Verbal Update.
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Civic Services responded to a number of questions from the Committee in relation to her portfolio. The Chair acknowledged that the Cabinet Member had only recently been appointed and suggested that she be invited back in due course to give a further update. The following arose in response to the discussion of these questions.
a. The Committee enquired about library provision and plans for improvement. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that retaining all 9 libraries was key priority for the administration and that there was a planned approach to improving those libraries as part of a programme of capital works. Phase one involved works to Marcus Garvey Library. In addition, works were also underway at Hornsey library as well as some smaller branch libraries. Officers had consulted with staff as well as stakeholder groups on these works. The Committee was advised that proposals were in place to improve Wood Green Library to improve accessibility and make it feel like a proper library, following the implementation of the customer service centre on site. The Committee requested to see current plans for improvement of branch libraries and the capital spend allocated. (Action: Andy Briggs).
b. In response to a concerns raised about length of time taken to answer calls to customers services, particularly in relation to housing and repair queries, officers suggested that there were plans to ensure channel shift to other methods of responding to queries. The Committee was advised that the Council had an SLA with HfH and worked closely with the Housing Repairs service. 40% of call volumes across the Council were related to housing. The Committee was advised that 96% of calls were answered in the previous week and that was the best performance that had been achieved in a long time. Officers acknowledged that spikes and log-jams did occur and advised that the average call time was two to five minutes.
c. In response a query about the location and the launch of the youth space event in Marcus Garvey, the Cabinet Member acknowledged concerns about holding the launch event in term time and advised that the youth space was located immediately on the right as you entered the building. The Cabinet Member acknowledged that there were still some niggling issues in relation to Marcus Garvey, such as signage and the back door. The Cabinet Member agreed to bring a report back to a future meeting setting out the ongoing issues in relation to library improvement works. (Action: Cllr Amin/Andy Briggs).
d. The Committee raised concerns with the lift in Marcus Garvey being regularly out of order. The Cabinet Member agreed to speak to Fusion about the lifts and to include the lift issue in her future briefing to the Committee on Marcus Garvey Library. (Action: Cllr Amin/Andy Briggs).
e. In response to a question around progress of the Fairness Commission, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that she was hoping to meet with the previous Cabinet Member to determine how best to move it forwards. A number of pop-up events had take place in the borough along with some other consultation events with community groups and the public. The Cabinet Member agreed to bring a further update in the Fairness Commission to the April meeting of OSC. (Action: Cabinet Member/ Daria Polovina).
f. In response to a query in relation to Bruce Castle, the Committee was advised that a lot of work was being done to ensure the building issues were addressed. A fabric maintenance survey was to be undertaken to assess the building’s condition. The Cabinet Member advised that she was in the process of re-establishing the Cabinet steering group on Bruce Grove.
g. The Committee enquired what support was being offered to residents in relation to the rollout of Universal Credit. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that a lot of work had been done to improve signposting and offer advice to residents. A number of trained champions for Universal Credit had been established within Customer Services. In addition, HfH were providing support to tenants directly and the HfH advice team were holding resident surgeries. The Committee requested a further update in relation to Universal Credit at an upcoming meeting. (Action: Cllr Amin/Mark Rudd).
h. The Committee sought clarification about what the Council could do to negate some of the impact of the government’s Hostile Environment policy. In response, the Cabinet Member acknowledged the key role that the Windrush generation had played within the Borough and that a number of events had been put in place to celebrate their contribution as well reassure subsequent generations of the Council’s support. The Committee also noted that the Council was also developing its offer of support to EU migrants in relation to Brexit.
i. The Committee sought clarification about what was being done to improve the quality of benefits advice. In response, the Cabinet Member advised that Quality Assurance Officers were responsible for checking on the quality of responses to the public and that there was up to date advice and frequently asked questions available on the Council’s website. The Committee was reassured that a lot of work had been done within the team to ensure that customer correspondence gave comprehensive and well-informed advice.
j. In response to concerns about recurrent issues leading to some residents having their benefits stopped, the Cabinet Member agreed to undertake a piece of work to understand what those recurrent issues were. (Action: Cllr Amin/Amelia Hadjimichael).
k. The Cabinet Member agreed to bring a report to a future meeting around performance against FOI requests. (Action: Cllr Amin/Mark Rudd).