Agenda and minutes

(Assistant to the Chief Executive)  To report the appointment of any substitute members for the meeting.

The Panel noted that there were no substitute members.

(Assistant to the Chief Executive). To declare interests in any items on the agenda.

In considering whether to declare a personal or a prejudicial interest under the Code of Conduct, Overview & Scrutiny members are asked pay particular attention to paragraph 11 of the Code in addition to the more familiar requirements.

This requires the declaration of a personal and prejudicial interest in any matter before an OS Committee which relates to a decision of or action by another Committee or Sub Committee of the Council, a Joint Committee or Joint Sub Committee in which the Council is involved and of which the Councillor is also a member.

Paragraph 11 does not refer to Cabinet decisions or attendance at an OS meeting purely for the purpose of answering questions or providing information on such a matter.

No declarations of interest were made.

(Chairman/Lead Officer) To note the attached updated Terms of Reference. The Panel are asked at each meeting to review this documents.

The Terms of reference were noted and agreed.

To consider and agree the notes of the meeting of the Panel held on 14 October 2008.

The minutes from 14 October 2008 were noted and agreed as a correct record subject to noting adding to minute 23 ‘telephone contact’, that the Panel wished to actively discourage staff from using the switchboard as a directory service.

For the Panel to consider the draft annual report for this panel.

The Panel considered the draft Panel report and the recommendations made.

The Council’s Website

The Panel agreed that the website was key to engaging the public and that it was not a very good idea just having one person running it. Also an improved website would help with the Council’s NI 14 target. There was certainly enough work for two extra staff.

The Panel noted that Harlow had a weak website but a strong contact centre. EFDC should look to balancing it out.

RESOLVED:

That Panel endorsed the two recommendations as laid out in the report.

Provision of Reception Services at the Civic Offices.

The Panel noted that the reception area was not user or officer friendly, especially with the cashier’s office being across a driveway.

There were concerns about staff welfare, in a common reception area there would be more staff there.

The Panel wanted to add to this section that a new reception area would need additional technology, such as large computer controlled plasma screens, to modernise and make it more customer friendly.

RESOLVED:

That the two recommendations are endorsed and that reference is made to the need for additional technology within the reception area in the body of the report.

Telephone Enquires

The Panel noted that this tied up with the section on NI 14 ‘Avoidable Contact’.  They noted that the citizen charter standard required that calls are answered within 10 seconds, which currently our switchboard falls well below.

The Council also needed a computerised Customer Relationship Management (CRM) System. Currently there is only a paper system, which is a very inefficient way of gathering data. If the Council was not minded to finance a call centre then it became all the more important to have CRM system put in place, and this should be reflected in the recommendations made.

RESOLVED:

That the Panel wanted to emphasise the importance of a CRM system if a Contact Centre was not to be provided.

Public Information – The Forester

The Panel noted that currently a consultation was taking place on the Forester and that the distribution of the magazine would be changed in the new year from using the post office to using a private distribution company.

The consultation exercise had produced 111 responses so far and they had held a focus group with members of the Youth Council from whom they had received some positive suggestions on improving the publication.

RESOLVED:  

The Panel endorsed the recommendation made.

National Performance Indicator NI 14 – Avoidable Contact

RESOLVED:

The Panel endorsed the recommendation made.

One Stop Shops/Contact Centres

The Panel noted that the aim was deal with 80% of all enquiries and only to pass on 20% to other officers. The contact centre would use existing staff.

RESOLVED:

The Panel endorsed the recommendation made.

The Panel noted that with the revisions made by the Panel to the report it would go to the next Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting in December for their endorsement. It would then go to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

1.         The Panel noted that a report would be made on the outcome of the Forester consultation currently taking place.

2.         That a suitable date would be sought for a further meeting of the Panel sometime in mid January 2009 to review how the report had been received by the O&S Committee and to discuss whether there was a need for the Panel to stay constituted in the implementation phase of any new customer transformation improvements arising from the review.