Questions are invited from Elected Members about the work of the Cabinet. 15 minutes will be set aside for Member Question Time, if required.
Notice of any Member question must be given to the Monitoring Officer by midday on Friday, 10 December 2021.
Minutes:
The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Russell Bernstein:
What reassurances can the Leader provide that there are sufficient organisational resources to deliver the Levelling-up bids, Ramsbottom Town Centre Plan and the Bury Town Centre Masterplan?
Responding, Councillor Eamonn O’Brien reported that the Council was actively taking steps in terms of providing assurance. He advised that a restructure of the Business, Growth and Infrastructure (BGI) department was due to take place in the new year to ensure the right skills, resources and people were in place to deliver on the large scale projects underway. This could be brought forward with a great deal of confidence as funding was in place (both Levelling up Fund and Council monies) to build capacity.
In addition, Councillor O’Brien advised that the Council had established a partnership model so it wouldn’t have to have all the resources and skills in-house. Working with Bruntwood, Vinci, Muse, TfGM, GMCA, and others would ensure we had the confidence in our partnership organisational resources to deliver on projects. Finally, this was one of the Council’s priorities, included in the ‘3 Rs’ and was a significant ambition and as such would have particular focus from scrutiny and the executive.
A further supplementary question was submitted:
Please can you confirm that the BGI review will be in place early in the new year?
Councillor O’Brien reported that it was being worked on at the moment and should come back quite quickly with thoughts and ideas to establish the new structure and recruit the right people and skills. Chief Executive Geoff Little confirmed that some parts of the restructure could commence straight away while others would require staff consultation first. He offered to brief Councillor Bernstein on these details outside of the meeting.
The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Jackie Harris:
The Cabinet report on transformation states ‘Takes around 75,000 calls per month through over 60 public-facing numbers, less than one third of which is routed through the Council’s Contact Centre. Outside of the Contact Centre only around 65% of calls are answered compared to the Contact Centre performance rate of 85%.
Can the Cabinet Member advise the timeline on improve improving the Contact Centre and outline what good will look like for both members and the public?
Responding, Councillor Tahir Rafiq reported that the customer service performance of the Council’s contact centre is reported through the quarterly corporate performance report and is largely delivered within the corporate Service Level Agreement (SLA) standards. The majority of telephone calls are answered within 10 minutes and customer contact emails are responded to within 48 hours. The contact centre monthly performance stats can be found on the Council’s intranet.
The Council’s contact channels shift strategy will, however, further improve the performance for other public facing numbers currently outside the corporate contact centre, this will include a review of the business processes taking account of the corporate customer care standards and offering the public a “digital first” approach which will allow 24/7 transactions with Council services and greater facility for user self-service.
A further supplementary question was submitted:
What are your views on the Council getting on with the wider programme without any pauses between phases so we don’t lose momentum and deliver real benefits for residents and the Council?
Councillor Rafiq agreed that the Council does need to progress the wider programme and the process was underway with improvements coming on a regular basis and reported every quarter. He advised that wider system improvements would be made in addition to improving contact with residents and Members.
The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Luis McBriar:
The Cabinet report on Transformation refers to ‘high standards of Customer Service’.
Can the Cabinet Member outline what these high standards are and how they will be monitored/appraised within the Council and how often will these standards be reviewed?
Responding, Councillor Tahir Rafiq reported that the Council’s customer contact standards have just been reviewed as part of the development of the digital strategy and refreshed with staff. A briefing session and written Team Brief from the Executive Team has been delivered to all staff and a dedicated session held with senior managers, to set out the high standards expected of staff.
A summary of the standards is provided below; performance against these targets will be included in future quarterly corporate performance reports and this information will be used to keep the standards under regular review. We will review all public facing numbers with the service managers to reduce the use of voicemail. Monthly performance stats for public facing numbers will be reported on the intranet in the new year to monitor performance.
· Emails and informal complaints answered within 10 days, other correspondence within 20 days (Letters, Freedom of Information requests and stage one formal complaints)
· Public-facing phone lines and contact centres answered 9-5 Monday to Friday with messaging outside these hours. Emergency procedures (including bank holidays) for priority 1 services . Voicemail should not normally be used.
· Personal extension numbers, including mobiles, should be answered in 9 – 5 Monday to Friday and in 6 rings. Voicemail will only be used as a last resort.
· Council reception points will be reduced and remodelled as self-service points. Face to face appointments may be booked
The following question was submitted in advance of the meeting by Councillor Roger Brown:
The Cabinet report on transformation states that ‘correspondence will normally be answered within 20 days and e-mails will be answered within 10 days.
How will these SLAs be adhered to and reported within the Council to assure members that the public are receiving the standard of service outlined above?
Responding, Councillor Tahir Rafiq reported that the Council’s customer care standards have recently been refreshed and re-launched with all managers and staff. The Executive team has been clear about the high standards of customer service expected from all staff.
The standards are published on the internet and compliance with telephony standards will be included within the quarterly corporate performance report. Any exceptions in meeting the standards may be raised as a complaint by the public.