Agenda item

Dave Gordon, Scrutiny Officer, outlined  a report to review the final draft report of the Member Casework Task and Finish Group (TFG) and agree the resulting recommendations.

  The TFG had agreed its terms of reference, on 10^th September 2015 and had worked with Officers to gather information and use this in the compilation of its final recommendations.  At its first meeting on 17^th September 2015, the TFG had examined the areas outlined its terms of reference, as set out in the final report.  It was highlighted that a major concern identified was that the process had not been upgraded for a significant period of time, and therefore had limited functionality and could become obsolete relatively soon. There  were particular concerns over the way in which the progress of cases could be tracked by Councillors and the amount of Officer time spent on pursuing updates. It was concluded that  improved efficiency could be generated through investment in an upgraded system and recommendations to this effect were made.

The TFG had also discussed the level of standardisation of responses given by SBC and it was hoped that the suggested recommendations,  including the  process used to convey the decision would improve clarity around the decision made and the reasoning in each case. It was highlighted that the TFG had discussed the potential need to be clearer with residents about the resources available to SBC, and budgetary constraints. At present, Members felt that residents were being informed that an action could be fulfilled, only to discover subsequently that SBC could not complete the work due to financial or workforce restraints.

A recommendation had also been made to improve communications and ensure that all Ward Councillors were made aware of any decision which impacted on their Ward so that they could better convey information to local residents.

Resolved -    

(1)  That the possibility of a system upgrade be investigated, with the system requiring the following elements to justify its procurement; 

·  The ability to act as a central repository for casework, from submission to completion or final decision;

·  The ability to be interrogated by officers, allowing previous cases on the same policy matters to be found and used in decision making;

·  The ability to be accessed via Councillors’ iPads; and

·  The ability to be accessed by residents via the Slough Borough Council (SBC) website to track the progress of their cases.

(2)  For any such system to include automated escalation points, whereby inaction by an established deadline would cause responsible officers to receive an alert;

(3)  SBC officers will be asked to establish previous decisions made in comparable cases where applicable, in order to avoid any inconsistencies in decisions made, actions taken or advice given to residents;

(4)  SBC officers to ensure that final responses are sent to residents, with the relevant Councillor copied into the response. Councillors are to be made aware that this is the standard procedure and should not act as spokespeople for decisions made by officers; and

(5)  In cases where the decision made or the action taken has an impact across their ward, Councillors are to inform other Councillors in that ward.