Agenda and minutes

To confirm the non-exempt minutes of the meeting of the Improvement and Scrutiny Committee – Resources held on 22 July 2021

MINUTES RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting of the Improvement and Scrutiny Committee – Resources held on 22 July 2021 be confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

(Questions may be submitted to be answered by the Scrutiny Committee, or Council officers who are attending the meeting as witnesses, on any item that is within the scope of the Committee. Please see the procedure for the submission of questions attached)

There were no public questions.

Members had been provided with a report giving an overview of levelling up and what it meant for ‘good growth’ and economic development in Derbyshire, which it was hoped would assist the Committee in considering areas for further scrutiny as part of a future work programme.

          Jim Seymour, Place, attended the meeting and provided a presentation which supported the report and provided more detailed information to assist the Committee in its understanding of the following:

·      The Government’s approach to levelling up;

·      The pipeline of major capital regeneration projects for the County Council – and districts/boroughs;

·      The pipeline of key revenue projects aimed at supporting business growth, improved routes to employment and skills/training; and

·      The approach to staff and financial resourcing to support delivery of the above.

          Members made a number of comments and asked questions which were duly noted or answered by Councillor King and Mr Seymour.

  The Chairman thanked Mr Seymour for his update.

RESOLVED to note the overview provided by the Economy and Regeneration Service and consider the implications for helping drive levelling up in Derbyshire.

Julie Odams, Assistant Director Communications and Customers, attended the meeting and provided a presentation to members which outlined the new Customer Feedback system, its place within the Channel Shift programme and progress to date. The presentation also discussed the expected benefits of the new approach to both residents and the organisation.

          Details were given of the approach being taken; the expected customer feedback benefits; the timeline to date; the phased delivery approach and why this approach was being taken.

          In terms of current progress, the following were highlighted:

          Discovery phase was complete for Children’s Services and Place      –to be delivered in Phase 1 –higher volumes and increased risk ;

Adult Social Care being looked at for delivery in Phase 2 (Jan –        July 2022) would require some Mosaic integration;

Commissioning, Communities and Policy (CCP) to be looked at        2022 –more disparate processes and volumes are lower,

          Basic reports should be available from October this year; and

Focus to be on improvement, not just reporting.

In terms of equality impact there was a clear focus on ensuring that people were not disadvantaged.

It was important not to make assumptions as the Ofcom Online Nation report 2021 showed that 71% of people over 55 made regular use of the internet, spending an average of 2hrs 51 minutes online each day.

However, some people, such as the economically disadvantaged, elderly, limited physical and mental capacity, elderly carers, and those in rural areas may find online access difficult.

Full equality impact assessments would be undertaken and continually reviewed.

Members made a number of comments and asked questions which were duly noted or answered by the officers. Particular reference was made to the importance of the Call Derbyshire facility still being readily available to take calls from those people who found online access difficult as detailed above.

 The Chairman thanked Julie for her update.

RESOLVED to note the report and that updates on progress be reported to the Committee at the March 2022 meeting.