Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED: That all items on the agenda be webcast.

It was noted that apologies for absence had been received from Councillor Mrs Parvin.

There were no substitute members.

Councillor English was in attendance.

There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.

RESOLVED: That the items on the agenda be taken in public as proposed.

RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 August 2014 be approved as a correct record and signed.

Interview with Clare Wood, Policy and Performance Officer

Senior Corporate Policy Officer, Christian Scade, introduced the Complaints Report for Quarter 1, and made reference to the number of complaints that were received with regard to the Landed Festival, the number of complaints received overall and the number that were responded to outside of time. The Committee questioned the presentation of numerical data in the report and were advised that the use of these would be considered in future reports.

In response to questions regarding the Landed Festival the Parks and Leisure Manager, Jason Taylor, explained that:

• The event organisers did not breach any restrictions or licenses;

• The sound limit of 69 decibels was adhered to, as was set out in the Purple Guide written by The Events Industry Forum in consultation with the Health and Safety Executive;
• The same sound levels were used without detriment during events held in Mote Park, which suggested that the geographical location of Whatman Park may have contributed to the issue. However it was noted that both the Proms in the Park and the Outdoor Cinema that were held in Whatman Park had not attracted complaints, which indicated that the issue was not simply volume but also the type and duration of sound vibrations;
• Ward members had not been consulted on the event as no issues were expected to arise; and
• During the event affected residents contacted the out of hours phone number which connected to Medway Contact Centre, however it had been reported that there had been issues in getting information across to the Enforcement Officers at the site of the event.

The Head of Finance and Resources, Paul Riley, addressed the Committee with regard to Electoral Registration complaints and advised that:

·  There was no overall theme for complaints received;

·  Two complaints received regarding a canvasser and a teller were the responsibility of the relevant political parties, however these had also been recorded as complaints by Maidstone BC; and

·  The complaints that received late responses had been adversely affected by prioritisation of the May 2014 local election. The service had also experienced additional pressure due to the need for an additional permanent staff member, delayed canvassing, preparation for a new individual electoral registration system, and the introduction of temporary election staff.

In response to questions the Head of Finance and Resources explained that:

• New job descriptions had been formulated to take into account changes to electoral registration. The new system would mean the majority of registrations would occur online, and that data matching between Local Authorities and Central Government would be projected to achieve a 90% accuracy rate for information.

Members wished to draw attention to the table a 1.11.1 of the report, and the later statement at 1.11.5, and requested that clarification on the levels of complaints received compared to compliments received by each service be reported back to the Committee.

RESOLVED:

1  That the performance in relation to quarter 1 complaints be noted, in particular:

a)  The high number of complaints received about the ‘Landed Festival’ held on Easter Sunday  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55.

Report attached for consideration.

Senior Corporate Policy Officer Christian Scade introduced the Future Work Programme and SCRAIP update report.

During discussion it was agreed that:

• The Irrecoverable Business Rates report should come to Committee in conjunction with the Debt Recovery Policy;
• The terms of reference of the Budget Working Group should be altered to include wording that incorporates the challenging of information;
• The Budget Working Group should be cross party with an invitation extended to Labour members. In the event that a member was unable to attend a substitute should be invited to attend in their place; and
• The Budget Working Group should be open to all members of the Council who had an interest in attending.

RESOLVED:

1. That the future work programme be noted and agreed subject to the inclusion of the following items: Irrecoverable Business Rates and Debt Recovery Policy (Date TBC)

2.  That the List of Forthcoming Decisions be noted.

3.  That the terms of reference for the Budget Working Group be agreed subject to the following amendments:

  i.  Considering the information and challenging assumptions used to create the strategic revenue projection

  ii.  Considering and challenging the level of resources available to support the programme

b) That the Budget Working group be a cross-party group comprising of  Councillors Ash, Butler, Edwards-Daem, English, Mrs Grigg, and Mrs Gooch, with a Labour member to be invited to attend as a member, and substitutes be asked to attend where possible when apologies are received.

c) That all members be invited to attend and contribute to meetings held by the Budget Working Group.

d) That the date of the first meeting be arranged, outside of the meeting, by the scrutiny team.

4.  That the SCRAIP update for recommendations made at the meetings on 7 July and 8 July be noted.

5. That, in support of continuous professional development, a Challenging and Questioning training activity be provided to members, and that members of the Budget Working Group advise officers should additional specific training sessions be required. 

6.30 p.m. to 7.49 p.m.