Councillor Sabina Akhtar (Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Brexit); Dan Jones (Divisional Director, Public Realm); and Teresa Heaney (Interim Customer Services Programme Director) gave an overview of the changes taking place since the closure of One Stop Shops to the Committee.  The main points of the discussions on the report may be summarised as follows:

The Committee:

·         Was especially interested in (i) how the closure of One Stop Shops had been delivered, (ii) those issues that have arisen; and (iii) the plans that have been put in place to deliver further improvements;

·         Noted the most of the popular services can now be accessed online, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, without having to phone the Council or to visit a Council building;

·         Noted that transitional arrangements are now in place, with improved communication, signage and training for staff;

·         Was informed that (i) if residents wanted support in the Idea Store’s then they can go online with free computers; scanners and wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi); (ii) in the Borough’s Idea Stores assistance is also available to help them (do with); and (iii) for those that need more support an appointment service was available at Rushmead (do for);

·         Noted that where people ‘walk in’ they are not turned away but they are advised about the on-line services and encourage to self-serve.  Whilst those who lack a device or confidence are supported as they would be at an Idea Store;

·         Noted that where a ‘walk in’ needs a higher level of support this is provided although this might change if the appointment service becomes busier;

·         Was advised that this transformation has (i) delivered considerable positive changes for residents; and (ii) will continue to improve the way residents interact with Council services;

·         Noted that there had apparently been early challenges where staff in Idea Stores had not been providing the correct messages or support.  Therefore, additional training had been rolled out and skills have been bolstered by the influx of staff from One Stop Shops;

·         Noted that there had been a number of issue’s with the “virtual’ permits” system and how it has impacted upon customers.  Therefore, paper permits for those who really need them are now available and there will be continued to support colleagues in parking to ensure the customer journey and advice is improved;

·         Indicated that they had significant concerns about the way these changes are being implemented and the way it is impacting on the Borough’s residents e.g. service users have apparently been turned away from Rushmead inspite of assurances that every effort is made to accommodate residents who turn up at Rushmead;

·         Had concerns about the support that is being given to residents and the skillsets of staff in place to support residents;

·         Wanted (i) there to be support for older people and those whose first language is not English; (ii) there to be a feedback loop for customers using the digital hubs; and (iii) statistics on staffing levels at the Idea Stores;

·         Expressed concern that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7

Asmat Hussain (Corporate Director, Governance and Monitoring Officer); and Ruth Dowden (Head of Information Governance) gave a presentation to the Committee regarding how the Council is responding to complaints and requests for information. The main points of the discussions on the report may be summarised as follows:

The Committee:

• Noted that at the September 2019 meeting it was agreed that OSC would consider the item once the Information Governance Toolkit had been published to assist in the development of relevant themes into the Work Programme.
• Acknowledged the importance to continue to have a culture of learning from complaints with a constant exchange between providers and users.
• Noted that the Councils Corporate and Departmental Leadership Teams track outcomes to ensure a consistency in addressing those issues that have been identified.
• Confirmed the Council takes very seriously any recommendations received from the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) to put things right.
• Noted that the Council ensures the right processes are in place to sustain improvement. 
• Noted that the LGO is running a pilot from January, 2020 to June, 2020 with the intention to provide a mutually beneficial exercise that (i) develops a closer liaison; (ii) allows for engagement with the Corporate Leadership Team; (iii) provides training for staff on key areas; (iv) will allow the LGO to reach the relevant officers faster; and (v) identify the current issues so that service quality can be properly addressed;
• Noted that the LGO is confident that LBTH properly addresses any issues raised.
• Noted the LGO provides guidance on the levels of redress through its web site.
• Was informed dealing with a customer complaint takes a great deal of tact, and ignoring it can have a serious impact in the reputation of LBTH; and
• Was advised that handling a customer complaint positively takes listening and understanding of the facts. Prompt resolutions are expected, and a follow-up to ensure that a complainant is properly satisfied.

The Chair Moved and it was:

RESOLVED to maintain a watching brief over how the Council is responding to complaints and requests for information.

Councillor Amina Ali, Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Brexit introduced the report.  She summarised progress on the delivery of the Customer Access Transformation Programme to-date highlighting the drivers of this transformation plan and the Council’s aim to achieve effective, efficient and excellent customer service through this.

The Divisional Director, Customer Services gave a presentation outlining:

·         The customer service issues that the transformation plan would address and

·         The approach that would be taken.

·         The enhancements and efficiencies  that the plan would deliver.

·         How inclusion and the facility to resolve complex queries would be ensured.

·         Timescales for delivery of the elements of the transformation programme.

Arising from the presentation, the Board noted the following additional information:

• To ensure that information was properly signposted, the webpages of services identified for Phase 1 would be revised to offer additional functionality and presented in plain English.
• The services which attracted the largest volumes of resident engagements had been included in Phase 1 of the transformation programme.  These were Council Tax, Parking, Benefits, Registrars and Electoral Services.
• Challenges in regard to costs, culture and changing styles of access had been factored into delivery.

During discussion, the Board made the following observations:

• Elements which would deliver significant priorities should be prioritised in the available resources.
• The area of Customer Services was a panoramic indicator of the Council’s improvement journey.
• The pace of progress had been concerted and consistent.

RESOLVED

That the report and discussion be noted.