Issue - meetings

            That the Committee notes the 2013/14 Mid Year Improvement Plan Monitoring Report and will continue to highlight and monitor poor performance and feedback details of any challenge to the Policy, Performance & Partnerships Team for reporting to Cabinet where appropriate.   

The Chairman introduced the report for Members to note and consider elements of the 2013/14 Mid Year Improvement Plan Monitoring report relevant to the Committee for the period October to December 2013.  He introduced the officers in attendance for each section to the Committee.   

                        Councillor Richard Jones felt that presentations by the officers should be provided as had been at the earlier meeting of Housing Overview & Scrutiny Committee. 

                        Councillor Paul Shotton referred to appendix one on Welfare Reform and asked whether assistance had been put in place to help tenants who wanted to downsize and he welcomed that employees in the Flintshire Connects offices would be able to provide assistance to Universal Credit claimants.  He also sought clarification on whether the Connah’s Quay Flintshire Connects office would be opening in June 2004 as scheduled and whether it would enable a more agile working arrangement.  In response, the Revenues and Benefits Manager said that the lack of smaller properties for tenants to move into was a problem and work was ongoing to try and identify an outcome.  On the issue of Universal Credit, he commented on the partnership agreement that was in place to provide support for claimants, which was funded by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).  He added that the first tranche in the pilot scheme were single people under the age of 25 so an increase in demand for assistance was not expected due to the small numbers eligible under the pilot scheme.  The Head of ICT and Customer Services confirmed that the Connah’s Quay Flintshire Connects office was expected to open on 9 June 2014 as scheduled.  The majority of staff from the Connah’s Quay Council Office were being relocated to the Flint office along with some employees from Phase 4 in County Hall.  Due to the number of staff now based in the Flint office, agile working was being adopted and encouraged. 

                        Councillor Arnold Woolley queried the date on appendix one and was assured by the Head of ICT and Customer Services that the data related to Quarter 3 – October to December 2013. 

                        In referring to the issue of hotdesking and agile working, Councillor Marion Bateman asked whether it was possible for Members to have Flintshire County Council owned mobile phone numbers for officers working from home as they were not displayed on the infonet.  The Head of ICT and Customer Services confirmed that officer’s work extension numbers could be transferred to an alternative number such as their mobile or home number.  However, this was not applied consistently in all areas of the Council and he agreed that Flintshire County Council owned mobile numbers should be published on the infonet.  Councillor Clive Carver also raised concern about not being able to contact those officers who were working from home.  He referred to the Council’s new website which he had experienced difficulty in navigating around as he felt that some of the information was not where he expected it to be.  Councillor Richard Jones also  ...  view the full minutes text for item 90