VB are reporting live from the May Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting at County Hall (all papers here).
For details of agenda items, check the document at the bottom of this post.
We will endeavour to report presentations and discussions as accurately as possible. Text surrounded by () signifies VB’s comments.
Please refresh / reload your browser to see the latest updates.
[17.09] It’s underway.
Item 4: Capital receipts programme: Disposal of land/buildings
Cllr Churchman: Thought of disposing to prime sites? Other current sites are hard to shift.
Cllr Brown: We’re not property developers. Either we have a need for a building, or we don’t. Floating bridge shop and Charter house have now completed.
Cllr Ward: Did Stag Lane go to the open market first? Why restricted market?
Council officer: Needed renewable energy use, so restricted.
Cllr Churchman: Youth Clubs. That’s a bit premature?
Officer: They have to go on list if they ‘might’ be sold.
Cllr Whittle: Be useful if we could have a tracking number on each building and the condition the building was in.
Cllr Brown: If we put condition, could impact on the valuation if on a public document.
Cllr Whittle: The condition does impact on the price. Quite a few are in bad condition. I’m concerned that a lot of the council buildings don’t even have menial repairs done to them. Those buildings are the face of the council.
[17:16] Update 2
Cllr Brown: Sure lessons have been taken. These building are been left for many years, many neglected of necessary maintenance.
Cllr Whittle: I’d like to see that some of this money that comes in from sales used to maintain those that we have.
Cllr Brown: Money coming in will be Capital, so can’t be used for maintenance.
[17:22] Update 3
Item five: Performance + Budget
Targets for call handling. Longest to answer – 5 min, 53 seconds.
Dave Burbage: It probably be one call, or it there might be a few calls around there.
Volume of calls has increased, so it’s likely that it might take longer.
Steve Beynon: Average time is 29 seconds to answer.
Dave Burbage: New telephone system has a lot of management info generated.
Cllr Churchman: I’d like to request a visit to Call Centre (granted)
Cllr Humby: Is SilverLine still working? (This was a councillor only line I think)
Steve Beynon: Getting a list of all senior officers together for Councillors with photos, direct numbers and what they’re responsible for
Cllr Gary Taylor: How else can satisfaction with the phone service be surveyed?
Dave Burbage: 65% of calls are resolved in first call. We’re attempting to increase this. Occasionally, when there’s a huge influx of calls, problems do arise.
[17:34] Update 4
Performance figures
Steve Beynon: A number of areas we haven’t made the progress we should have made – like landfill. Childrens services referral is another. Prof Monroe is advising Government that targets are scrapped. Quality not quantity.
Cllr Churchman: Revised Corporate plan taking three months to get to Full Council. Why so long?
Cllr Pugh: December saw quite radical changes about the council – we want to make sure it’s all bedded down correctly.
Cllr Churchman: Figures don’t tie up on complaints.
Steve Beynon: We should explain it more clearly. Some complaints go over a number of department, so this could explain it.
Cllr Churchman: 693 complaints handled by the council. Is it possible to give the areas where they are – which services?
Steve Beynon: OK – might be helpful to also show where they’ve been resolved – 1st, 2nd stage, etc
FoI requests – No questions.
Cllr Churchman: Transformation project – any sign of unexpected costs?
Dave Burbage: Very detailed estimates on County Hall expected mid-June.
[17:46] Update 5
Item 5(b) Budget 2010/11 and 2011/12
Dave Burbage: 16 Aug – Q1 report going to Cabinet. Hope to have revenue settlement in December.
Cllr Jones-Evans: Online budget tool?
Dave Burbage: Our budget is complex – hard to get people to fully understand. The online system gave an impression of pluses and minuses. Gave us an indication of what those people felt was important (eg. – it was a PR exercise)
Cllr Whittle: If on Forward Plan items slip for more than three months, I’d like the scrutiny committee to have an explanation.
Cllr Ward: Districts review.
[17:57] Update 6
Cllr Pugh: Polling station, where they are. We’re trying to move away from using schools.
Steve Beynon: If more than 2,500 electorate in an area, Electoral Commission asked us to have another polling station. We saw this as over-control from the centre.
East Cowes had the strange position of people walking past polling stations to get to their allotted one.
Steve Beynon: Referendum had 10% postal voting. Mostly the elderly.
END OF MEETING
