Agenda item

·  Recommendation from Neighbourhoods & Community Services Scrutiny Panel, 17^th March 2020

(a)  That the recommendation from the NCS Panel meeting held on 17^th March 2020 be accepted:

“That the Cabinet allocate sufficient staff resource to the Parking Service Team, to enable officers to complete outstanding works as expediently as possible.”

(b)  That it be noted that the recruitment of an additional permanent parking engineer would commence soon.

(c)  That it be agreed that additional technical administrative resource for the parking service be provided from existing resources from capacity within the business support team, for example through redeployment or secondment.

A report was considered that requested the Cabinet to consider the recommendation of the Neighbourhoods and Community Services (NCS) Scrutiny Panel from 17 March 2020 with regard to the report on Highways and Parking in Slough.

The Panel had recommended: “That the Cabinet allocate sufficient staff resource to the Parking Service Team, to enable officers to complete outstanding works as expediently as possible.”

The principle concern of the Panel was that there was a backlog of parking schemes hence the request for additional staff resource to be allocated.  The report to Cabinet included a response from Officers stated that additional budget provision had been made in 2020/21 for a further permanent Parking Engineer but that there was no funding in place for more technical administrative resource to support the work of the engineers.

The current Chair of the NCS Scrutiny Panel, Councillor Hulme, commented that whilst the additional engineer post was welcomed, the Panel had wanted the administrative resources in place as well to maximise the engineers capacity to improve the delivery of schemes.

The Cabinet welcomed the recommendation from the Panel and agreed with the principle of ensuring sufficient staff resources was in place to address the backlog.  It was therefore agreed that additional technical administrative resource be put into the parking service from within existing resources, such as redeployment or secondment from the business support scheme.  Alongside the recruitment of the additional engineer this should provide the necessary support to the service.

Resolved –

(a)  That the recommendation from the NCS Panel meeting held on 17^th March 2020 be accepted:

“That the Cabinet allocate sufficient staff resource to the Parking Service Team, to enable officers to complete outstanding works as expediently as possible.”

(b)  That it be noted that the recruitment of an additional permanent parking engineer would commence soon.

(c)  That it be agreed that additional technical administrative resource for the parking service be provided from existing resources from capacity within the business support team, for example through redeployment or secondment.