Agenda item

To consider any Notices of Motion.

That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Tony Sharps be supported.

The following Notice of Motion had been received from Councillor Tony Sharps:

The Council calls on the Chief Executive to ensure that the Chief and Senior Officers respond to Councillors’ requests with courtesy and good manners without any undue delay.

Speaking in support of his Motion, Councillor Sharps referred to the concerns he had raised at a meeting of the County Council on 18 May 2017, on the response times taken by some departments to the matters and concerns raised by Members and said that the Chief Executive had agreed that a set of standards would be created to address the issues raised.  Councillor Sharps conceded that there had been some improvement, however, he identified a number of specific issues which had arisen in his Ward where the services provided by the Authority had been below the standard required by the residents of Flintshire.  In conclusion Councillor Sharps emphasised the need for improved consultation and communication with Members concerning service delivery. 

Councillor Mike Peers spoke in support of the Motion and said it was difficult to meet the needs and expectations of local residents when the advice or response requested from departments to matters raised by Members was either not forthcoming or not provided within an acceptable timeframe. 

Councillor Clive Carver said the issue of response times was an historical problem and agreed with the views expressed by Councillor Sharps that urgent action was required to address the matter.  He suggested that the issue be submitted   to an Overview & Scrutiny Committee for determination.

Councillor Carol Ellis supported the Motion and outlined her personal experiences of delay in receiving a response to matters she had raised on behalf of her local residents.  She spoke of the negative impact and frustration when residents were unable to receive answers to their concerns and questions and alluded to the time wasted when Members had to chase a response to contacts and communications.

Councillor Helen Brown also spoke of the need for timely, accurate responses to the matters raised by Members and said these were frequently on behalf of local residents in urgent need of advice and support.  

Councillor Aaron Shotton said he supported the Motion by Councillor Sharps, however, he said there was a  need to recognise the good working practices and positive engagement and responses  provided by the Authority in many areas of service which outweighed  the  instances where this had fallen short of the standard that the Authority wished to provide.  He acknowledged the genuine concerns that some Members had raised on issues that had arisen in their Wards and said that the current protocol needed to be reviewed and updated.

The Chief Executive advised that in his response to the Motion put forward by Councillor Tony Sharps he had set out a number of actions to renew the standards and improve performance around them.  The Chief Executive said he had discussed the general concerns raised by Councillor Sharps with Chief Officers collectively and the specific issues raised would be addressed in the service areas concerned.  Referring to the Standards, the Chief Executive said there were specific timescales in place and that Members and the general public should receive an acknowledgement to an enquiry within 5 working days and a response within 10 working days for general enquiries.  If an enquiry was more complex in nature it may take longer than 10 working days to provide a satisfactory response and the person who was making the enquiry should be informed that the response time would be longer due to the information required. 

The Chief Executive advised that if Members had an important or complex complaint they could contact him or a Chief Officer to bring the matter to their attention.  He also asked Members to share any concerns they had with either himself, the appropriate Chief Officer, or Senior Manager,  regarding repeat problems in gaining contact or  response from a particular service area, team, or individual, so that the matter could be followed through.  In response to a suggestion from Councillor Clive Carver the Chief Executive said a report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Corporate Resources Overview & Scrutiny Committee to provide an update on work undertaken on the Standards.  The Chief Executive agreed to provide Members with a copy of the working standards that applied to officers and the actions to be taken to update them.

Whilst acknowledging the concerns raised by Councillor Tony Sharps the Chief Executive commented that there had been evidence on occasions when Members had shown disrespect and discourtesy towards officers and emphasised the need for both Members and officers to adhere to the standards of behaviour expected.   He also commented on the understanding that whilst Members may receive a response it would not necessarily be the resolution sought and said there were complex and lengthy legal matters to be resolved in some cases.  In conclusion the Chief Executive said he had been given a commitment by Chief Officers that staff would be held to account where there was evidence of a justifiable complaint and emphasised that it was the responsibility of everyone to uphold the Standards.  He reiterated the actions to be taken around the Standards and the need for Members to share information with himself or Chief Officers regarding matters of underperformance so they could be addressed.

The Chief Officer (Governance) clarified that Members were asked to endorse the Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Sharps.  The Chairman read out the Notice of Motion and on being put to the vote, the Motion was unanimously supported.

RESOLVED:

That the Notice of Motion from Councillor Tony Sharps be supported.