Agenda item

That the report be noted. 

The Chairman introduced a report to request that the Committee consider the 2012/13 Quarter 3 service performance reports and note the progress made against the Improvement Targets contained within the performance reports. 

Finance

            The Head of Finance gave a short presentation on the performance within each of the service areas, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within the report.

            Councillor P.G. Heesom commented on the Finance workstream of Flintshire Futures and the need to align this with work to be undertaken on the Medium Term Financial Plan.  He also highlighted problems with being able to access Lotus Notes and asked for an update on whether new software was to be purchased.  The ICT Operational Services Manager responded that he was aware of issues with Lotus Notes version 8 and that the continued use of Microsoft software was being considered. 

            Councillor A. Woolley raised concern at the evidence from the recent Universal Benefit pilot schemes held throughout the country where Housing Benefit had been paid to the recipient instead of the landlord and the problems that this had raised due to increases in rent arrears.  He asked if anything could be done to voice the concerns raised to endeavour to get the decision reversed.  The Head of Finance responded that the Head of Housing had spoken recently on the risk which was a concern for the HRA and explained that payment of rent to the tenant rather than the landlord was already in place for private tenants.  She gave assurance that the concerns had been, and would continue to be, registered through professional and stakeholder groups.   

            Councillor A.P. Shotton, the Leader of the Council, said that the issues around Welfare Reform had been raised at Group Leader’s meetings and he spoke of national lobbying through the Welsh Local Government Association on exemptions to the ‘bedroom tax’ for Foster Carers and those serving in the Armed Forces, which he welcomed.  He was due to meet with Iain Duncan-Smith, the Work and Pensions Secretary, and assured Members that he would raise the concerns of Members with him.  He reiterated the concerns following the results of pilot schemes which had been undertaken, particularly on Universal Credit.  He raised concern about social landlords who may experience difficulties if they did not receive the rental payments that they were owed because they were paid to the tenant.  He commented on the work being undertaken with the Flintshire Credit Union and the Discretionary Housing Payments which could be available to tenants in the short term.  

Legal and Democratic Services

            The Head of Legal and Democratic Services gave a short presentation on the performance within each of the service areas, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within each report. 

            Councillor C.S. Carver commented on problems that he had experienced recently about receiving electoral registration updates.  The Head of Legal and Democratic Services advised that he had spoken to the Electoral Services Manager who had advised him that the problem was due to issues with Citrix and the software package required to produce the report.  He explained that he would highlight the issue again.  Councillor Carver also referred to problems experienced by a Member who regularly travelled by taxi and asked whether checks were in place to ensure that the Council was not being overcharged.  The Head of Legal and Democratic Services said that he would ask Member Services to look at the overall costs of taxi journeys undertaken by Members. 

            In response to a query from Councillor M. Reece on the changes from Electoral Registration for each household to the requirement of each individual to register for elections, the Head of Legal and Democratic Services said that individual forms would be issued for each elector in the household.  The Chief Executive said that this decision had been reached nationally but it was expected that it would produce a lower elector registration rate for elections. 

            Councillor Heesom felt that a review of Overview and Scrutiny Committees was required to ensure that their effectiveness.  On the issue of the ‘Learning Exchange Team’ (LET) he felt that two political groups had been omitted and he hoped that this would be reviewed in due course as he felt that it was discriminatory.  The Chief Executive concurred that a review may be required and questioned the future need for a Committee dedicated to housing. The Member Engagement Manager said that nominations had been sought for the LET following a recent meeting of the Democratic Services Committee.   

ICT and Customer Services

            The ICT Operational Services Manager gave a short presentation on the performance within each of the service areas, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within each report. 

            Councillor Shotton, the Leader of the Council, commented on the Flintshire Connects project and the funding of the scheme through the Invest to Save fund and the further development of the project into other areas including Flint and Connah’s Quay. 

            Councillor Carver asked for an update on the provision of electronic devices to Members to view their agendas for meetings.  The ICT Operational Services Manager said that there was a business case and that the technology provided for the Corporate Management Team could be replicated for Members.  The Leader of the Council said that the issue was raised at a recent Group Leader’s meeting and would be discussed again at a future meeting.  The Chief Executive reminded Members that a decision would need to be made by all Members but said that even though it would reduce the amount of papers circulated it would not reduce the use of paper copies completely. 

            Councillor P. Shotton commented on the pilot scheme for a national e-invoice scanning solution sponsored by the Welsh Government with Remploy being the service provider.  In response to a query from Councillor R. Lloyd the Customer Services Team Leader provided further information on the procurement and development of a Flintshire ‘app’ for customers to contact the Council via a mobile device.  She advised that it was hoped to be able to test the ‘app’ in the next six to eight weeks.        

Human Resources and Organisational Development

            The Chief Executive gave a short presentation on the performance within each of the service areas, outlining work which had been undertaken to improve performance and areas where improvement was needed, as outlined within each report. 

            Councillor Carver raised concern about the costs of the Single Status Agreement and said that he had been advised that implementation of the project was expected between April and June 2013.  The Chief Executive responded that the costs were significant and that the Project Board would be discussing the timeline at its next meeting.  He explained that the effective date could be earlier than the implementation date and added that Members would be updated when information was available to share with them.  Councillor Heesom spoke of the importance of linking the Single Status Agreement with the Equal Pay Strategy and asked for an early update on the scale of equal pay claims. 

            The Chairman referred to the increase in sickness absence levels across all directorates which he felt was a concern.  The Chief Executive said that there had been a slight improvement in Corporate Services but concurred that some other figures were disappointing in this quarter.    

RESOLVED:

That the report be noted.