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 some officers seemed unaware of the poor experiences reported to councillors by residents and wanted the service to gather better intelligence from residents;

·         Noted that parking permits are now ‘virtual’, paperless permits. This means that residents will no longer receive a paper permit to put in their motor vehicle. Instead, parking officers will be able to check on the system if any vehicle has a valid permit.  However, Members expressed concerns about this ‘virtual’ system as it was felt to be a difficult system to use and Members were alarmed at the number of residents who are apparently (i) unaware of this new system; and (ii) are unable to access the ‘virtual’ system to get a permit;

·         Indicated that there does not seem to be a clear criterion for who should receive paper or a ‘virtual’ permit;

·         Commented the poor response time for residents requests for guidance and support; and

·         Observed that it is accepted that this has been one of the key challenges and expressed disappointment that officers had been unable to confirm a timescale of when this issue will be fixed and would like to see a better plan in place to address this.

The Chair Moved and it was:

RESOLVED to:

Request:

1.    A report on the Parking Service to include (i) details of the number of older residents who had gone from using the paper scratch cards to “virtual’ permits”; and (ii) a comparative analysis of permits issued since the introduction of “virtual’ permits” against the same period in 2019;

2.    That (i) there should be support for older people and those whose first language is not English; (ii) there needs to be a feedback loop for customers using the digital hubs; and (iii) statistics on staffing levels at the Idea Stores should be made available to the Committee.