Agenda and draft minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. 

By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Chair referred Members present to item one on the agenda in respect of filming at the meeting and Members noted the information contained therein.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Yvonne Denny.

None

None

Apologies for absence were received from Yvonne Denny.

To agree the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Call-In meeting held on 3^rd of January 2024 and  the minutes of the meeting held on 18^th of January 2024  as a correct record.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Call-In meeting held on 3^rd of January 2024 and the minutes of the meeting held on 18th of January 2024 as a correct record.

To receive and note the minutes of the following Scrutiny Panels and to approve any recommendations contained within:

·         Adults & Health Scrutiny Panel – 12^th December 2023

·         Children & Young People’s Scrutiny Panel – 4^th January 2024

·         Climate, Community Safety & Culture Scrutiny Panel – 19^th December 2023

·         Housing, Planning & Development Scrutiny Panel – 18^th December 2023

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Call-In meeting held on 3^rd of January 2024 and the minutes of the meeting held on 18th of January 2024 as a correct record.

To receive an update on the Annual Feedback and Resolutions Report 2022 – 23.

This report provides an update on how Haringey Council is seeking to learn from the feedback we receive from residents and use this to shape and improve our services.

The report was introduced by Elaine Prado, Head of Feedback and Resolutions

Strategy Comms and Collaboration, as set out in the agenda pack at pages 61 – 84.

This report provided an update on how Haringey Council was seeking to learn from the feedback received from residents and used this to shape and improve services.

This report also sets out some of the key actions the service was undertaking to improve the complaints, FOI and Members Enquiry handling processes to ensure the system provided both a positive resident experience but also the strongest possible platform to utilise the feedback both positive and negative.

The meeting heard that:

• Feedback and complaints were utilised in a way of designing changes to the systems that contributed to running services.
• Currently, information on how services were specifically learning from feedback was being gathered manually from services.
• The feedback received indicated that not all complaints were about service failures. Some of the complaints was on policy decisions taken by the Council which some residents disagreed to, for instance the implementation of Low Traffic Neighbourhoods.
• The Committee noted that there may be an increase in complaints on standards and services as the Council was having to make considerable amount of service cuts and services would need to be prepared to see people not being happy with Council policies.
• Officers advised that it was important to focus on reasons why residents complained rather than focusing on the number of complaints and the reporting process. It was essential to ensure that proper measures were in place to deliver the needs of the residents.
• The Committee noted that from the 1^st of April, every local authority in England would need to use a standard definition of what a complaint was. The standard definition highlighted that a complaint would be an expression of dissatisfaction made about the standard of service actions or lack of action by the organization, its own staff, or those acting on its behalf, affecting an individual or group of individuals.
• There was a real emphasis on reducing the number of complaints being escalated or upheld. If the service was living the values mentioned around really learning from complaints, then services should hopefully be resolving matters quickly.
• In response to a question from the Committee regarding the Haringey deal and involving residents in designing services, officers provided an example of how residents were involved in improving services. Officers explained that residents who complained that there was a lot of pavement parking, especially in the evening, in areas like Wood Green, Muswell Hill and Green Lanes and that Civil Enforcement  Officers only operate till 10:00pm. This response would not be sufficient for residents as it did not resolve the problem. The service then had to look at services available and assess the way the service was designed to see if it was meeting the needs of the issues that the residents were raising. The service then made improvements by having Traffic Wardens operating until 2:00am on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

To undertake a verbal Q&A with the Cabinet Member for Council House Building, Placemaking and Local Economy on the areas of her portfolio that are relevant to the main committee, namely:

· Jobs and skills

· Local business

· Town centres and high streets.

The Committee undertook a Q&A Session with the Cabinet Member for Council House Building, Placemaking and Local Economy.

The following arose as part of this session:

• Haringey had a diverse business base with a diverse population and independent businesses. Most businesses were small and medium sized enterprises.
• Haringey economy was boosted by its diverse food offers, diverse cultural and diverse entertainment.
• Around 36% of Haringey business owners were also Haringey residents.
• It was noted that during the pandemic, it was not an easy time for the business community and around 90% of Haringey business owners have said that cost of living crisis was having a negative impact on their business.
• Unemployment in the borough remained at 6.8%, which was one of the highest rates in London.
• It was noted that high levels of unemployment were mainly around the Tottenham side of the borough and the borough also had the highest number of jobs that pay below the London living wage.
• The Council launched “Opportunity Haringey” throughout the pandemic years.
• The Council had an economic strategy which was geared towards ensuring that businesses survived as best as they could through the pandemic, and ensured businesses received the support they needed.
• Since the pandemic the Council had created a new strategy which evolved around “Opportunity Haringey. This was done by going through extensive consultations and Co-produced the strategy with businesses. This was launched on the 22^nd of February.
• The strategy focused on a few themes which included job creation, investment, good work and skills, high streets and industrial estates, workspaces and workplaces and spaces.
• There were also other support services like “Haringey works”, which is free at the point of access to help drive employment in the borough. The Committee noted that this initiative had been successful as around 599 of 1440 residents had found work through Haringey Works last year. Officers added that many of these residents found work in the Council.
• Another service was “Haringey learns,” which helped residents to rescale and upskill people who wanted new qualifications.
• There was a Market strategy in place which supported easy entry into businesses. There were a few markets across the borough and they all operated in different ways, so the service was looking to develop an overarching strategy for that to see whether there was capacity for expanding markets.
• Officers added that the vacancy rate in Haringey was relatively low. Haringey’s vacancy rate was 7.64%, across London it was 9.2% and nationally it was 11%.
• The Council had networks for each of the high streets and was keen to develop those networks further. This would contribute to bring businesses together and people would be able to network, work with each other, and would have the synergy of businesses that would develop and sell to other local businesses.
• In response to a question regarding how Haringey Works was being funded, Officers advised that the Council had lost the Europe funding but managed to replace that with funding from the UK Prosperity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

To receive an update on the Work Programme.

The Committee considered its work programme as set out at pages 85-90 of the agenda pack.

RESOLVED

To note the report

There were no new items of urgent business.

Item 6 is likely to be subject to a motion to exclude the press and public from

the meeting as it contains exempt information as defined in Section 100a of

the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local

Government Act 1985); Paragraph 3

The Committee excluded the press and public for item 13 as it contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); Paragraph 3.

To approve the exempt minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Call-In meeting held on 3 January 2024.

RESOLVED:

The Committee approved the exempt minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Call-In meeting held on 3 January 2024.