Agenda item

To inform the Committee of the performance of the Public Protection Partnership in line with the operating model and business plan, and provide an update setting out performance during the third quarter of 2023/24.

The Committee considered the report (Agenda Item 8) which informed Members of the performance of the Public Protection Partnership, in line with the operating model and business plan, during the third quarter of 2023/24. The Committee worked through the different sections of the report.

Finances and Resources

Sean Murphy, Public Protection Service Lead, explained that the Service was reporting a zero outturn which included the management of an estimated £95k income shortfall, predominantly arising from an income shortfall from licensing.

The Service had been managing an underspend in the region of £200k to assist both local authorities with their significant financial pressures. In the main, this came from managing vacancies that had been offered for deletion.

In response to a query from Councillor Iskander Jefferies, Mr Murphy explained that a number of successful grant applications had helped to offset some costs. However, the majority of the underspend was achieved from managing vacancies.

Councillor Nick Allen felt that the report would have benefited from explaining that the income shortfall had been met by not recruiting to some posts.

Mr Murphy noted this point and would reflect on it for future versions of this report.

Damian James, Assistant Director for Contract Services, added that the position would be much clearer for the Quarter Four report.

Customer Satisfaction Rates, FOIs etc

Moira Fraser explained that there had been a decline in the overall satisfaction rate during Quarter 3 to 52%. However, it was still the expectation that the target for the year (75%) would be met as the satisfaction rating was tracking at 72% for the year to date. Moira added that the relatively small number of responses received per quarter meant that small changes in the figures could impact the percentages significantly.

Only one complaint had been received in the past quarter as well as some compliments, examples of which were contained within the appendix to the report.

Human Resources

Sean Murphy reported that while seven posts were proposed for deletion, recruitment was ongoing in an attempt to fill some vacancies, with interviews to be held shortly.

Recruitment of qualified staff remained a challenge and there was therefore a focus on staff development and succession planning. Level 4 apprentices were anticipated to complete their qualifications in the near future and were being allocated to teams within the service. There were also three apprentices working towards Level 6 qualifications.

Councillor Lee Dillon passed congratulations on behalf of the Committee to the qualifying apprentices.

Councillor Phil Barnett queried if the service remained able to fulfil its mandatory functions when considering the number of vacancies. Mr Murphy confirmed this was the case and was made possible with staff working in areas of highest priority and/or risk. Mr Murphy praised the willingness of staff to work in different teams.

Councillor Guy Gillbe noted the longer term strategy and that the short term held challenges. He therefore gave thanks to officers on behalf of the Committee for their excellent work under challenging circumstances.

ICT

Operational functionality was in place for the new single system with the majority of issues resolved. The next stage was the implementation of the customer portal.

In response to a question from Councillor Dillon, Damian James explained that it was difficult to pinpoint an exact date for the portal to be in place. However, meetings were held on a monthly basis with the supplier to ensure that progress was being made. Councillor Dillon requested further detail on this matter, as a Part II report if necessary. Damian James agreed to provide further updates outside of the meeting.

Councillor Jefferies queried the timeline for testing the portal and training on its use. Moira Fraser explained that training was being rolled out to Customer Service teams in both authorities and the system would be tested as part of that. This would follow for external customers.

Councillor Jefferies then sought assurance that there had been no loss or corruption of data as part of the data transfer. Sean Murphy advised that no such loss had been identified. He added that a significant level of hard work had been put into the data transfer, it had been challenging and time consuming but the data, from three systems, had been transferred.

Councillor Gillbe commended the progress made to date, particularly with the challenges being faced.

Property and Assets

Members noted the progress made in this area.

Operational Delivery – Measures of Volume

Councillor Howard Woollaston pointed out that no envirocrime or fly tipping was shown in the report in West Berkshire in Q3. Sean Murphy explained that the PPP was not responsible for these areas in West Berkshire, they were managed by the Waste Team. However, he offered to include this information for completeness if available.

Councillor Jefferies queried whether data could be captured on hotspot areas, i.e. for fly tipping. Damian James advised that an officer was responsible in Bracknell Forest for fly tipping enforcement and held such data. This had resulted in some investigations and the issuing of fixed penalty notices.

Councillor Allen noted that the PPP had been awarded funding by the Police and Crime Commissioner for the purchase of additional CCTV cameras in Bracknell Forest.

Communication, Consultation and Engagement

Moira Fraser confirmed that social media activity had increased (there had been a decrease after the departure of the lead communications officer). Members were invited to suggest areas for wider promotion via social media.

Sean Murphy agreed to look at including readership data in future reports, as requested by Councillor Jefferies.

Officers continued to work in schools as part of the education programme.

Community and Trading Standards (including Customer Services)

George Lawrence, Residential Team Manager, added to the point on education. As well as work with schools, this was undertaken in collaboration with Berkshire Youth and Public Health teams. The focus was on the risks of vaping, tobacco and alcohol.

Enforcement work included on illegal/unsafe products and underage sales.

Anti-fraud and anti-scam work was ongoing. Support was provided to victims of scams in liaison with Thames Valley Police. Officers also worked with residents on issues such as noise nuisance.

The team also held responsibility for stray dog collections. Recent legislative changes relating to XL Bullies had been taken on board and was promoted through the website and social media accounts.

Councillor Phil Barnett requested further detail on how the food sampling programme was implemented. Mr Lawrence advised that this covered a range of different products and settings. Products were tested within a laboratory and results fed back to the service.

Commercial (Food Safety and Health & Safety)

Councillor Allen noted that sickness absence was highlighted as an issue in this team and he queried the length of time it would take to catch up on work such as food inspections.

Rosalynd Gater, Commercial Team Manager, explained the team were getting back on track with this work. It had been necessary to catch up on food inspections following Covid and the focus had been on higher risk/higher category premises. These inspections were due to be completed by year end. The recovery programme in respect of lower risk premises was ongoing and would be rolled forward into 2024/25 for completion. 

In terms of staffing, an officer had been on long term sick leave and, as a result, an apprentice had been allocated to provide some support to the team and would be starting training in September to gain the necessary qualifications to undertake food hygiene work. Two casual members of staff had been recruited to help with the catch up work.

A reducing level of compliance had been found for some premises, resulting in extra work to ensure the necessary compliance. Factors behind this included Covid and cost of living pressures.

Sean Murphy agreed to provide, post year-end, a report detailing where catch up work remained to take place.

Licensing (including Applications and Licensing Governance)

Members noted that an updated Hackney Carriage and Private Hire Licensing Policy had been adopted in Bracknell Forest Council. West Berkshire Council had adopted an updated Statement of Licensing Policy.

A number of licensing hearings had been held in Q3, with more scheduled for Q4.

Councillor Barnett noted the high level of preparation required for licensing hearings. However, it was often the case that matters were resolved pre the hearing. With that being the case he queried if there was an alternative approach that could be followed.

Sean Murphy explained that there was a set process to be followed with licensing hearing paperwork. He added a similar issue with the preparation required when a case came to trial, but a guilty plea had come through before the case was heard.

Moira Fraser added that there was a prescribed period for licensing hearings to take place. Hearings were scheduled towards the end of that period to allow time for mediation and if this was successful the hearings would be cancelled.

Councillor Dillon queried if there were any lessons to learn from some hearings. Moira agreed to look into that point but explained that each case was unique, with negotiations possible in some but not all cases.

Environmental Quality

Suzanne McLaughlin, Principal Officer for Environmental Quality, reported that the primary focus had been on air quality (the subject of a separate report on this agenda).

The private water supplies annual return had been submitted on time for West Berkshire Council to the Drinking Water Inspectorate.

Noise/other nuisance complaints had been received and responded to. This included in relation to an industrial premises and this resulted in an abatement notice being served.

Inspections were continuing for pollution prevention control, with the necessary inspections scheduled to be completed on target.

Environmental Health Housing

Rosalynd Gater reported that reports of damp and mould have remained high throughout the year and much reactive work was needed as a result.

The team was working through a high number of licence renewals for Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). Officers with prior housing experience from other teams were being involved with this work to increase resilience.

Housing related cases had become more complex, often resulting in enforcement action needing to be taken.

Councillor Dillon asked if a list of HMOs could be provided by ward for Members together with a briefing note. Rosalynd advised of the intention to map HMOs and so would provide this information.

Councillor Woollaston queried if a briefing note could also be provided to Members in relation to damp and mould issues. In particular the advice that could be given to concerned residents. Rosalynd agreed to circulate a leaflet on this matter together with a briefing note.

Clare Lawrence, Executive Director for Place, commented that not all HMOs were subject to regulation and not all required planning permission. This information needed to be added to the briefing note.

Investigations and Case Management

Sean Murphy advised that delays were being experienced within the crown court system.

He added that the high volume of complex investigations was a challenge for officers.

RESOLVED to note:

·         The 2023/24 Q3 performance for the Public Protection Service.

·         The Service updates since the last meeting.