Agenda item

To confirm the minutes of the Extraordinary Committee held on 28 January 2021 and any matters arising from the meeting on 7 September 2020 .

The following responses have been given;

(a)          Issues Raised By Local Councils, Minute 4(a) Unauthorised traveller encampments.

The Housing & Community Services Portfolio Holder will be in attendance at this meeting.

(b)          Any Other Business Minute 9(b) Local Government Reorganisation

There were no further updates at this time.

(c)           Digital Buddies, Minute 7.

Response from the Service Manager – Customer Services, S Lewis.

Buddies workshop

We began the rejuvenation of our Digital Buddy Programme in September 2020 by undertaking a consultation with our existing Digital Buddies to identify barriers they were encountering to providing digital support and to get their ideas on how the programme could be further developed. We used this feedback to design and deliver a refresher workshop to Buddies where discussions were held to explore the work of our individual teams and how we can use our roles to provide digital support to residents. We gave consideration to our residents that are not digitally enabled who may be excluded when services changes are made, such as digitalising an application process, to ensure appropriate support is considered for these residents.

This has created good connections with internal departments who are  approaching us when implementing these type of changes, so we can help them to explore the impact on residents who are not yet digitally enabled and look at how we can support these people so they can continue accessing our services. Digital Buddy support has also enabled residents to access a Council health and wellbeing challenge on the fitness App Strava, six residents have so far received help to access this app.

Reaching out to residents

We have set up a dedicated phone line that our residents in Council Sheltered Housing Schemes can contact if they require digital support. This support varies from setting up an email address, online shopping, or contacting friends and family via social media. So far, two residents have contacted us and been supported with mobile device issues. 

The Community Culture and Wellbeing team have been visiting residents at their doorsteps in super output areas including Shelley and Paternoster, to identify who requires digital support so we can link them with a Digital Buddy.  As a result, four residents have received support to access their family history records, watch online videos via YouTube and use email.

We have been working with our partner charities Digital Unite and Citizens Online to get useful technology guides uploaded to our website. This allows our digitally enabled residents to share information and easy how-to guides with their friends and family who need it.This information is also regularly going out on our Social Media platforms.

Communication Campaigns

We have also been working alongside the Corporate Communications team to identify local and national campaigns that we can use as a platform to promote digital support to residents. The campaigns identified include All Digital Week at the end of March and Volunteers Week in June. We will use these campaigns as opportunities to promote the self-help support we have available in the form of technology guides on our website and to encourage residents to volunteer and spare some time to work with us to provide digital support to residents who need it.

What’s Next

We’re now exploring the possibility of teaming up with community leaders and existing volunteer groups to embed digital buddy support into the existing work they do. We’re reaching out to new teams and partnerships including EFDC Community Champions, Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) and partner charity Voluntary Action Epping Forest to ensure there is no overlap with existing programmes and to minimise duplication.  We are also making contact with various local authorities to share information and learnings in regards to how other authorities who are further ahead than us in the digital transformation journey to find out how they have been able to embed digital support in the services and projects they provide.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 28 January 2021 be taken as read and signed by the Chairman as a correct record; and

2.    The following responses were noted in relation to actions from the meeting on 7 September 2020;

(a)Issues Raised By Local Councils, Minute 4(a) Unauthorised traveller encampments.

The decision was made previously not to join ECTU in 2012 and 2016 due to following rationale:

·       The additional cost/benefit of joining compared with EFDC enforcement officers historically already being very quick at responding to unauthorised encampments (UE) on EFDC land.

·       Conceding decisions on the level of tolerance of UE to Essex County Council (ECC).

·       Difference in decision process between EFDC and ECTU before eviction proceedings commence (ECTU perceived to be marginally more tolerant of UE).

·       In 2012, “Cabinet members expressed their main reservation as being the likely attitude of the proposed Unit to urgent responses to unauthorised gypsy and traveller encampments occurring in this District. Past practice has been for this Council to initiate action through the Police or the Courts very quickly in order to satisfy concerns expressed by the local community concerned”. 2012 Minutes of cabinet meeting available at https://eppingforestintranet.moderngov.co.uk/mgAi.aspx?ID=36074

·       The 2016 Portfolio holder report states “ECTU has informed the Council that the cost of being a member will reduce from the current cost of £7,200 per authority, to £6,500 a year. However, as this would not be offset by savings elsewhere, it would represent an increase in costs to the Council. In the light of this it is recommended that the Council does not seek to join ECTU at this time but would wish to continue sharing information and having regular contact with ECTU”. Full report available at https://eppingforestintranet.moderngov.co.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=643&MID=8862#AI55470

Following the issue being raised again in the September 2019 by LCLC, the Community Resilience Service again considered membership of ECTU.  The current costs are £8500 per annum, this would effectively provide an insurance policy for Parish and Town Councils, as we would continue to deal with any incursions on our and within our current resources

We currently provide advice to the Parish and Town Councils on unauthorised encampments; However, we do not go through the possession order process for them.  Both Lea Valley and the Corporation of London deal with incursions on their land by way of byelaws.  ECTU do not deal with any incursions on private land, nor do they deal with those who are rough sleepers (e.g. tent dwellers, and not travellers).   Essentially, buying into ECTU underwrites any possible incursions by Gypsy & Travellers on Parish and Town Council land, and there is no added benefit to EFDC by signing up to the service.    

Buying into ECTU can also limit our current local ability to resolve things quickly – EFDC would effectively hand over all control of dealing with the issue to County.  We would still deal with the telephone calls from the members of the public and be liable (as would the Parish and Town Councils) for any clearance costs and would have little or no influence to move them on quicker.  Our current relationship with the police is probably one of the best in Essex, (although we do appreciate that ECTU also have good relationships, but not at the local level that exist within Epping Forest.

This is a breakdown of unauthorised encampments which we have had reported to us over the last 5 years.  These are amended figures from those presented to the LCLC as we have reviewed all the reports and removed any references to rough sleepers, just strictly gypsy and traveller/Caravans/campers on side of road/etc). 

** Includes 1 breach of planning control

* 1 encampment across land owned by both LTC and Corp London, so counted twice.

There is an option for the Parish and Town Councils to consider forming a consortium between themselves to buy into ECTU, which was suggested at the LCLC meeting, if all the councils participated it would cost £355 per council. ECTU have confirmed they in theory they could join, but with the same fee as the District and Borough Councils.  If a group of Parish/Town Councils would like to consider pursuing ECTU membership independent of EFDC, we advise they contact Stephen Andrews, Essex Countywide Traveller Unit Manager Stephen.Andrews@essex.gov.uk

(b) Any Other Business Minute 9(b) Local Government Reorganisation

There were no further updates at this time.

(c) Digital Buddies, Minute 7.

Response from the Service Manager – Customer Services, S Lewis.

Buddies workshop

We began the rejuvenation of our Digital Buddy Programme in September 2020 by undertaking a consultation with our existing Digital Buddies to identify barriers they were encountering to providing digital support and to get their ideas on how the programme could be further developed. We used this feedback to design and deliver a refresher workshop to Buddies where discussions were held to explore the work of our individual teams and how we can use our roles to provide digital support to residents. We gave consideration to our residents that are not digitally enabled who may be excluded when services changes are made, such as digitalising an application process, to ensure appropriate support is considered for these residents.

This has created good connections with internal departments who are  approaching us when implementing these type of changes, so we can help them to explore the impact on residents who are not yet digitally enabled and look at how we can support these people so they can continue accessing our services. Digital Buddy support has also enabled residents to access a Council health and wellbeing challenge on the fitness App Strava, six residents have so far received help to access this app.

Reaching out to residents

We have set up a dedicated phone line that our residents in Council Sheltered Housing Schemes can contact if they require digital support. This support varies from setting up an email address, online shopping, or contacting friends and family via social media. So far, two residents have contacted us and been supported with mobile device issues. 

The Community Culture and Wellbeing team have been visiting residents at their doorsteps in super output areas including Shelley and Paternoster, to identify who requires digital support so we can link them with a Digital Buddy.  As a result, four residents have received support to access their family history records, watch online videos via YouTube and use email.

We have been working with our partner charities Digital Unite and Citizens Online to get useful technology guides uploaded to our website. This allows our digitally enabled residents to share information and easy how-to guides with their friends and family who need it. This information is also regularly going out on our Social Media platforms.

Communication Campaigns

We have also been working alongside the Corporate Communications team to identify local and national campaigns that we can use as a platform to promote digital support to residents. The campaigns identified include All Digital Week at the end of March and Volunteers Week in June. We will use these campaigns as opportunities to promote the self-help support we have available in the form of technology guides on our website and to encourage residents to volunteer and spare some time to work with us to provide digital support to residents who need it.

What’s Next

We’re now exploring the possibility of teaming up with community leaders and existing volunteer groups to embed digital buddy support into the existing work they do. We’re reaching out to new teams and partnerships including EFDC Community Champions, Digital Innovation Zone (DIZ) and partner charity Voluntary Action Epping Forest to ensure there is no overlap with existing programmes and to minimise duplication.  We are also making contact with various local authorities to share information and learnings in regards to how other authorities who are further ahead than us in the digital transformation journey to find out how they have been able to embed digital support in the services and projects they provide.