regulatory Service Manager, of the Community Safety, Enforcement and Business Regulations Team, introduced the update report as published. The report provided an update on the performance of the Environmental Health Service against the Service Plan for the 2023/24 to the end of quarter 2, and the work undertaken to improve the quality of food premises in Hackney to protect the health of the public, to assist businesses to comply with their legal requirements.

 

9.2  The report also highlighted the work of Hackney Trading Standards for 2023/24 to the end of quarter 2. The plan outlines the Service’s achievements and identifies areas of interest for the future.

 

9.3  There was brief discussion about the report whereby the following points were noted:

·  The Committee noted that across the service there remained staff shortage issues;

·  Regarding Hackney’s Hospitality industry progress was being made to return the sector to pre-pandemic levels. There had been seen a large explosion of businesses with 3600 business currently. This remained a challenge for the Council;

·  For bars and clubs in the borough it appeared to be back to normal in the post-pandemic period and the Council would have to adapt as different strains of Covid19 emerge in the future and to adhere to any guidance as it follows;

·  On Food Safety Performance against Service Key Performance Indicators 2023/24 and the number of unrated food premises, on average the Service receives 75 new registrations a month. 303 inspections had already been undertaken. 452 businesses had ceased trading, moved out of the borough or had been duplicated on the system. There remained 226 businesses and two officers were working full time to reduce that number. The service was confident that the figure could be reduced and funds had been allocated to employ agency staff to assist in reducing the 226 figure;

·  In terms of prioritising those 226 businesses, in order to reduce the backlog, the Service would firstly contact the businesses in question to determine if they are actually trading. It was a  process of working through the registrations systematically;

·  The Management Information System was currently being implemented and it was expected to be in operation at the start of the next quarter;

·  In relation to guidance given to businesses in relation to ventilation post-pandemic there was no formal guidance beyond those buildings regulations required by law that a new business has to adhere to before it opens. Central government regulations had not changed. Those regulations in place during the height of the Covid19 were only temporarily in place.

 

Gender and Equalities Pay Gap report

 

9.4  The Committee noted that the report was not ready, however, the report had been seen by the Committee previously and it was currently unclear what decisions were previously made leading to the report being on the Committee’s Work Programme. Further inquiries were needed as to the history of the report being included.

 

9.5  Councillor Webb highlighted that part of the Committee’s responsibilities was oversight of the Council’s Human Resources. The Chair noted that was the case but the report had been a recent addition to the Committee’s Work Plan.

 

9.6   The Governance Officer highlighted that between December 2022 and March 2023 the report was added to the Committee’s Work Programme. The Governance Officer would also examine the December 2022 Corporate Committee meeting minutes and recording. The previous Committee Chair would also be contacted.

 

9.7  Councillor Binnie-Lubbock highlighted that the agenda for the next meeting in March 2024 was looking quite full. The Chair of the Committee noted the Councillors comments and he meeting have to be extended as a result.

 

Action:

 

The Governance Officer would examine the December 2022 Corporate

Committee meeting minutes and recording to establish the history of why

the Gender and Pay Equalities report was added to the draft Committee

Work Programme for 2023/2024.

 

 

 

 

 

 

RESOLVED:

 

To note the Business Regulation - Service Plan Update report and appendices.

 

RESOLVED:

 

To note latest version of the Corporate Committee Work Programme 2023/2024.

Supporting documents: