Agenda item

To consider report DCE/019 of the Deputy Chief Executive.

Commission Members considered report DCE/019 of the Deputy Chief Executive, along with associated Appendix A. The Commission has within its function to review the Council’s transformation programme, measures, and performance information (including budgetary information) together with service reviews.

The Transformation Plan had been revised a number of times since 2020. The Transformation Programme Plan v3 was revised in 2023 and presented to the OSC in October 2023. The Transformation Board has coordinated the workstreams, prioritised work, driven progress and monitored risk.  Various projects within the Programme Plan have been reported back to the organisation through Portfolio Briefings, the Managers’ Conference, Chief Executive Q&As and through internal Communications such as Outline and Team Brief. This third plan has an increased external focus, so residents have participated in surveys and focus groups to help inform the way forward for some items. The annual review report (Appendix A) provides a mechanism to record and recognise the progress made and sets out plans to deliver the remainder of the programme.

Transformation Plan (v3 – Appendix A) included the following workstreams:

·         Our Services to Customers

·         Supporting Our Communities

·         Our People

·         Our Assets

·         Commercialisation - Profit, Income, Productivity, Efficiencies, Savings

·         Service redesign.

Following the discussion with the Cabinet Member for Resources, Deputy Chief Executive, Head of Digital and Transformation and IT & Transformation Programme Manager, the following queries were raised:

·         Clarification sought and obtained on the ‘MyCrawley’ accounts and potential for density and household data to assist in account registration. It was commented that a relaunch of the portal and further promotional activity was planned later this year and this would potentially assist in increasing registration numbers.

·         Clarification was sought on the ‘supporting our communities’ theme which provided further opportunities to work with partners, identify any risks/gaps to provide further support and provide services in a different way. There was a need to collate and understand the current data and lived experience of Crawley residents to enable understanding of needs, risks and impact.  It was queried whether further information could be obtained as to the Household Support Fund 4 heat map, identifying the vulnerabilities within neighbourhoods and in order to further provide assistance.

·         Query was sought on the Pension Credit support available and what influence the Council may have to make the form completion easier. Drop in sessions at the Town Hall were available on a Tuesday and Wednesday during October and November between 9.30am and 3pm where officers would be able to check eligibility and help residents submit an application. Further information was listed on the Council’s website.

·         Further information was provided on ‘Access Crawley’, as a project which supported vulnerable individuals and families to navigate multiple Council Services, dealing with financial challenges or requiring further support. The case officers worked with residents to access the right benefits, support and advocate for them with individual services so that there is a co-ordinated approach and work continued exploring the wider strategic partnership working. It was noted that each case was different due to individuals’ circumstances.

·         Recognition that that Digital Exclusion group were working alongside the West Sussex Digital Inclusion, Access and Safety Partnership and this included other districts and borough councils.  It was paramount to engage with the group, along with partners such as the voluntary sector and NHS. It was queried whether digital exclusion data could be obtained by neighbourhood to further direct the support to the right parts of the local community.

·         Confirmation provided that the biennial digital survey that collects data on residents’ access to and knowledge of online services, preference and barriers to use was still planned for Q3 2024. Relating to this it was commented that in some situations, online access (for example completing forms) would be more beneficial due to algorithms imbedded to ensure an efficient process.

·         Query was sought and obtained on the Tilgate wi-fi project which was currently being reviewed together with a request to obtain further information on the Tilgate Business Plan when this was formalised and available to be published.

·         Further information was provided on the funding position and potential impact on projects.  It was confirmed that governance structures were in place to monitor projects and highlight any concerns or risks.

·         Acknowledgement that the commercialisation stream included every part of the council’s service delivery and all workstreams across the Transformation Plan. It was key this investigated efficiencies as well as savings and income.

·         Query was sought and obtained on improving online access for Taxi licensing applications. It was noted that it was an active project and work was ongoing implement the online forms.

RESOLVED

That the Commission noted the report, with the views expressed being acknowledged and documented by the officers.