Agenda item

Purpose: To present to the Commission the findings of and response to a mystery shopper exercise conducted by the charity Shelter.

(Councillor Franks declared a personal interest in Agenda item 11 by virtue of the fact that he was employed by Sovereign Housing Association. As his interest was personal and not prejudicial he determined to take part in the debate and vote on the matter).

The Commission received a report relating to a mystery shopper exercise conducted by Shelter in 2012.

The Chairman advised the Commission that the purpose of bringing the report to the Commission was for comments to be raised that might assist the development of the Homelessness Strategy, and would therefore form a part of the consultation on this strategy.

Councillor Webster raised concern at the approach of Shelter in using a scenario that instigated a number of processes outside of the Housing Service and caused some distress when Officers were unable to trace missing people, June Graves agreed. Councillor Dominic Boeck asked what lessons could be learnt for similar activities in the future to avoid wasting resources. June Graves responded that she believed it had been an unintentional consequence of the process. Councillor Dave Goff asked whether the Council could have insisted on a formal closure to the exercise. Nick Carter explained that mystery shopper exercises were not undertaken routinely, and might only be considered where there was an ongoing problem or a spate of complaints. Shelter had been considered to be credible, but Nick Carter agreed that the choice of scenarios might have been better considered and that it might be appropriate to write and raise these concerns with them.

Councillor Brooks expressed concern that the interview facilities at West Street House were not private and that discussions therefore took place in an environment open to other customers. June Graves responded that the reception desk was open to all customers and basic information would be taken there from people presenting in order to assess the requirements of the customer. If the individual was referred to a Housing Options Officer, this meeting would take place in private. Nick Carter acknowledged that the layout of the reception area in West Street House was not ideal due to its size, however a ‘pod’ had been installed to provide greater privacy. June Graves added that a Housing Officer was available at Market Street every week day where private office space was available. The Chairman asked whether the Housing Service were satisfied that suitable facilities were available. Mel Brain responded that a private space would always be found and no individual would be expected to discuss private issues in a public space.

Councillor Vickers expressed his disappointment at the timing of the release of the mystery shopper report, commenting that it was not made public until after the consultation had concluded and had not been part of the special Overview and Scrutiny Management Commission meeting to scrutinise the local approach to homelessness. Nick Carter advised the Commission that he had commissioned the report following a suggestion by Councillor Vickers as he had felt there would be merit in the exercise. The Housing Service had not been informed, however the Corporate Director had been. The exercise took place over the summer of 2012 and a report from Shelter was duly received and considered by the Housing Service. Nick Carter stressed that the exercise had not been undertaken in relation to the scrutiny review and the timetable had therefore not been set to tie in with this.

Councillor Vickers commented that it was unfortunate that the exercise had taken place at a time of transition for the service area, when a number of new staff had been in post, and asked whether any lessons had been learned about the appropriateness of new staff being placed in front line positions. June Graves responded that it was necessary to place new people in front line situations as part of their training and progression. June Graves added that it was not possible for new staff to learn how to deal with all eventualities through scenarios alone.

Councillor Webb asked whether it would be possible to prepare a set of standard responses to basic questions for use on email, or to direct people to the Council’s, or other appropriate agencies’, websites for further information. Mel Brain responded that standard responses would not be considered suitable as all responses were tailored to the individual’s need, and personal contact with the individual was considered essential to ensure all appropriate avenues were explored.  However it was desirable that individuals utilised web resources to obtain further information.

Councillor Vickers requested an indication of the cost of transferring parts of the service to an online system, commenting that if this resulted in a reduction in personal contact, there might be an overall saving. Mel Brain explained that the costs were being explored at present. Nick Carter added that there were known cost savings for many service areas, but this varied from service to service and he would discuss the subject with Mel Brain outside of the meeting.

Councillor Webb asked about the electronic system for logging the details of enquiries and any actions resulting from initial contact with the Council. Mel Brain explained that the system was designed to be able to enter case information for individuals and not as a call handling system. Detailed information was able to be captured, but the system was not able to provide a summary of activities due to be undertaken, across multiple cases. However Mel Brain assured the Commission that required activity, such as a telephone call to an individual, was directed to the appropriate Officer who would then manage their workload.

The Chairman thanked Officers for their cooperation and indicated his expectation that the Commission would receive the final strategy in due course.

RESOLVED that:

·        The Chief Executive to write to Shelter to share the concerns raised by the Commission about how the mystery shopper exercise was handled.