The Committee received, and NOTED, a verbal update from Cabinet Member for the Working
Environment and gave a presentation on her portfolio:
The following was highlighted in the
presentation:
- She said that her work was often
about the individual whether this was a resident or member of
staff.
- Customer Services Update –
preparing for the new Customer Relationship Management system which
would see various customer facing processes migrated to a new
system. Efforts were being made to improve customer service
digitally and this would increase access for customers to request
services or to log issues outside of office hours. Telephone and
face to face contact would remain in place. The new self-service
portal for Bin Collections went live in 2023.
- The team had also worked with
housing to provide a “my account” system for tenants
which would allow them to register and have more detailed access to
their rent and payment information.
- The team were in the final stages of
developing and testing a new complaints system which would go live
in the late Spring of 2024. The Complaints Policy was overdue for
review but had been delayed due to the new system and a new code of
complaints from the Local Government and Social Care
Ombudsman.
- The Annual Complaints Report that
will come to Scrutiny this year would be somewhat different. The
new code will have requirements for improved governance and
oversight including a requirement for a designated Member
responsible which would be the Cabinet Member for the Working
Environment.
- The Communications team had been
fundamental in supporting waste over the past year and providing
the Resident’s Survey last autumn. They also created the
Members Induction Handbook.
- They had also implemented the
“Lets Talk Mid Devon”
Community Engagement Hub which had surveys and consultations.
- The Communications Team would also
continue working with the senior management team regarding the
Emergency Plan Resilience Strategy and were key in the recent Flood
Guide.
- Health and Safety – ensuring
the Council was complying with legislation.
- Human Resources – provision of
development, employment law advice and employment law best
practice, people initiatives to senior management and employees,
Payroll – payment of all salaries and other payments were in
line with HMRC legislative requirements and the Council’s
policies. They looked after our workforce of approximately 443 full
time, part time and agency staff.
- Agency spend for 2022-23 was
£1,064,794.57, the latest projection was for £675,000,
so over £300,000 less.
- Work was underway for the staff
survey action plan (communication, engagement, pride and
wellbeing), ongoing benefits review, the 2024/25 pay award,
additional line-management training, development of our course
catalogue for all employees, further utilisation of systems to
support new ways of working and managers, work with other Councils
in the South West, and new structure and name under consultation
(HR to People Services).
The Cabinet Member for Working
Environment was very grateful to all the officers that had assisted
her.
Discussion took place with
regards:
·
The Government guidance regarding the new complaints
system and whether it gave the option for using a complaints and
compliments system. Mid Devon did have a Complaints and Compliments
system and the Cabinet Member hoped that that would
continue.
·
The proportion of staff that were ill that worked
from the offices against the proportion of staff that were ill that
worked in a hybrid way.