PAPER B
Committee : RESOURCES
SELECT COMMITTEE
Date
: 9
OCTOBER 2002
Title : UPDATE ON THE BEST VALUE REVIEW “CONNECTING WITH
THE PUBLIC”
REPORT OF THE TASK GROUP CHAIRMAN
AND BEST VALUE REVIEW UNIT
PURPOSE
To
update the committee on the progress of the review, to introduce them to some
of the issues which have been raised, and to invite questions.
The work has been split into 3
phases:
1.
How we handle the public when they contact us.
2.
How we give out information to the public.
3.
How we consult with the public.
There are overlaps in the work,
but we are predominantly working on phase 1
- a Reference Group with
representatives from across the range of council services has been established.
Through questionnaires, one to one interviews, and group sessions, they have
given an internal assessment of our current performance.
- a Forum page (chat room) has been set up on the intranet (with letters to all sites without intranet access) to get general staff views
Mystery Shopping - we have
arranged with Southampton City Council to mystery shop at each others customer
service points, including contacting members.
- the Citizens Panel have been questioned on
the quality of our customer services and their preferences for methods of
contacting the Council
- a group of interested
external organisations have met to comment on our current performance as well
as to explore further opportunities for co-operative working.
- a separate challenge meeting
has been held for Town and Parish Councils and Community Forums
- a Wight Insight article &
questionnaire were published, and questionnaires distributed at the Garlic
Festival.
- a web-site page, with questionnaires, has
been set up
Other authorities - an analysis of
best practice features from other LA’s has been carried out.
The Reference Group have set up a sub-group to analyse training needs and to start the development of a Citizens Charter.
An external contact, with
experience in this area of work, is to be engaged to challenge the processes we
have gone through and the options we will arrive at.
The Mystery Shopping exercise is
to be extended, with the help of the Connexions Service, to include a survey by
young people.
Analysis of the consultation and
evidence is taking place, to link the issues to the relevant strands of the
Corporate Plan, and to develop options to improve our customer service.
To what extent are the public at
the centre of our thinking and our processes ?
How well do departments work
together and share information ?
Do we have common standards for
customer care and systems to monitor them ?
How accessible are our service
points, and are they equipped to provide what the public need ?
How highly do we value the staff
who deliver our customer care ?
What other methods of accessing
our services should we be developing ?
How well do we work in partnership
with other organisations to provide and promote public services ?
How well do Councillors fit in to
the overall service ?
Phase 1 is taking longer than
expected because of the scale of the
work, but it is still anticipated that the main options will have been
identified by the end of October, with a draft report by the end of November.
Contact Point : Don Roe ☎ 3687
ANDY SUTTON STEVE MILFORD
Lead member for the review Best Value Review Unit