73. MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 6 April 2005 were confirmed subject to the 11^th paragraph of minute 72 being amended to read :-

“The Select Committee were given to believe that the Audit Commission had proposed the housing front desk and homelessness prevention service should be brought back in-house but subsequently it was confirmed that this was not the case and therefore members felt that they had been mislead on that point.”

74. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

There were no declarations at this stage.

75. FORWARD PLAN

The Head of Select Committee and Review Team referred to the current Forward Plan for the period March – June 2005. This indicated that the Public Health Strategy was due to have been considered by the Executive on 4 May 2005. That meeting had however been cancelled.

The Chairman noted that the Strategy had slipped from 26 January 2005 for further consultation and raised concerns over the time being taken to progress the matter. The Portfolio Holder indicated that he would ask the Director of Public Health to clarify the current position. It was noted however that the strategy was being linked with other strategies within the Hampshire area.

76. HOUSING AND COUNCIL TAX BENEFITS PERFORMANCE STANDARDS

The Portfolio Holder for Adult and Community Services reported, on behalf of the Portfolio Holder for Resources, on the updated position for Benefits performance standards.

Members were reminded of the recommendations made by the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate following its inspection in July 2003. With the assistance of a Best Value Review an action plan had been drawn up. This had successfully resulted in an improvement in performance standards which enabled the Benefits Service to receive a CPA score of 4.

A number of new initiatives being introduced nationally would require the action plan to be revised. This would be focussed on four themes – claims administration; security; user focus and resource management.

The Select Committee was made aware of the latest figures for processing claims. It was noted that the number of claims had increased from 11,500 to 12,400. Fraud detection was a key element of the work being undertaken and several high profile cases had been well covered in the local press.

The Revenues Manager indicated that performance figures differed from quarter to quarter and some decline in the fourth quarter was normally experienced due to the work involved in processing the Council Tax. He stressed the importance of having suitable IT resources in order to ensure delivery of front line services.

The Select Committee was also advised that the Revenues manager, Mr Mike Toney, had been successful in obtaining a position with Herefordshire County Council. Members paid tribute to the work of Mr Toney.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR RESOURCES

That the revised Action Plan for Benefits, with performance standards, be brought to the Select Committee for comment before final adoption, as soon as practicable.

77. BUDGET MONITORING REPORT AS AT THE END OF FEBRUARY 2005

The Select Committee received the budget position for both Adult Services and Community Services as at the end of February 2005.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the homelessness budget had a projected overspend of approximately £265,000. Pressures on the Community Care budget could also result in an overspend of £100,000. Efficiency savings of £349,000 were being identified and there were on going effects due to the shortfall of £148,000 in Promoting Independence Grant. The Adult Learning Difficulties budget was also under pressure and provision of services was difficult to predict.

The Select Committee discussed a problem with Home Care Services that had recently arisen. The Portfolio Holder was aware of the difficulties being encountered and was actively involved in ongoing discussions. Members were concerned and referred to the work undertaken by the Home Care Task Group and felt that this should be reinstated following the elections.

The Portfolio Holder also advised that the budget for Community Services was on target, although this involved some service reductions.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY THE HEAD OF SELECT COMMITTEE AND REVIEW TEAM

The Home Care Task Group be reinstated by the Select Committee following the elections.

78. PROVISION OF HOUSING FRONT DESK AND HOMELESSNESS PREVENTION SERVICE

The Portfolio Holder reported on the details related to the involvement of the Law Centre in providing housing advice. This had been requested at the meeting of the Select Committee on 6 April 2005 at which a call-in of a delegated decision, 08/05, had been discussed.

The Select Committee was advised of the different funding arrangements for the two categories of service for the housing department which had been provided under contract by the Law Centre. The conditions of grant from the ODPM made it necessary for the Council to achieve reductions in the three main causes of homelessness. It was believed that this could be best achieved by the Council providing a fully integrated service.

An outline was given of the areas of work included within the contract for the front-desk service. The specialist service available at the Law Centre was not in dispute and this would still play a vital role in a range of areas. It was necessary however for the Council to integrate the general enquiries service and homelessness prevention service within Housing Services. This would enable a more effective and efficient homelessness prevention service to be available. Members were reminded of the demands placed on the homelessness budget and early action aimed at prevention had been identified as the best way forward.

Mr M Thatcher of the Law Centre was invited by the Chairman to address the Select Committee. He expressed concern over the loss of funding and the belief that people would still visit the Law Centre for advice.

The Portfolio Holder explained that the funding from the ODPM was for a limited duration and was to be withdrawn for 2006/07. This required the Council to take action to ensure that advice was still available and it was considered appropriate for this to be brought back in-house.

ACTION TO BE TAKEN BY THE PORTFOLIO HOLDER FOR ADULT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES

(a) The general enquiries (front desk) and homelessness prevention services are taken back in-house by the Council in order to provide a more effective service to end users through the benefits of integration.

(b) The benefits of utilising the expertise of the Law Centre are recognised by a continuation of funding, enabling it to continue to provide such services as part of an overall package of general support from the Council.

(c) Service delivery should be monitored as part of the Quarterly Performance Management Report and this to include a customer satisfaction survey.

79. MEMBERS’ QUESTION TIME

Mr R G Mazillius referred to the proposed date for the Select Committee’s Awayday on 23 June 2005 and suggested that this should be brought forward if possible to earlier in the month.

Mr A C Bartlett raised concern over the difficulties in the Council in retaining experienced staff. The Chairman indicated that this was an issue that could be considered by the Resources Select Committee.

Mrs D Gardiner asked a number of questions relating to Wightcare and the delivery of homecare services. The Portfolio Holder indicated that he would supply a written response to the questions and circulate a copy of this to all members of the Select Committee.

CHAIRMAN