Please contact: Lydia Hall
Please email: lydia.hall@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Please direct dial on: 01263 516010
01 December 2014
A meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee of North Norfolk District Council will be held
in the in the Council Chamber at the Council Offices, Holt Road, Cromer on Wednesday 10th
December 2014 at 9.30am.
At the discretion of the Chairman, a short break will be taken after the meeting has been running
for approximately one and a half hours.
Members of the public who wish to ask a question or speak on an agenda item are requested to
arrive at least 15 minutes before the start of the meeting. It will not always be possible to
accommodate requests after that time. This is to allow time for the Committee Chair to rearrange
the order of items on the agenda for the convenience of members of the public. Further information
on the procedure for public speaking can be obtained from Democratic Services, Tel: 01263
516010, Email: democraticservices@north-norfolk.gov.uk
Anyone attending this meeting may take photographs, film or audio-record the proceedings and
report on the meeting. Anyone wishing to do so must inform the Chairman. If you are a member
of the public and you wish to speak on an item on the agenda, please be aware that you may be
filmed or photographed.
Sheila Oxtoby
Chief Executive
To: Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds, Ms V R Gay, Mrs A Green, Mr B Jarvis, Mrs B McGoun, Mr P
Moore, Mr J H Perry-Warnes, Mr R Reynolds, Mr E Seward, Mr R Shepherd, Mr N Smith, and Mr P
Terrington.
All other Members of the Council for information.
Members of the Management Team, appropriate Officers, Press and Public.
If you have any special requirements in order to attend this
meeting, please let us know in advance
If you would like any document in large print, audio, Braille, alternative
format or in a different language please contact us.
Chief Executive: Sheila Oxtoby Corporate Directors: Nick Baker & Steve Blatch
Tel 01263 513811 Fax 01263 515042 Minicom 01263 516005
Email districtcouncil@north-norfolk.gov.uk Web site northnorfolk.org
AGENDA
1.
TO RECEIVE APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2.
SUBSTITUTES
3.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
To receive questions from the public, if any
4.
MINUTES
(Page 1)
(9.30-9.35)
To approve as correct records the minutes of the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee held on the 12th November 2014.
5.
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
To determine any other items of business which the Chairman decides should be
considered as a matter of urgency pursuant to Section 100B(4)(b) of the Local Government
Act 1972.
6.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are asked at this stage to declare any interests that they may have in any of the
following items on the agenda. The Code of Conduct for Members requires that
declarations include the nature of the interest and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary
interest.
7.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
To consider any petitions received from members of the public.
8.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A MEMBER
The following „Councillor Call for Action‟ has been referred to the Committee by Cllrs R
Oliver and R Shepherd:
„We ask that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee request officers to prepare a report for
the next meeting regarding the Norfolk County Council proposal for on-street parking in
Cromer and Sheringham and that County Council officers are requested to attend the
meeting to respond to questions from members‟
9.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S REPORTS
OR RECOMMENDATIONS
To consider any responses of the Council or the Cabinet to the Committee‟s reports or
recommendations.
10.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
To note the upcoming Cabinet Work Programme.
(Page 13)
(9.35-9.40)
11.
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU PROVISION IN NORTH NORFOLK
Portfolio Holder: Cllr J Lee
(Page 18)
(Appendix A – p24) (Appendix B – p27)
(9.40- 10.10)
Summary:
North Norfolk District Council currently has a grant funding
agreement with Norfolk Citizen‟s Advice Bureau (£51,310) and
Mid Norfolk Citizen‟s Advice Bureau (£15,404) as a contribution
towards the delivery of their key objectives and core service
provision in North Norfolk. Recent presentations to the Overview
and Scrutiny Committee identified areas of concern in relation to
service provision and engagement particularly in relation to
Norfolk CAB. It also prompted a number of generic and bureau
specific questions from Councillors and members of the public
Conclusions:
NNDC recognises the value of and need for quality and
accessible advice and support services across North Norfolk. The
current grant agreements end on 31st March 2015. It is
appropriate and timely that the provision of advice and support
services is reviewed.
Following consideration of the responses to the questions
received and this report, Scrutiny‟s views on the existing grant
agreement and options for future service provision would be
welcome.
Recommendations: That members consider a range of options for future service
provision and recommend a preferred option to Cabinet
Options include:
1. Continue with the current core service contribution grant
arrangements with Mid Norfolk and Norfolk CAB, with
revised grant agreements to reflect an agreed level of
service in relation to outputs, outcomes, governance,
communication, monitoring and scrutiny to better reflect
geographic and service need.
2. Commission generic or specific advice and support
services. A service specification would be identified
whereby any suitably qualified organisation which could
include existing CAB but also other voluntary and
community groups or statutory organisations could be
invited to submit a proposal to deliver services in North
Norfolk.
3. No longer provide external grant funding for advice and
support services. Instead enhance internal services to
provide advice services in particular in relation to debt,
housing and benefits, which are the main areas of
identified need.
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer,
telephone
and e-mail:
Cllr J Lee
All
Sonia Shuter
01263 516173
sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk
12.
TIDAL SURGE 2013 – LEARNING AND ACTION PLAN
Portfolio Holder: Cllr A Fitch-Tillett
Summary:
This report provides an update on the Council‟s learning from
the tidal surge and the actions undertaken to improve our
resilience to such events in the future.
Conclusions:
The event severely tested our Emergency Response and
Business Continuity Plans, and, whilst we were able to provide
what has been described as an “heroic” response for our
residents, there were still a number of valuable lessons learnt.
These have been taken forward into an action plan to further
improve our response to such incidents in the future.
Recommendations:
Members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee are to
note the report and the progress made to date.
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer,
telephone
and e-mail:
13.
(Page 34)
(10.10-10.40)
Cllr A Fitch-Tillett
All
Sean Kelly
01263 516276
sean.kelly@north-norfolk.gov.uk
BUSINESS TRANSFORMATION PROGRAMME
Portfolio Holder: Cllr R Oliver
Portfolio Holder: Cllr G Williams
(Page 39)
(Appendix C – p. 44)
(10.40 -11.10)
Agenda note: This item is coming to Overview and Scrutiny prior to consideration by
Cabinet
Summary:
This report is brought to provide the second six monthly update
on progress within the Business Transformation Programme, as
per the Cabinet Recommendation for the Programme.
The initial programme is well under way. The standardised
printing project has been completed on budget and ahead of
schedule. A number of IT infrastructure improvements have
been completed which will deliver a step-change improvement
for remote working.
There are delays to the website replacement project which have
been caused by difficulties in recruiting to the vacant web
designer and web developer posts. Alternative ways of
delivering the project are being explored.
Other projects and work streams are progressing well and are
broadly on target.
The timelines, expected outcomes and anticipated costs are
identified below.
Recommendations
That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee receives the
Business Transformation Programme update and considers
future work streams.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To provide appropriate governance and oversight of the
Business Transformation Programme.
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer,
telephone
and e-mail:
14.
Cllrs R Oliver & G Williams
All
Sean Kelly
01263 516276
sean.kelly@north-norfolk.gov.uk
HOUSING INCENTIVE SCHEME
(11.30 -11.50)
(Cabinet Agenda p34)
Portfolio Holder: Cllr R Oliver
Portfolio Holder: Cllr B Cabbell Manners
Summary:
This report considers if it is desirable to extend the current
Housing Delivery Incentive Scheme which is available as part
of the planning application process for a longer period.
Options considered:
Closure or retention of the scheme.
Conclusions:
Overall it is not considered that housing delivery or market
conditions have improved sufficiently to justify closing the
scheme. An extension of the current scheme for a further 12
months is recommended.
Recommendations:
That Cabinet recommends to Council that the North
Norfolk Housing Incentive Scheme is extended until the
31st December 2015.
Council
Decision
Reasons for
Recommendations:
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer, telephone
and e-mail:
To support the quicker delivery of planned housing
development in North Norfolk in order to address housing
need and demand.
Cllrs R Oliver and B Cabbell Manners
All
Mark Ashwell
01263 516325
mark.ashwell@north-norfolk.gov.uk
15.
16.
HOUSING ALLOCATIONS SCHEME UPDATE
Portfolio Holder: Cllr R Oliver
(Page 52)
(11.50-12.05)
Summary:
In December 2012, Full Council approved a new Housing
Allocations Scheme for implementation which reflected the
need to review the previous allocations policy in light of
the Localism Act 2011 and changes in statutory
instruments. The new scheme was designed to meet
statutory requirements for an allocations scheme whilst
also meeting the Council‟s requirement that the number of
affordable dwellings let through the scheme should
maximise the number which are occupied by households
with local connections to towns and villages in North
Norfolk. The new Housing Allocations Scheme went live
on 18 October 2013 and this report reviews whether the
Allocations Scheme is meeting the objectives it was
required to meet. It concludes that the Housing
Allocations Scheme is operating well, it is meeting
statutory requirements and has increased the number of
properties let using the Local Allocations Agreement which
prioritises applicants with local connections to towns and
villages in North Norfolk.
Recommendation:
That Members receive the Housing Allocations Scheme
update and consider whether it is meeting its objectives
FEES & CHARGES
(Cabinet Agenda, p15)
(12.05-12.15)
Summary:
This report recommends the fees and charges for 2015/16 that
will come into effect from April 2015
Options considered:
Alternatives for the individual service fees and charges now
being proposed will have been considered as part of the
process in arriving at the fees presented within the report.
Conclusions:
The fees and charges as recommended will be used to inform
the income budgets for the 2015/16 budget. Approval of the
fees ahead of presenting the detailed budgets allows for
implementation of changes where applicable and also informs
the 2015/16 budgets..
Recommendations:
That Cabinet agree and recommend to Council:
a) The fees and charges from 1 April 2015 as included at
Appendix A.
Council Decision
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To approve the fees and charges as set out in the report that
will be used to inform the 2015/16 budget process.
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report and which do not contain exempt information)
Current fees and charges
Cabinet member(s):
Ward member(s)
Contact Officer,
telephone
and e-mail:
17.
Councillor W Northam
All
Malcolm Fry
01263 516037
malcolm.fry@north-norfolk.gov.uk
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY UPDATE
(Page 57)
(12:05 – 12:10)
(Appendix D – p. 58) (Appendix E – p. 60)
To receive an update from the Scrutiny Officer on progress made with topics on its agreed
work programme and to receive any further information which Members may have requested
at a previous meeting.
18.
EXCLUSION OF THE PRESS AND PUBLIC
To pass the following resolution, if necessary:
“That under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be
excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that they
involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph _ of Part I of
Schedule 12A (as amended) to the Act.”
19.
TO CONSIDER ANY EXEMPT MATTERS ARISING FROM CONSIDERATION OF THE
PUBLIC BUSINESS OF THE AGENDA
Agenda item no._______4_______
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY
Minutes of a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 12 November
2014 in the Council Chamber, North Norfolk District Council, Holt Road, Cromer at
9.30 am.
Members Present:
Committee:
Mr P W Moore (Chairman)
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds
Ms V R Gay
Mrs B McGoun
Mrs A Green
Mr R Reynolds
Mr J Perry-Warnes
Mr E Seward
Mr R Shepherd
Mr N Smith
Mr P Terrington
Not Present:
Mr B Jarvis
Officers in
Attendance:
The Chief Executive, The Corporate Director (SB), the Head of Finance, the
Head of Environmental Health, the Head of Economic and Community
Development, the Chief Accountant, the Policy and Performance
Management Officer, the Sports and Leisure Services Manager, the Health
and Communities Officer, the Democratic Services Team Leader and the
Democratic Services Officer
Members in
Attendance:
Mr T FitzPatrick, Mrs A Moore, Mr P High, Mrs P Grove-Jones, Miss B
Palmer, Mr W Northam, Mr B Smith
59. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Mrs A Fitch-Tillett as the Portfolio Holder for
Environmental Health.
60. SUBSTITUTES
None
61.
PUBLIC QUESTIONS
The Chair advised that questions would be taken from the public at the relevant point in
the meeting.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
1
12 November 2014
62.
MINUTES
The minutes of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 15th October
2014 were accepted as an accurate record with the following amendments made:
(i)
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds disagreed that Fakenham was not the same as North
Walsham. She said that its proximity to Dereham, Kings Lynn and Norwich
meant that it suffered from competition from these towns. As in North Walsham,
free parking was provided by a supermarket situated near the town centre. She
went onto say that a good surface was important and that it was in the interests
of North Walsham residents to have the Mundesley Road car park resurfaced.
Mrs Claussen-Reynolds concluded by saying that all of the towns across the
District should be treated equally. The proposal to provide 3 free 30 minute
parking bays in all seven towns supported this. The consideration of any
changes at this late stage would be extremely unfair to the other towns across
the District
63.
(ii)
It was pointed out that the car park at Wells had been a free coach and lorry park
(iii)
Page 5, paragraph 7, changed to “urged the speakers not to forget other towns
like Fakenham”
(iv)
Page 6, paragraph 2, changed to “more people being referred to a mental health
charity from the job centre”
ITEMS OF URGENT BUSINESS
None
64.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Mr P Terrington declared two non-pecuniary interests concerning Wells tidal surge
damage and his membership of Wells Town Tennis Club.
65.
PETITIONS FROM MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC
A petition was received against the relocation of the Friday Market Place and Taxi rank
with 391 signatures. It was referred to Cabinet on 8th December.
Mrs K Lane, a member of the public asked for information regarding the cost of the
consultation process for the relocation of the market place and taxi rank.
The Corporate Director replied that no financial information was available as the
proposal for the relocation was at the consultation stage and had been carried out at
minimal cost to the Council.
The Chief Executive added that there had been no other cost incurred in the
consultation process apart from Officer time and administration.
66.
CONSIDERATION OF ANY MATTER REFERRED TO THE COMMITTEE BY A
MEMBER
None received.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
2
12 November 2014
67.
RESPONSES OF THE COUNCIL OR THE CABINET TO THE COMMITTEE’S
REPORTS OR RECOMMENDATIONS
The Chair informed Members that the Car Park order had been referred back to Cabinet
for reconsideration. Cabinet had agreed to uphold the original decision.
68.
THE CABINET WORK PROGRAMME
The Members considered the Cabinet work programme and were updated on any
amendments.
69.
CITIZENS ADVICE BUREAU
The Chairman said there had been expressions of concern around some of the services
provided by the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) and that it would be useful to consider all
sides and hear the views of the branches themselves. Before introducing the speakers,
he invited the Leader to speak. Mr T FitzPatrick said that the Council had concerns
about CAB provision in the east of the District, which was currently provided by Norfolk
CAB, following feedback from residents. He said that he would be interested to hear
how Norfolk CAB was intending to address these concerns.
The Chairman invited the Manager of the Mid-Norfolk, CAB, Mrs A Lewis, to give a
presentation of the work of the branch.
Members Questions to Mid-Norfolk CAB:
1) Mr E Seward asked for clarification on the lottery funding which funded the part time
debt advisor and an administrative assistant and about the space that they used.
2) Mrs V Gay asked for the figures to support the belief that the debt advice given was
putting money back into the community.
3) Mrs A Moore commented on the geographical profile of their clients – in particular
the figure showing that a quarter of people that they dealt with came from North
Walsham. She asked whether this had always been the case or whether it was a
recent occurrence.
4) The Chairman asked whether people would rather go to another venue than the
most local one, possibly for personal reasons.
5) Mrs V Gay sought clarification on the relationship with the Council‟s appointed
representative.
6) Mr E Seward commented that the lottery funding was time limited and if the branch
wanted to continue with the advisors they had they would need to attract funds.
7) Mr E Seward asked what the efficiency savings had been.
8) Mr B Smith asked about out-reach offices and whether there were any cross border
issues.
Mr P High said that he was the local Member for Holt and that the town were very lucky
to have them in Holt and that the Mid-Norfolk CAB provided a good service.
The Mid-Norfolk CAB Manager provided the following responses:
1) The lottery funding was until October 2015 and the office space was rented from the
Community Centre.
2) Confirmed that the figures to support this would be sent to Members.
3) Confirmed that this would be followed up and would send the information to
Members.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
3
12 November 2014
4) The Mid-Norfolk CAB Manager said that sometimes people felt recognition was
helpful but some preferred anonymity and that it worked both ways.
5) (Roger Marge – Chairman of Mid-Norfolk CAB for 3-4 years answered this) The
relationship with the Council‟s appointed representative, Mr D Young added value to
the Board and was a partnership.
6) The branch was getting sources from a transitional fund and was working with
partners to increase funding to continue to run their services once the lottery funding
ended – this included reducing back office costs.
7) There were difficulties but they had low running costs and were incredibly efficient –
staff and rent were the highest costs to the branch. Roger Marge added that the cost
per issue addressed by the branch cost the same as a Mars bar.
8) The Mid-Norfolk CAB said that they do not distinguish where people were from and
offer assistance to whoever asks for their advice.
Before inviting the Chief Executive of the Norfolk CAB, Mr S Cheshire, to give his
presentation, the Chairman invited Mr T Wogan, a member of the public and
representative of Citizens Watch North Norfolk to speak. Mr Wogan raised concerns
about the standard of the advice given at the North Walsham branch and in particular,
the reduction in the number of trained volunteers.
The Chairman commented that this was a fact finding exercise and that it was
interesting to hear opposing views.
Members Questions to Norfolk CAB:
1) Mr R Reynolds said that Fakenham was suffering from reduced coverage due to a
lack of training and asked when this would be managed. He went onto say that the
Fakenham income versus the cost was quite wide and asked how they expected to
deal with rising costs.
2) Mrs B McGoun asked whether the branch received funding from banks and building
societies, and if not, whether this was an option that should be considered.
3) Mr E Seward commented that £4,000 had been given by North Walsham Town
Council on the basis that the funds were used to benefit North Walsham directly and
he sought assurance that this had been the case.
4) Mr E Seward then said that the agreement with North Norfolk District Council meant
that Norfolk CAB was supposed to provide comprehensive and specialist advice in
North Walsham but questioned whether this was the case. He added that Citizen‟s
Watch had said that there was a full time debt advisor three years ago and that there
was currently no specialist advice available in North Walsham.
5) Mr E Seward asked whether it was possible to provide figures pertaining to the
economic benefits to the community through their work. He went onto state that the
building currently used for the North Walsham CAB service was provided by the
District Council and he wondered how the Norfolk CAB would manage if they were
required to move to another premises and pay rent.
6) Mrs P Grove-Jones said that the CAB service in Stalham had been withdrawn 3-4
years previously. She said that Stalham was a secondary settlement in North
Norfolk and that there was a full schedule of meetings with advisors when it was
there. Mrs P Grove-Jones said that 150 more houses were planned to be built in the
next two years. She said that the charts showed that Stalham was not using the
services provided and that this was probably because residents were young people
with children and that the nearest offices were either Norwich or North Walsham and
this posed transport issues. She added that when the CAB were in Stalham they
were in a free office and that a reason for the service withdrawal was the withdrawal
of the free premises. Mrs P Grove-Jones expressed her concerns and said that the
issue would not go away in the next ten years and was more likely to increase. She
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
4
12 November 2014
said she was dismayed over the way the CAB was run and that the service was in
need of revitalisation and that they should return to Stalham.
7) Mrs V Gay asked what percentage of queries were referred to other charities like
Shelter and Age UK. She added that the contribution NNDC made to the service
should have a direct impact on the welfare of citizens in the district and on the
economy. In 2012, £1m was returned to the economy from cancelled debts and
increased benefits. Mrs V Gay said that NNDC didn‟t necessarily fund these
charities and queried to what extent specialist advice was provided by Norfolk CAB.
8) Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds asked what training was given to recognise mental health
issues and where people need specialist help.
9) Mrs B McGoun said that the issues in Stalham also impacted on her ward and asked
whether a room in a school could be used in Stalham. She added that there was a
strong CAB brand and people valued it.
10) Mr B Smith enquired as to why there was no representative on the Norfolk CAB
board when Members were involved with other CABs.
Mrs A Green said that she was full of admiration for the CAB in Fakenham and said they
were very helpful.
The Norfolk CAB Chief Executive answered:
1) The training was still in development and that some volunteers had achieved it and
they were keen to encourage skills development. He said that the Welfare Advisor
was very experienced and that there hadn‟t been a reduction in the type of advice
offered. He acknowledged that there was a financial deficit – particularly at
Fakenham and that they were currently reviewing their premises costs.
2) The funds were from local authorities and agent bodies but he would consider
looking into the possibility of funding from banks and building societies.
3) The advice provided previously could not be accredited as specialist advice. He
added that the lottery funding for specialist advice ended before the merger.
4) The figures regarding the economic benefits to the community would be circulated to
Members.
5) It was confirmed that the budget could not withstand additional expense of rent. He
clarified that the budget showed closing accounts for North Norfolk at November
2012 had £22,000 left over with a deficit in running of £25,000 per annum. The Chief
Executive of the Norfolk CAB said that there had been concerns over the merger
and whether it would hold. He felt it had been inappropriate to change anything as
there may have been a reversal to the merger. They had balanced the accounts by
taking out £125,000. He concluded by saying that the Norfolk CAB wanted to remain
in North Walsham.
6) The Stalham service was closed prior to the merger and lottery funding had
supported this outreach work. Mr Cheshire acknowledged that they needed to do
more but that there was stagnation in the income. He went onto say that there had
been a reduction in services in a number of places against a growing demand – if
not in numbers, then in the scale of issues. He added that the morale was lifting in
North Walsham as skills were being advanced and said that he would like CAB to go
back to Stalham.
7) People were referred into the system where specialist advisors were appropriate.
Age UK was a partner who also referred people to CAB.
8) There was no specific mental health training. Mental health issues ranged from
stress to acute mental health issues. The volunteers were trained in aspects of
advice rather than in other issues. They were currently negotiating two pilot
schemes; a holistic approach for the stress side of the mental health spectrum and a
Mental Health practitioner in an NHS initiative for those with acute mental health
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
5
12 November 2014
issues. This would be embedded into services that were in transition – 80% of those
had a debt issue and this would otherwise land them back in the „cared for‟ system.
They wanted to have basic training for people with mental health issues and were
planning to work closer with the NHS and other key figures.
9) Schools were not a good choice as the CAB service was available to all – including
paedophiles.
10) Regarding engagement with Council representative, Mr Cheshire said that they
engaged with eight different councils and that it would be cumbersome to have
representatives, but that the way they were engaged would be reviewed as a matter
of urgency.
Members Questions to both Mid-Norfolk CAB & Norfolk CAB:
1) Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds asked how they helped people who first language was
not English.
The Norfolk CAB Chief Executive answered:
1) There were a number of translation providers but they asked people to bring
someone who spoke English with them. They were also looking to recruit volunteers
from Eastern Europe in particular to bring in these additional language skills.
The Mid-Norfolk CAB Manager answered:
1) Part of the ASTA project had employed Eastern European advisors (part of in-tran)
and funding was reasonable for the translation services.
The Chairman asked that all of the information that had been requested was provided
for circulation to Members.
Mrs V Gay suggested that written answers were provided to the questions asked and
then referred back to the Committee as soon as possible in a report. The Chief
Executive of the Norfolk CAB queried this as the answers would be provided in the
minutes. Mrs V Gay said that the minutes were not a verbatim account and were to
show how decisions were reached and therefore it was helpful to have full written
responses to all of the questions raised.
Mr E Seward added that the information should be added as an agenda item for the
next meeting so that the Committee could address the issues raised and consider the
options available.
The meeting broke at 11:06 am and resumed at 11:21 am.
70.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY ANNUAL REPORT
The report was noted by Members and recommended to Council.
71.
BUDGET MONITORING – Period 6
Mr W Northam, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report and said that the
Council was on target. He said that the 2013 tidal surge had so far cost £500,000 and
that there was still insurance claims being negotiated. The car parks were no longer fee
paying at night and that £55,000 had been added to the Enforcement Board reserve.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
6
12 November 2014
Mr E Seward said that the 2014/15 anticipated income would exceed the budget by
£300,000 and asked whether the business rates would be retained and if not, when the
changes would occur. The Head of Finance replied that the figures would fluctuate
throughout the year.
Mr P Terrington said he was pleased that more funds had been granted to the
Enforcement Board. He also commented that they had been a lot of repairs made
following the tidal surge in Cromer and Sheringham but that there was damage that
needed repair on a wall in Wells owned by the Council.
Mr W Northam commented that the coastal engineers had done a great job with limited
resources.
The Head of Finance clarified for Members that the flooding grants were for businesses
and householders for resistance against possible future flooding rather than for any
repairs and that the criteria for this was strict.
72.
TREASURY MANAGEMENT HALF YEARLY REPORT
Mr W Northam, Portfolio Holder for Finance, introduced the report and said that it was to
confirm compliance with the CIPFA Code and was recommending that Full Council
approve the report.
Mr D Young asked whether the reduction in the minimum credit rating requirement
would make the Council‟s investments riskier.
The Technical Accountant responded that the covered bonds with Leeds Building
Society could be sold at any time in the market and that the value of collateral held on
the Council‟s behalf exceeded the value of the bond. He added that there were other
securities which could be used and that they were moving towards making more insured
investments.
Mr D Young queried whether the Technical Accountant was happy with the amount of
long-term investments and if liquidity was adequate.
The Technical Accountant replied that they are always mindful not to lock up funds for
too long a time so that funds are available to meet expenditure. He added that the MRP
policy was revised each year as part of setting the Treasury Management Strategy.
Mr W Northam informed Members that the Council was moving its accounts from Co-op
to Barclays.
73.
MANAGING PERFORMANCE Q2
Mrs A Moore requested a written answer to the following question be presented to
Overview and Scrutiny Committee 12 November 2014.
How many dwellings have been completed under the Housing Incentive Scheme?
The answer was presented by the Leader of the Council, Mr T FitzPatrick, from the
Planning Policy Manager
The Housing Incentive Scheme was introduced in Sept 2013 and since that date the
Council has approved 449 dwellings under the scheme, 10 of these are completed and
a further 93 are recorded as under construction.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
7
12 November 2014
A full review of the Housing Incentive Scheme is scheduled for consideration at the
December meeting of Cabinet.
Mr E Seward asked whether the figures on page 21 of the managing performance report
were a percentage of major planning applications overturned on appeal (Ref. DM 006)
or whether it was one appeal as this level of performance caused him concern.
The Policy and Performance Management Officer informed Members that the guidance
on calculating this indicator had recently been checked and the calculation method
amended so that the correct performance figure is 1.25% which is well below the target
figure of 20% where in this instance a low figure represents good performance
Mrs V Gay commented that cases that have highlighted environmental conservation
were on track. She added that specified action through the Enforcement Board meant
that „at risk‟ buildings in conservation areas were being dealt with. Mrs V Gay asked how
much was done before these buildings reached the Enforcement Board.
Mr T FitzPatrick replied that the Council had taken a robust view of the „at risk‟ buildings
- a Grade 1 listed building had previously had nothing done for thirty years – the
Administration were now taking a more proactive approach.
Mrs A Green informed Members that she was a representative on a North Norfolk
committee that looked at buildings „at risk‟ and that they were looking for new projects.
The Committee noted the report.
74.
LEISURE SERVICES OVERVIEW
The Committee had received a report from the Sports and Leisure Services Manager in
the agenda papers.
The Chairman invited members to ask questions:
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds asked why there was a decrease in figures in some areas.
The Sports and Leisure Services Manager said that the Mobile Gym Project was ending
and that they were scaling down. He added that the dual use centres had suffered due
to the financial climate and type of activities offered. The Sports and Leisure Manager
explained that they offered sports but that they were looking at the gaps in provision to
then match with appropriate activities.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds then asked how many schools were in the district and asked
how the schools in the project were chosen and how they planned to retain the
activities. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that there were forty
schools in the district and that they had used health profiles and obesity data to contact
the schools with the most need. He said that the long-term funding from the Health and
Wellbeing Board would enable the team to help a further ten schools.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds sought clarification on whether any of the £100,000 funds
available for playgrounds would be used at Fakenham Trap Lane and whether funds
could be available for new equipment. The Sports and Leisure Services Manager said
that the funds had been delivered and that it had been granted on a priority basis. Mrs A
Claussen-Reynolds asked for clarification that this couldn‟t be changed.
Mrs A Moore said that it was important to encourage people to access sports facilities
and that facilities should be taken out to them if necessary.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
8
12 November 2014
The Sports and Leisure Services Manager replied that this was currently in consultation
across the district. He said that there was an existing project at Holt and at Sheringham
High School as these could be delivered relatively quickly in year one and then they
would concentrate on specific areas with finite funds and activities.
Mr P Terrington asked how sports centres could become hubs.The Sports and Leisure
Services Manager explained that in targeting older people, hubs were set up and for
younger people, activities were provided in high schools. He added that the two could
be linked and that there was research and a consultation being carried out.
Mr N Smith said that sports hubs could be based on existing multi-use games centres –
such as at Erpingham.
Mr E Seward expressed his thanks for the work the team had carried out in getting
toddler equipment at North Walsham. He said there was a stakeholder meeting at the
end of November in relation to the status of the management committee at North
Walsham Community Centre.
The Sports and Leisure Services Manager said the team would be carrying out an audit
on all the sports and leisure services in the district, liaising with stakeholders with the
initial findings presented. The current strategy would be ending with a report in April
2015 and the local Members were welcome to attend. The Sports and Leisure Services
Manager said that he would e-mail the details and a list of those invited to the Members.
He reminded Members that they still had their own body to organise and fund user
forums and that reports on participation and areas for improvement were aimed to be
published quarterly.
Mrs V Gay thanked Cllr Nigel Lloyd for his vigorous defence of the North Walsham
Sports Centre.The Sports and Leisure Services Manager echoed this and said that Cllr
Nigel Lloyd had been very supportive of the team in moving forwards.
Mrs B McGoun said the Horning Boat Show was community led and asked whether
there was any way to secure match funding.The Sports and Leisure Services Manager
said that this would be dependent on what was wanted and where other funds were
coming from.
The Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Mr G Williams, said that in these challenging times
leisure services were often considered desirable but not essential. The report
demonstrated that leisure was a key provider of benefits, including tourism, and that it
had a direct impact on prosperity. Health and fitness had a positive effect on wellbeing
and also improved the quality of life. He said that leisure activities enhanced things like
bio-diversity, open spaces, woodlands – which were being visited by growing numbers
of people.
Mrs V Gay reiterated Mr Williams‟ comments regarding woodlands and said that they
were valued by people and were well used.
75.
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH UPDATE
The Head of Environmental Health outlined his report that had been submitted as part of
the meeting agenda. He informed Members that the department had been restructured
in late 2013/early 2014 and that the report showed how effective this, and other changes
had been together with the successes and the challenges faced in the previous twelve
months.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
9
12 November 2014
Mr P Terrington asked two questions; whether there was a license for tables and chairs
in public areas and what the civil contingencies for floods were following the 2013 tidal
surge.
The Head of Environmental Health replied that there had been a pilot scheme run in
Cromer for one year in regards to street licensing, in partnership with Norfolk County
Council, and that the scheme had been deferred. He added that this was a project
currently being looked at by the Public Protection Manager.
With reference to the civil contingencies issue, the Head of Environmental Health
informed Members that grant applications were still being received and that the process
was labour intensive. He added that he would be able to provide Mr P Terrington with an
update regarding grant applications in his ward of Wells-next-the-Sea.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds commented that King‟s Lynn Borough Council had been
exceptionally pleased with the joint services provided and that the new waste and
recycling system had received a positive response from residents. She added that she
had heard that the collection of recyclable waste was now taking longer. Mrs ClaussenReynolds also asked whether it would be possible for Members to visit the recycling
centre.
The Head of Environmental Health responded to this by saying that he had received
anecdotal evidence that the recycling bins did take longer to empty as there was a lot
more waste to collect but that they were easier to empty as the weight of the glass
(which was a new material collected) helped to dislodge the lighter materials in the bins
such as paper. He added that there was a smaller volume of waste going into the
residual bin and that the same crews from Kier worked both rounds. The Head of
Environmental Health said that an agreement with Kier meant that they were able to use
an additional vehicle to help them with the initial adjustment period, but that the
company had not needed this additional help and that the vehicle had only been used to
help with breakdowns. He informed Members that there had been issues on one of the
rounds and that Kier had been asked to provide the reasons for this. He added that a
visit to the recycling centre could be arranged, but not at the current time, although they
were looking into producing a video for virtual tours.
Mr E Seward asked about the vacant post in the service structure and how the team tied
in with the Kier ground maintenance contract. He added that the waste collection was
excellent, but that the grass cutting was poor.
The Head of Environmental Health said that the vacant post was being covered by
another Officer at the present time. He then informed Members that he was the
„authorised officer‟ for the whole of the contract with Kier although Property Services
managed the services. He explained that it is operated as a joint resource with King‟s
Lynn Borough Council. The Head of Environmental Health said that there were
discussions with the Corporate Leadership Team on ground maintenance and that they
were hoping for significant improvements. As part of the contract, the Council can issue
„defaults‟ if the service delivery is poor which would incur penalties. He also added that
the Council had accepted a lower standard of service from Kier in order to make cost
savings, although the grass should be cut – just less frequently.
Mr E Seward said that the bottle banks at Sainsbury‟s in North Walsham were
overflowing in the summer. The Head of Environmental Health replied that the bottle
bank issue was caused by vehicle breakdown and that Kier had worked on Saturdays to
deal with the back log of work from the two days without the vehicle. He added that they
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
10
12 November 2014
had seen an unprecedented amount of glass in the summer – from collections three
times a week to emptying the banks on a daily basis.
Mrs P Grove-Jones said that when the High School in Stalham was made available as
an emergency camp during the 2013 tidal surge, there was little communication
regarding the numbers of people, when to stand down, etc and asked whether this could
be taken into consideration in the civil contingency plans. She added that the volunteers
concerned felt left out of the plans and would like to be more involved.
The Head of Environmental Health said that they did rely on volunteers to deliver
services across the district including the rest centres. He added that the arrangements
were usual made by the senior managers of the buildings used and the Council did not
always know the arrangements put in place. The Council also have an understanding
with the British Red Cross to provide support with other arrangements organised on a
County-wide basis. The Head of Environmental Health added that the plans had
recently been revised and that the process involved many participants.
Mrs B McGoun asked whether the department had received any complaints about
telephones being answered as it seemed as though they were always on voice mail.
The Head of Environmental Services explained that it was a difficult balance; between
officers out in the field and being available for queries in the office. He acknowledged
that there was an issue with answering telephones and that the department has taken
steps to improve on this. He said that the department would be one of the first to trial the
new telephone system due to be installed and hoped to be an early adopter of it.
Mr J Perry-Warnes said how helpful the staff were at Greenbuild.
Mr R Shepherd said that he was very happy with the bin collection service in
Sheringham. He asked whether the insufficient water pressure provided by Anglian
Water was an issue that Environmental Health could intervene with. The lower pressure
was because the water in Sheringham was pumped. The Head of Environmental Heath
said that the Council had no power in a water pressure issue and that they could only
get involved in matters concerning civil contingency issues and any impact on
businesses.
Mr R Reynolds said that many areas had an issue with grass cutting and that people
would be placated if they at least knew when the grass was due to be cut.
The Head of Environmental Health explained that the Kier management structure meant
that they contributed on an operational level and at a strategic level. He added that
Members were welcome to contact him with any issues.
Mr P Terrington said that problems were always dealt with very quickly in Environmental
Health.
Mr B Smith commented that the grass cuttings were not collected and that they blew
everywhere. He then asked about the communications between the road crews and the
depot.
The Head of Environmental Health said that Kier were improving their systems. He
added that he hoped that Kier would know of any delays in collections/grass cutting
quickly so that the depot could inform the team and then in turn inform the ward Member
of the area concerned would be made aware.
The Chairman thanked the Head of Environment Health for his report.
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
11
12 November 2014
76.
OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY WORK PROGRAMME
The Democratic Services Team Leader informed Members that Mrs A ClaussenReynolds had circulated the dentistry report to all Members.
Mr P Terrington had an item to add to the work programme, expressing his concerns
over vulnerability from tidal surges and the preparedness for another tidal surge.
The Democratic Services Team Leader said that the topic was going to Audit Committee
but the report would be amended to include the additional items and would then come to
Overview and Scrutiny Committee for consideration.
The Democratic Services Team Leader asked Members if they wanted a follow up on
the CAB to maintain momentum adding that the information gathered would be
circulated to the Committee. Members agreed that they would like to receive a report at
the next meeting of the Committee.
The Democratic Services Team Leader informed Members that a Peer Review would be
taking place the week beginning 8th December and that a team would be coming into the
Council Offices to assess how NNDC were working and that they may want to attend
the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting scheduled for that week. She added that
there the majority of reports coming to the next meeting related to housing.
Mrs A Claussen-Reynolds queried whether it would be possible to look into the
concerns raised about the non-answering of telephones in some service areas. The
Democratic Services Team Leader said that this would be followed up with Customer
Services and would be picked up as part of the next Overview & Scrutiny update report.
Mr R Shepherd commented that he had not experienced any issues when phoning
Officers.
Mr P Terrington asked whether the Corporate Director (SB) could be available for the
next meeting to answer questions on the Energy Strategy. Mrs B McGoun requested
that information was included on fracking.
.
The Democratic Services Team Leader said that the petition concerning fracking would
be picked up within the Energy Strategy.
The meeting concluded at 12.54 pm
__________________
Chairman
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
12
12 November 2014
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 31 March 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Status / additional
comments
December 2014
Cabinet
08 Dec 2014
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Housing
Incentives
Scheme
Rhodri Oliver &
Benjie Cabbell
Manners
Mark Ashwell
Planning Policy &
Property Info Manager
01263 516325
Council
17 Dec 2014
Cabinet
08 Dec 2014
Enforcement
Board Update
Rhodri Oliver
Nick Baker
Corporate Director
01263 516221
6 monthly update
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Rhodri Oliver
Glyn Williams
06 Jan 2015
Sean Kelly
Head of Business
Transformation
01263 516276
Pre-scrutiny
Cabinet
Business
Transformation
Update
Cabinet
08 Dec 2014
Cromer Market
Consultation
Tom FitzPatrick
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Cabinet
08 Dec 2014
Fees & Charges
Wyndham
Northam
Scrutiny
10 Dec 2014
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
Council
17 Dec 2014
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
13
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 31 March 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Status / additional
comments
Cabinet
06 Jan 2015
Business
Transformation
Update
Glyn Williams /
Rhodri Oliver
Sean Kelly
Head of Business
Transformation
01263 516276
Went to Scrutiny first for
pre-scrutiny
Cabinet
06 Jan 2015
Angie Fitch-Tillett
Scrutiny
14 Jan 2014
ASB, Crime and
Policing Act –
update regarding
terms of power.
Steve Hems
Head of Environmental
Health
01263 516182
January 2015
Cabinet
06 Jan 2015
WW1
Commemoration
Glyn Williams
Sonia Shuter
Health & Communities
Officer
01263 516173
Cabinet
06 Jan 2015
Corporate Peer
Review – feedback
Tom FitzPatrick
Sheila Oxtoby
Could slip to Feb
Needs to go to Scrutiny
as Committee for Crime &
Disorder issues
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
14
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 31 March 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Status / additional
comments
February 2015
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
S106 agreements /
outline planning
permissions
Benjie Cabbell
Manners
Nicola Baker
Head of Planning
01263 5165165
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Cabbell Park
Tom FitzPatrick
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Corporate
Enforcement
Policy
Rhodri Oliver
Nicola Baker
Head of Planning
01263 5165165
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Growth Strategy
Russell Wright
Within Policy Framework
Scrutiny
11 Feb 2014
Council
25 Feb 2014
Rob Young
Head of Economic &
Community
Development
01263 516162
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Property
Investment
Strategy
Wyndham
Northam
Sheila Oxtoby / Karen
Sly
Could go to Council first
for debate/input
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
15
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 31 March 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Status / additional
comments
Scrutiny
14 Jan 2015
Energy Strategy
Tom FitzPatrick
Could go to Scrutiny first
for pre-scrutiny
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Cabinet
02 Feb 2015
Tom FitzPatrick
Scrutiny
11 Feb 2015
Performance
Management
Update Q3
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Treasury Strategy
2014/15
Wyndham
Northam
Scrutiny
11 Feb 2015
Tony Brown
Technical Accountant
01263 516126
Council
25 Feb 2015
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Wyndham
Northam
Overview & Scrutiny
12 Feb 2015
2014/15 Base
Budget and
Projections for
2015/16 to 2017/18
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
Council
25 Feb 2015
Helen Thomas
Policy & Performance
Management Officer
01263 516214
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
16
North Norfolk District Council
Cabinet Work Programme
For the Period 01 December 2014 to 31 March 2015
Decision Maker(s)
Meeting
Date
Subject &
Summary
Cabinet
Member(s)
Lead Officer
Cabinet
2 Feb 2015
Health Strategy
John Lee
Nick Baker
Scrutiny
12 Feb 2015
Annual Action
Plan
Tom FitzPatrick
Helen Thomas
Policy & Performance
Management Officer
01263 516214
Budget Monitoring
Period 10
Wyndham
Northam
Karen Sly
Head of Finance
01263 516243
DWP – Cromer
Council office
Rhodri Oliver
Status / additional
comments
March 2015
Cabinet
9 Mar 2015
18 Mar 2015
Cabinet
3 Mar 2014
Scrutiny
12 Mar 2014
Date to be confirmed
Cabinet
Steve Blatch
Corporate Director
01263 516232
Key Decision – a decision which is likely to incur expenditure or savings of £100,000 or more, or affect two or more wards. (NNDC
Constitution, p9 s12.2b)
* Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 (As amended by the Local Authorities (Access to Information) (Exempt Information) (England) Order
2006)
17
Agenda Item No____11________
Citizen Advice Bureau Provision in North Norfolk
Summary:
North Norfolk District Council currently has a grant
funding agreement with Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau
(£51,310) and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau
(£15,404) as a contribution towards the delivery of their
key objectives and core service provision in North
Norfolk. Recent presentations to the Overview and
Scrutiny Committee identified areas of concern in
relation to service provision and engagement
particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB. It also prompted a
number of generic and bureau specific questions from
Councillors and members of the public
Conclusions:
NNDC recognises the value of and need for quality and
accessible advice and support services across North
Norfolk. The current grant agreements end on 31st
March 2015. It is appropriate and timely that the
provision of advice and support services is reviewed.
Following consideration of the responses to the
questions received and this report, Scrutiny’s views on
the existing grant agreement and options for future
service provision would be welcome.
Recommendations:
That members consider a range of options for future
service provision and recommend a preferred option to
Cabinet
Options include:
1. Continue with the current core service
contribution grant arrangements with Mid Norfolk
and Norfolk CAB, with revised grant agreements
to reflect an agreed level of service in relation to
outputs, outcomes, governance, communication,
monitoring and scrutiny to better reflect
geographic and service need.
2. Commission generic or specific advice and
support services. A service specification would
be identified whereby any suitably qualified
organisation which could include existing CAB
but also other voluntary and community groups
or statutory organisations could be invited to
submit a proposal to deliver services in North
Norfolk.
18
3. No longer provide external grant funding for
advice and support services. Instead enhance
internal services to provide advice services in
particular in relation to debt, housing and
benefits, which are the main areas of identified
need.
Cabinet Member(s)
John Lee
Ward(s) affected
All
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
Sonia Shuter, 01263 516173, Sonia.shuter@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
1.1
Background
North Norfolk District Council currently has a grant funding agreement with
Norfolk Citizen’s Advice Bureau (£51,310) and Mid Norfolk Citizen’s Advice
Bureau (£15,404) as a contribution towards the delivery of their key objectives
and core service provision in North Norfolk.
Representatives from both bureaux attended a meeting of NNDC’s Scrutiny
Committee on Wednesday 12th November 2014 and gave a presentation
about the services they provide in North Norfolk. These included information
about particular issues experienced in terms of demand or capacity.
The presentations identified areas of concern in relation to service provision
and engagement particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB. It also prompted a
number of generic and bureau specific questions from Councillors and
members of the public.
The answers to some questions were not available at the meeting. As the
responses to questions are not recorded verbatim both CAB were asked to
formally respond in writing to relevant questions raised:

In the CAB report which formed part of the Scrutiny papers

By members of the public in attendance at the meeting

By Councillor’s in attendance at the meeting
The questions were circulated to both bureau on Thursday 13th November
with a request that written responses were received by Friday 28th November.
These responses plus the information recorded in the minutes of the meeting
would help inform Members discussions regarding the CAB when they were
discussed again at Scrutiny on 10th December 2014.
2.
Grant Agreement 2014-15
2.1
Mid-Norfolk CAB
In addition to the information in the Scrutiny minutes, the responses from Mid
Norfolk CAB to relevant questions were received on 17th November and are
19
attached to this report. Mid Norfolk has sent information about their customer
satisfaction survey which took place over a two week period. Cllr David Young
who represents NNDC as an observer at the Mid Norfolk Board meetings also
sent some generic information for Members consideration.
Based on the responses to questions there are no significant concerns in
relation to Mid Norfolk CAB and its compliance with the current grant
agreement it has with NNDC. It is noted that:
 The location of one outreach service has changed from Melton
Constable to Briston. This was due to the premises where the service
was located in Melton Constable closing.
 A Stakeholder Forum has not been established, however Cllr David
Young attends Mid Norfolk CAB Board meetings as an observer.
 There are difficulties with the Advice Line telephone service. A
significant number of calls are not answered. However, people can
phone the Holt Bureau directly for advice.
(responses to the questions raised at the previous meeting of the Overview
and Scrutiny Committee are attached at Appendix A)
2.2
Norfolk CAB
A summary of the responses from Norfolk CAB to the questions raised at
Scrutiny are given in the minutes. A written response to questions in the CAB
report which formed part of the Scrutiny papers, those raised by members of
the public and Councillor’s in attendance at the meeting was requested by
and received on 28th November; they are attached to this report.
The answers to the questions received still leave several key concerns
outstanding in relation to Norfolk CAB and its compliance with the current
grant agreement with NNDC. In particular it is noted that:





Whilst stated that the Wells outreach service was part of a lottery
funded project pre merger, the grant agreement signed by Norfolk Cab
for the last two years included an outreach service in Wells. This has
not been delivered.
There are difficulties with the Advice Line telephone service. A
significant number of calls are not answered. There is currently no
provision for people to phone directly to bureaux in North Walsham and
Fakenham. Whilst following a successful pilot a call back system is
proposed, no time scale is given for its implementation and the
difficulties with accessing the service by phone continue.
Norfolk CAB website is currently unavailable (and has been for some
time). No timescale for this key information source to be available again
has been identified.
A reduction has been reported in the number of days North Walsham
bureau is open to the public and type of advice service available i.e
gateway (triage) as opposed to generalist advice. It is advised that all
volunteers are now trained to basic level and in North Walsham two
have become generalist advisors. It is unconfirmed as to the current
impact on the bureau opening times.
A lack of generalist advisors has meant some people requiring
generalist advice being redirected to Norfolk CAB outside the district or
increasingly to other providers such as Mid Norfolk CAB and Age UK
20




Norfolk. This has been confirmed by other providers although Norfolk
CAB report this figure to be very low.
In its monitoring report Norfolk CAB identified that volunteer numbers
are significantly lower than the optimum although recruitment is ongoing.
Should the bureau be required to move from its current location in North
Walsham and have to rent accommodation it would cause additional
financial difficulties and the service provision re-evaluated.
A Stakeholder Forum has not been established. There is no regular
direct engagement with identified NNDC Members, although promises
were made that engagement will be reviewed as a matter of urgency.
Fakenham and North Walsham bureaux failed their audit. There are
mixed messages in relation to the reasons for this and the extent to
which this links into the service “pre merger”.
In summary, both Mid Norfolk and Norfolk CAB are providing a service in
North Norfolk. However, in relation to Norfolk CAB there has clearly been a
reduction in service provision, in availability and depth of advice. The grant
agreement states that NNDC should be advised of potential or actual changes
in service provision that could impact on ability of Norfolk CAB to fully meet
the grant agreement. This has not happened, communication and
engagement with Norfolk Cab compared to Mid Norfolk CAB has been poor.
There appears to be differing opinions on the quality, type and availability of
the service provided. However, the concerns in relation to service provided by
Norfolk CAB have been raised with NNDC from several sources including
members of the public, Councillors, and other voluntary and statutory
organisations.
It is accepted that the merger was a very difficult time and the impact of that
was significant. However, the merger happened over two years ago and it is
acknowledged that progress is being made with respect to addressing the
“quality” issues cited as reasons for the poor audit score; however the
concerns relating to the extent of the service availability of advisors etc
appears not to have engendered the level of confidence in the service that is
needed for it to attract and retain sufficient volunteers.
(responses to the questions raised at the previous meeting of the Overview
and Scrutiny Committee are attached at Appendix B)
3.
Local Authority Funding arrangements with CABs
3.1
Reviewing funding arrangements in line with priorities
To further inform Scrutiny, informal discussions have been held with some
other authorities in regarding their funding arrangements with CABs. The
majority of the local authorities advised that they will shortly be reviewing their
funding arrangements.
Norfolk County Council has arranged a meeting on 5th December to which all
District Councils have been invited. This will to identify both county wide
needs and local priorities, with a view to achieving a more joined up approach
to organisations investments in Advice and Information services.
21
3.2
Norfolk County Council
Through a grant agreement annual funding is given towards the core services
provided by the CABs as follows:

Mid Norfolk CAB - £38,000

Norfolk CAB - £287,000
It is up to each CAB to decide how they apportion the funding across the
geographical area they cover.
3.3
Broadland District Council
No contribution to core service. Norfolk CAB is currently funded to provide a
dedicated debt advisor which is based at Broadland District Council offices.
3.4
Great Yarmouth Borough Council
An annual grant of £30,000 is currently given to Norfolk CAB towards the
provision of its core service.
3.5
Norwich City Council
No contribution to core service. Norfolk CAB is currently funded to provide a
debt advice service in Norwich. A review of service provision and need in
Norwich has been undertaken. As a result the Council intends to use an
“outcomes based” approach to the commissioning of services. Organisations
will be invited to submit proposals that demonstrate how they would deliver a
service which would meet the identified outcomes.
3.6
West Norfolk
An annual grant of £76,091 is given to Norfolk CAB for the provision of
generalist advice. There is a historical rolling Service Level Agreement.
4.
Conclusion
4.1
Provision of Advice services from 1st April 2015
NNDC recognises the value of and need for quality and accessible advice
and support services across North Norfolk.
In addition to CABs there are a number of other organisations such as Age
UK, Shelter, Equal Lives, Christians Against Poverty which provide a range of
advice services. Some of these are located in North Norfolk whilst others
provide a drop - in service or visit clients in their own homes. NNDC has no
grant agreements for advice services with these organisations.
The concerns that have been raised in relation to the current funded provision
of advice and support services, particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB, have
identified a range of options for future service provision. They would all
require further consideration in relation to impact and effect. There are also
reputational and confidence issues both in terms of the provider of a service
and NNDC’s effective use of funding.
22
Options include:
1. Continue with the current core service contribution grant arrangements
with Mid Norfolk and Norfolk CAB, with revised grant agreements to
reflect an agreed level of service in relation to outputs, outcomes,
governance, communication, monitoring and scrutiny to better reflect
geographic and service need.
2. Commission generic or specific advice and support services. A service
specification would be identified whereby any suitably qualified
organisation which could include existing CAB but also other voluntary
and community groups or statutory organisations could be invited to
submit a proposal to deliver services in North Norfolk.
3. No longer provide external grant funding for advice and support services.
Instead enhance internal services to provide advice services in particular
in relation to debt, housing and benefits, which are the main areas of
identified need.
In summary, the current grant agreements end on 31st March 2015. It is
appropriate and timely that the provision of advice and support services is
reviewed.
Following consideration of the responses to the questions received and this
report, Scrutiny’s views on the existing grant agreement and options for future
service provision would be welcome.
5.
Implications and Risks
Several areas of concern have been identified in relation to current service
provision and engagement particularly in relation to Norfolk CAB. If these
concerns are not addressed, there could be implications for the provision of
the service in the future.
6.
Financial Implications and Risks
There are some financial implications and risks depending on the option
preferred by members. However, these can only be explored once the
preferred option is clear.
7.
Sustainability
None
8.
Equality and Diversity
There are currently concerns around the equality of CAB provision across the
District. This is one of the issues that needs to be taken into consideration
when a preferred option regarding future service provision is agreed.
9.
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations
23
APPENDIX A
Mid Norfolk CAB
Response to questions relevant to Mid Norfolk CAB in Scrutiny report
Wednesday 12th November 2014
Q. •Any changes in services being delivered in North Norfolk, either in geographical
locations or types of services provided by each Bureau, in comparison to same
monitoring period last year?
 Mid Norfolk CAB run an outreach in Sheringham and Briston, previously in
Melton Constable. Sheringham is an all day drop in service fortnightly and
Briston is a drop in service one morning per month.
Q. Changes in types of problems / issues clients have been requiring support with?
 The types of issues we see in Mid Norfolk CAB tend to remain static. Debt is
our biggest issue followed by Benefit, employment and relationships. These
tend to be the top 4 categories we see in our bureau.
Q. For both Bureaux the vast majority of contacts are from locations where an office
(face-to-face) service is provided. Does this indicate unmet need in other areas or
perhaps that people are accessing alternative sources of help in those areas?
 We are seeing a small increase in the number of clients from outside the Holt
catchment area. Historically the bureaux tend to be placed in the major market
towns in Norfolk and North Norfolk is no exception to this. The towns are all
easily accessible by local transport and are probably the residents’ main town
for shopping and/or accessing other services such as GP’s, Dentists etc.
The bureaux in Norfolk are part of Adviceline, which is a national service and
all the bureaux in Norfolk take calls from anywhere in Norfolk so if clients are
unable to attend a bureau they can make contact by phone.
Q. Low number of respondents to the client satisfaction survey from Norfolk CAB –
(Mid Norfolk CAB currently being compiled). What other methods do the CABs use
to seek the views of and feedback from existing clients regarding quality of service
received and whether it meets need? Is there a user Forum, are members of the public
proactively engaged in shaping service provision?
 Our client satisfaction survey covered a two week period (4 days) and out of
35 clients seen in that 2 week period 29 responded to our survey. We also have
a client comment book in the waiting area for clients to feedback their
experiences, comments etc.
Q. Whilst identified as a requirement in the grant agreements, Stakeholder Forums
have not been established. Will these be set up and if not what alternative processes’
will there be to ensure partners / funders are proactively engaged with the CABs?
 We are really happy to be part of any stakeholder group that is set up and
recognise the value of having an interface between our funders and our
trustees/manager.
However, we believe that a much more effective way would be to have observers
from our funders on our boards as we have always done which of course includes
a councillor from North Norfolk District Council.
24
We don't agree with the argument that this would be unwieldy or difficult to
manage (we work in project groups with over 10 parties with no difficulties in
organising meetings) and if the governance on the board is up to scratch, we think
it would be much more direct and effective way to work well with our funders.
The proof of this has been the effectiveness and excellence of the observers we
have had from our three major funders over the years, the trust and confidence
both ways as a result and the steadily increasing standards/excellent
communication we continue to have as a bureau.
Response to questions relevant to Mid Norfolk CAB raised at Scrutiny
Q.4. Do you receive funding from banks and building societies and if not, are you
planning on investigating this avenue for income?
 Mid Norfolk CAB has over the years applied to Banks and Building Societies
for funding. A number of banks fund the National Association of Citizens
Advice for particular projects eg Santander are currently funding a national
pilot within the CAB service to assist clients claim Debt Relief Orders, Nat
West funded debt advice booklets for clients. Because of the national funding
banks do not fund us at a local level.
Q. 8.How much debt help/benefits help has gone back into the economy?
 The Mid Norfolk CAB in Holt dealt with £450,000 worth of debt in the 6
months to end of September 2014. We gained £41,500 in benefits on behalf of
our clients for the same period. We do believe this amount to be more but we
do rely on our clients informing us that they have been successful with their
claim.
Q 10.What percentage of advice queries are referred to other charities/agencies
such as Shelter, Age Uk? And to what extent is specialist advice answered by the
CAB?
 The Mid Norfolk CAB does very little referral. We have, through the North
Norfolk Advice Services Transition Fund, a number of specialists that can
meet our client needs. We also have a number of volunteers across the bureau
who do specialise in certain topics.
Q. 11.What are you doing to train staff and volunteers in mental health issues?
 All our advisors at Mid Norfolk CAB complete the CAB Mental Health
training pack as part of their basic training. They can also attend training run
in conjunction with Mind on dealing with clients who have mental health
issues.
Q.12.What provisions do you have to assist people whose first language is not
English?
 Mid Norfolk CAB has signed upto a pilot run by Norfolk Community Law
Service to provide translation services provided by INTRAN. We also have in
our Dereham and Swaffham offices Lithuanian, Polish and Portuguese
advisors who are able to help with translation in Holt.
25
MID NORFOLK CAB
The presentations by Mid Norfolk CAB and Norfolk CAB at November's Scrutiny meeting
were very interesting and full of information. There was a lot to take in and comparisons
between the two bureaux were not always easy to follow. As the NNDC observer on the
Mid Norfolk board, I thought I would set down briefly some relevant information regarding
that bureau, some of which was not in the Scrutiny documentation.
NNDC Funding: unchanged for several years at £15,405 pa
Office Hours in North Norfolk:
Holt Office – Tuesdays and Fridays 10 am – 3 pm
Sheringham Outreach: 1st and 3rd Thursdays "drop in" 10 am – 3 pm
Briston Outreach: Every 4th Thursday (next being 4th Dec) "drop in" 10 am – 1 pm
(There are also offices in Dereham, Watton and Swaffham)
Staff: (excluding project-funded and covering the whole area of the CAB)
Manager (Mandy) 37 hrs pw: Advice Services Manager (Marie) 30 hrs pw;
Training and Advice Session Supervisor (Anna) 30 hrs pw.
TOTAL 2.6 Full Time Equivalent
Client Satisfaction
Of 46 face to face contacts at Holt in the two weeks to 24 October, there were 29 responses.
The results for Overall Service were "Happy" 1; "Very Happy" 28.
Having observed board meetings over the last three years or so, I am impressed by the
dedication of both staff and trustees and the positive attitude and good humour in which
meetings are conducted. I believe they serve the district well.
David Young
25.11.14
26
APPENDIX B
Questions from Overview & Scrutiny Meeting of Wednesday 12th November
1. Fakenham is suffering from a lack of coverage due to a lack of training – when will this resolve?
Whilst not meeting our ideal target, the volunteer level at Fakenham remains steady and is
generally adequate for the number of clients we see there, where we have been a little short is
in the area of fully trained generalist advisers. Fakenham Bureau has a highly trained and
certificated group of base level volunteers. Three of these are completing their training to the
“Generalist” level. In addition to which one of our highly experienced (Trained to Legal Aid
standard) welfare staff is based in the bureau, and was operating as a specialist volunteer 4 days
a week prior to taking a role under the Big Lottery ASTF fund. At no time have we been unable
to meet the needs of the public who visited our service in Fakenham bureau. Clients in North
Norfolk, as in the rest of the UK, receive a level of advice that listens to people’s problems, helps
them to understand their rights or accountabilities and answers basic questions about what to
do next. This “Gateway” level of advice accounts for 75%-80% of all visits. If the advisor is
focused and well trained this meeting is easily completed in 15 to 20 minutes. Should further
assistance be required a full advice session is arranged. Indeed our advisers find that they are
better able and equipped to support their clients than before
2. The Fakenham income against the cost is quite wide – how do you expect to deal with the cost?
Cost reduction at Fakenham is underway with our overhead set to be reduced soon. This is a
project we are undertaking with the District Council who have been very supportive.
3. There are concerns over Norfolk CAB – the level of service, feedback received – how are you
going to address these issues?
The level of service at both our North Norfolk branches has improved significantly over the last
two years. The provision of proper trained specialist support was missing at the time of merger.
Opening up access to support from other branches within the county has only added to the
support that the clients receive. Any suggestion that the loss of some of our volunteers has
reduced the service is wrong. Firstly having trained volunteers to the standard demanded by
Citizen’s Advice has resulted in clients receiving first class appropriate and full advice, and this is
done quicker by volunteers who are confident and are supported. The audit by Citizens Advice
was performed upon the previous managements systems and processes, and upon many of the
volunteers who have left and are wishing to set up their own advice service. The advice they
gave was poor, and was not up to the quality demanded of the Advice Quality Standard kite
mark we hold, and was far below that set by our branches in other parts of the county. We still
have a requirement for new volunteers. We process these quickly and are actively engaged in
recruitment.
Levels of feedback from clients is low amongst all bureau across the country. Clients leave us
with actions to do to resolve deep and difficult issues. They are rarely people for who dealing
27
with creditors, officials or solicitors comes easy, and so this is their focus, not filling in a form
about how well we did. However to get the voice of the client fed into the decisions we make
we have ensured that up to 2 of our Trustee board can be service volunteers .
4. Do you receive funding from banks and building societies and if not, are you planning on
investigating this avenue for income?
We have applied to banks in the past, and currently have an application in the pipeline and have
been active in looking at a number of alternative sources of income. As a Fundraising Director of
some 20 years experience at both National and International level I am aware that to be
sustainable we need to increase our funding base in a sustainable way and we are looking to
continue our diversification of the income portfolio.
5. £4,000 was received from North Walsham Town Council – has this money been spent in the
town alone?
Indeed it was. The service in Fakenham and North Walsham are operating with a deficit, albeit a
decreasing one and are being supported by voluntary incomes generated by activity from other
branches.
6. The agreement with NNDC is to provide comprehensive advice in North Walsham – how many
specialist advisors do you currently have there?
NNDC give as a grant towards the generalist service in the two branches in North Norfolk. The
previous management provided “Specialist services” with income from the Big Lottery that ran
out prior to merger. We used to have volunteers who perhaps had a preferred interest in a
particular issue, but his limited the availability of support to our clients who either needed a
fuller understanding of the issues they came with or the ability to advise over a wider range of
issues. However since then we have ensure that a debt specialist has been retained as a
supervisor in North Walsham, our volunteers are being trained to generalist level, and 2 welfare
specialist are provided in Fakenham and North Walsham. In addition to which clients in the area
have had access to specialist debt support based in Norwich and Great Yarmouth.
I think that there may be some confusion over the term “Specialist”. We speak of advisers fully
trained and accredited to a trade standard in a legal specialism, i.e. debt, welfare etc. However
we are aware that some previous volunteers as general advisers did have a preference or
interest in a specific issue. These were not specialist trained individuals though.
7. What capacity do you have to move to another premises in North Walsham in terms of
overheads?
28
The offices in Fakenham and North Walsham would have closed had we not merged. The
organisation had lost income as contracts ended and was in poor financial shape. A look at the
cessation accounts show that the organisation had just £28,000 in cash left and an annualised
deficit of circa £25,000. We ran the organisation for a year maintaining the management and
administration structure as there was a challenge to the merger. Restructure to reduce
overheads was only enacted once the review process by Citizen’s Advice was completed. As with
any other organisation to increase our overheads would require us to review the service level.
8. How much debt help/benefits help has gone back into the economy?
In the last six months we have handled £960,000 of debt issues and £2,100,000 of welfare issues
for North Norfolk clients.
9. The CAB service was withdrawn from Stalham 3-4 years ago. Stalham is a secondary settlement
and an additional 150 houses will be built in the next two years. When the CAB were present,
the appointments filled quickly. There are lots of young families who do not always have
transport available – what provisions can you offer them?
Outreach services in Stalham and Wells were part of a pre-merger project funded by Big Lottery.
An appeal for continuation funds by the previous management was sadly unsuccessful. Whilst
the on line advice tools are second to none, recent surveys from Citizen’s Advice suggest that
the majority of people want to access our support via the telephone. Our intention is to extend
our telephone capacity both as part of the national scheme to provide this service and as a
client service in the county.
10. What percentage of advice queries are referred to other charities/agencies such as Shelter, Age
Uk? And to what extent is specialist advice answered by the CAB?
We find that the largest number of referrals go to NCLS and Shelter. In the last 12 months, of
our 22,000 clients served 78 were referred to NCLS, and 47 to Shelter. The percentages
therefore are very small. Conversely our specialist team have seen 119 North Norfolk clients in
the first six months of this financial year, approximately 10% of the total client base in the
period and higher than would be expected.
11. What are you doing to train staff and volunteers in mental health issues?
We are working with the NHS mental health service for Norfolk and Waveney to deliver a pilot
scheme that embeds the advice service within the secure units of Norfolk. We will also be
introducing basic level training to all volunteers to deliver an enhanced service within all our
branches.
12. What provisions do you have to assist people whose first language is not English?
29
We utilise a number of systems and techniques depending on the needs of the client and or
their situation. We have access in a number of sites to volunteers from many eastern European
countries, Polish, Bulgarian, Lithuanian etc as well as French, Portuguese and Spanish spoken by
a volunteer in Norwich who provides a basic level immigration advice service. We also use the
Intran service providing Language line for telephone clients and Cintra for face to face services.
13. Why is there no representative from NNDC on the CAB board?
Norfolk CAB is partnered by 8 different councils and a board of 6 trustees (not untypical for
bureau or other small charities). Most councils would like 2 or 3 people representing them,
resulting in a possible board meeting of 6 trustees surrounded by 20 funders, all with diversely
different views. As such a large body of funders participating within the meetings would
potentially place significant pressure upon the board. The vested interest of any funder may
form what would normally be considered a conflict of interest, but an observer role may still
allow them to influence decisions made. The Charity Act explicitly excludes certain people from
being trustees of a charity, however a funder at a board meeting could be perceived to have
influence over the decisions made, although they may not meet the legal criteria required by
the act. Funders and corporate bodies are excluded as members or as trustees, however any
individual can apply.
We had hoped to be able to establish a stakeholder forum, however although we have
instigated regular reports by ward for all councillors in the county, and have been able to talk
with a large number of councillors or committees, we have not yet ensured that every council is
fully engaged in a cost effective and sustainable way that meets the needs of all our funders and
partners. Each local authority has differing structures, SLA’s forums and needs. We have raised
the issue as being urgent to resolve at our Trustee board.
30
Public Questions submitted for Scrutiny by Citizen’s Watch North Norfolk
1.
Can the Norfolk CAB Chief Executive make a public commitment to guarantee that
within three months, Norfolk CAB will return to providing a full advice service in North
Walsham and Fakenham offices for local North Norfolk citizens (including Specialist
Advice in Debt/Employment and Benefits) as well as utilising Shelter for Housing issues,
as was being provided by Citizens Advice North Norfolk?
The volunteer service in North Walsham and Fakenham branches has been subject to a complete
reassessment and training. The Citizen’s Advice three yearly audit in these two bureau highlighted
significant deficiencies in the quality of advice and its case recording, which had they still stood alone
would have resulted in immediate closure. At the time of audit we had maintained the full staffing
and operating methodology of the previous organisation. This was found to be weak in many areas.
At the time of merger the only specialist advice provision in North Norfolk was for a 1 day a week
welfare role in Fakenham for clients with MS.
The current service given by trained volunteers is of high quality. All advisors are certificated to a
minimum of “Gateway” standard, two are now trained to “Generalist “ level ( both in North
Walsham) which based upon experience elsewhere should be sufficient for the workload. One of our
advisors in North Walsham is a solicitor with 30 years’ experience. At all times clients in North
Norfolk have been able to access generalist or specialist advice and support, be that from their local
bureau, or from other branches in the county, either by phone or by visiting.
The service in North Norfolk has been supplemented by staff and volunteers from Norwich, Kings
Lynn and Great Yarmouth. So the service has been a full one.
The referral system into services such as Shelter, has not changed and continues where the clients
needs or personal profile suggests that this is an appropriate action. This is the same for all CAB
services throughout the country. We find that the largest number of referrals go to NCLS and
Shelter. In the last 12 months, of our 22,000 clients served in Norfolk, 78 were referred to NCLS, and
47 to Shelter. The percentages therefore are very small. Conversely our specialist team have seen
119 North Norfolk clients in the first six months of this financial year, approximately 10% of the total
client base in the period and higher than would be expected
Members will note that North Norfolk is the second highest area of deprivation in Norfolk, and, is
reported to have the highest percentage in Norfolk (at 38%) of people working on less than a living
wage. These statistics demonstrate that local advice provision is essential and the provision of
Gateway signposting is but a second rate service to clients in North Norfolk.
Norwich, Great Yarmouth, Thetford and Kings Lynn top the charts for indices of multiple deprivation.
In these places just as with the rest of the country 75 – 80% of clients require only a basic level of
advice given. This is real advice. We listen to the issue, highlight the rights or obligations of the client
and discuss a way to resolve the problem. The client is often then able to proceed further. If they
need further or in-depth support, or need to bring in materials that are important to their case they
are given an appointment. Indeed an inability to focus on the clients needs was one of the reasons
for the poor audit result, often resulting in poor advice being given.
2(i) Can Norfolk CAB confirm exactly how much money was transferred from North Norfolk CAB to
Norfolk CAB when it merged with Norfolk CAB in November 2012? Please detail how this money
was spent?
31
(ii) Can Norfolk CAB provide the specific income figures for North Norfolk for 2013/2014, and clearly
demonstrate how our taxpayer money is being spent locally in North Norfolk?
(iii) The Norfolk CAB Annual Report 2014 pie chart shows North Norfolk (i.e. North Walsham and
Fakenham) income far less than expenditure. (It seems to show core income at about £100,000, yet
expenditure is about £185,000) How can this be? It only has two part time staff now. Please
explain?
Taking a look at the audited accounts of CANN at the point of merger (available from Companies
House) shows that the organisation had £28,256 left, and an annualised deficit of circa £25,000.
Continuing to run the business throughout a further year without change due to the challenge to the
merger meant that this money was spent in maintaining the CANN infrastructure. Since then we
have restructured but are left with a small deficit in the two North Norfolk branches. This has been
covered by voluntary income generated by the rest of the organisation.
Income we attribute to North Norfolk for the accounts to the end of 2013/14 amounts to £149,530
including all contract income including ASTF income. We spent in the year costs of £131,307 for
North Walsham and £69,377 at Fakenham to run the service. There are four members of staff.
3
Given the large numbers of generalist adviser volunteers who have left Norfolk CAB recently,
can Norfolk CAB please explain why it is not recruiting “Advisers” at North Norfolk,
preferring instead to advertise for “Gateway Assessors”?
Citizen’s Advice volunteers must all start with the basic level of training, wherever they are in the UK.
It is the absence of an understanding of this fact underlines the issues we faced within the volunteer
workforce in North Norfolk. Of the volunteers who apply to a bureau, many drop out of the system
as they either do not have the skills to become advisors or find that it is a role with huge
responsibility and can be onerous. However those who complete it find that they are confident and
better informed to support their clients, equipped and ready to deliver high class advice. It is an
error to assume that this service is of low value. Happily all our current volunteers are competent to
the basic level and two have completed the next level as generalist advisers a number of others are
now well on the way to become generalist advisors. One of our volunteers in North Walsham is a
solicitor with 30 years experience, but went through the process and appreciates the value of this.
Some of our North Norfolk volunteers are of the longest serving, and the Fakenham branch has not
seen a significant drop in volunteers, most taking up the opportunity to retrain and being up to the
task.
4.
The Norfolk CAB monitoring report (in the Scrutiny Committee papers) shows that 14
volunteers left North Norfolk offices between April 2014 and September 2014. Norfolk CAB says it
costs £5,000 to recruit, train and supervise every volunteer. Therefore, at a cost to the taxpayer and
it’s donors of £70,000 then, can the Norfolk CAB explain what it is doing in North Norfolk to retain
volunteers to ensure value for money, and, a sustainable service.
There has been no additional cost to the taxpayer and the money is directed to providing clients
with the appropriate advice. The issue is about how we ensure that the advice we give is researched
and accurate, if it is, then the councils money is well spent. Good trained volunteers are being
retained well, and we continue to gain new people coming into the system. Some people leave due
to a change of circumstance or cannot meet the required standard. We advertise on Citizen’s Advice
Website, Voluntary Norfolk and a number of other volunteer based web sites. However we did try
32
direct advertising in the press, this has some take up in Norwich but was not effective anywhere
else. The service is being supported by supervisors from other areas, one from outside Norfolk, as
well as volunteers from other bureaux, either directly to clients or supporting the volunteers’
development.
33
Agenda Item No_____12_______
Tidal Surge 2013 - Learning and Action Plan
Summary:
This report provides an update on the Council’s
learning from the tidal surge and the actions
undertaken to improve our resilience to such events
in the future.
Conclusions:
The event severely tested our Emergency
Response and Business Continuity Plans, and,
whilst we were able to provide what has been
described as an “heroic” response for our residents,
there were still a number of valuable lessons learnt.
These have been taken forward into an action plan
to further improve our response to such incidents in
the future.
Recommendations:
Members of the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee are to note the report and the
progress made to date.
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Cllr Angie Fitch-Tillett
All coastal wards
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
1.
Introduction
The Tidal Surge of December 2013 was a hugely significant event for the
Council and required an immediate response, not only to support our
residents and businesses, but also to repair damage to our own coastal
assets. This was followed by a lengthy recovery phase, which even a year on,
is still continuing.
The event severely tested our Emergency Response and Business Continuity
Plans, and, whilst we were able to provide a very good response for our
residents and businesses, there were still a number of valuable lessons
learnt. These have been taken forward into an action plan to further improve
our response to such incidents in the future.
The full de-brief report has been complied and a précis of it and the actions
required as a result, is included within this report. Most points required our
Emergency Response Plan to be updated and improved and this has now
been done, with final sign off expected at Performance and Risk Management
34
Board on 4 December. The operational changes required, have all been
completed or are being progressed.
Following Overview and Scrutiny, the report will also go before the Audit
Committee in January 2015, for consideration of any corporate risk issues
arising, especially around our Business Continuity arrangements.
2.
Background
The Council’s statutory roles in planning for and responding to Civil
Contingencies are well defined and understood. We have clear plans which
are developed, often in partnership with other agencies with whom we work,
to ensure that the response and recovery is effective.
In Norfolk, the partnership is formalised into the Norfolk Resilience Forum,
with all emergency services and major public bodies involved.
Much of our work is involved in ensuring that communities can help
themselves and our Volunteer Flood Warden Teams are a great example of
this.
The events of December 2013 have been well reported. The improvements in
weather forecasting and tidal modeling were of great assistance in targeting
our resources effectively and overall, our partnership and community working
ensured that we delivered a very good response.
However, we recognise that there are lessons to be taken from any incident
and, whilst many of those lessons were put into future plans quickly after the
event, the full debrief and actions have taken longer to implement.
3.
Key Learning Points and Associated Action Plan
The key learning points and their associated actions are contained in the table
below. In a number of cases, they have been based on a number of small
issues raised during and after the event, but have been grouped together in
related topics for greater clarity.
35
Key Learning Point
Planning for the Future
The need for changes in the way we undertake
and facilitate recovery (as opposed to Response)
was identified, including lead agency issues,
staffing levels at the incident scene and exit
strategy.
Many of our operational and partnership plans
have, as a result of the incident, been identified
as being in need of updating so that we can
improve our response to any future events and
many of the changes are detailed in this report.
Officers have undertaken NNDC level changes
and have played a key role in reviewing the
Norfolk level partnership plans.
Staff Resources
Whilst this event was large, with changes in the
weather experienced at the time, it could easily
have been worse and the requirement for
additional staff required to respond to the incident
may not have been able to be met.
We now have a better understanding of how
many NNDC staff will be required during a future
large scale incident and its recovery. Also, how
long staff will be required to work in alternative
roles, for example, to maintain rest and
evacuation centres and to provide emergency
loggist and recovery duties.
Initial difficulties were experienced by the Norfolk
Resilience Forum (NRF) contacting NNDC for
Strategic and Tactical meetings.
Difficulties were experienced in providing all
agencies with latest position statements and
receiving similar at any time
36
Action Plan Response
During the assignment of the Recovery
function at Strategic level, consideration will be
given to the District Councils leading in their
area.
The NNDC Emergency Response Plan (ERP)
has been updated to reflect the changes
required.
• Internal NNDC Recovery “cell” to be set up
whilst still in Response Phase
• Getting NNDC staff on the ground as soon
as possible after the incident to help those
affected
• Consideration of an exit strategy to avoid
prolonging recovery operations
NNDC
• Operational Flood Plan
• Duty Officer Plan
• Rest Centre Plans
• Business Continuity Plan
Norfolk Resilience Forum
• Strategic Flood Plan
• Tactical Flood Plan
• Emergency Response Guidance
The NNDC Emergency Response Plan is now
updated to reflect the size of this event, the
need for shift patterns at all levels of operation,
and the potential impact on NNDC Business
Continuity Planning
•
•
Additional 25 staff volunteers recruited.
17 staff given initial emergency planning
and rest centre training.
• Mutual Aid scheme put in place with the
other Norfolk District Emergency planners.
Enhanced “buddy” system in place with
Broadland DC, to ensure response to any
prolonged incident can be maintained and
managed.
NRF have been provided with call out cascade
list for future emergency activations.
This will be regularly updated and has been
made available on the secure government
website, Resilience Direct, for others to use.
Our Emergency Response Plan is now
updated and now contains readily identifiable,
blank Situation Report documents, for future
use, both internally (NNDC) and for external
partners.
Key Learning Point
Communication
It would have been useful to have a dedicated
Council help line to aid the information flow to
those in the areas hit by any incident.
Action Plan Response
We recognise that there needs to be excellent
communication with NNDC elected members,
especially Local Members representing affected
areas
Our Elected Members’ Emergency Planning
Guide is now complete and issued to all
Members in October 2014. This will be
updated after the elections in May 2015.
The Emergency Response Plan is now
updated and this issue is written in as a key
consideration.
Members’ communication is a key
consideration in the updated Emergency
Response Plan.
Flood Wardens
The event highlighted the need for an advanced Development package being taken forward,
training package to be devised and rolled out for giving the chance for shared learning with the
volunteer flood wardens.
Police and Coastguard.
Training has been delivered in Wells, Bacton
and Stiffkey, and planned for Walcott and
Eccles.
Whilst there was no flooding in Wiveton, water
Contact has been made through the Chairman
levels were close to the top of the shingle bank
of the Parish Council, with the intention of
and local concerns have been raised.
enhancing the local Flood Warden Group and
Local Flood Plan
Equipment and other Resources
The event highlighted a lack of large scale maps For NNDC use, both hard copy and electronic
relating to all Flood Warning Areas and related copies are now provided for Emergency
geographical information being available to all Deployment.
agencies.
Wider work is ongoing with the Norfolk
Resilience Forum and external agencies
regarding information provision.
The need was highlighted for greater amounts of
100 sets purchased and stored locally. This is
rest centre overnight equipment as we cannot
balanced against recent learning that most
rely on getting replenishments via mutual aid
people were able to find alternative emergency
schemes.
accommodation.
A variety of smaller items were identified as being • Damage Assessment Check Sheets – to
necessary to make the NNDC response as
aid early response and future recovery
effective as possible.
• Signage as to NNDC operations in affected
areas
• Wireless (stand alone) tablets for key
locations.
Evacuation
Issues were identified at some evacuation
Agreed changes to opening arrangements and
centres where evacuees did not move onto rest
Operational Flood Plan updated.
centres when requested.
37
4.
Conclusion
The event severely tested our Emergency Response and Business Continuity
Plans, and, whilst we were able to provide what has been described as an
“heroic” response for our residents, there were still a number of valuable
lessons learnt. These have been taken forward into an action plan to further
improve our response to such incidents in the future.
5.
Financial Implications and Risks
There are no financial implications arising from the actions required, as they
are contained within current budgets.
However, the key strategic risk is that of potentially being overwhelmed by an
emergency incident to the point where then council cannot maintain its
required service delivery.
Whilst this risk cannot be totally eliminated, the Council seeks to mitigate the
risk by a programme of Business Continuity Management, which includes
both Corporate and Service level planning. Essentially, this requires
managers to understand what services can and will be prioritised in the event
of a civil emergency, where the Council needs to divert resources to respond
and to help others recover.
In terms of being able to respond, arrangements are now in place for more
staff to be trained and able to assist in such a response, which may well take
priority over their normal job role.
In addition, the Council has mutual aid arrangements in place with other
Councils, although it is always possible that they too, may be affected, hence
the flooding incident support coming from inland authorities.
6.
Sustainability
There are no impacts on the Councils sustainability performance arising from
the report. However, the increased likelihood of weather related incidents
linked to climate change may require us to respond more frequently.
7.
Equality and Diversity
There are no issues arising from the report
8.
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations
There are no issues arising from the report
38
Agenda Item No___13_________
Business Transformation Programme Update
Summary:
This report is brought to provide the second six
monthly update on progress within the Business
Transformation Programme, as per the Cabinet
Recommendation for the Programme.
The initial programme is well under way. The
standardised printing project has been completed
on budget and ahead of schedule. A number of IT
infrastructure improvements have been completed
which will deliver a step-change improvement for
remote working.
There are delays to the website replacement
project which have been caused by difficulties in
recruiting to the vacant web designer and web
developer posts. Alternative ways of delivering the
project are being explored.
Other projects and workstreams are progressing
well and are broadly on target.
The timelines, expected outcomes and anticipated
costs are identified below.
Conclusion
The Business Transformation Programme business
model remains viable and is on track to deliver as
planned.
Recommendations
That the Overview and Scrutiny Committee
notes the Business Transformation Programme
update.
Reasons for
Recommendations:
To provide appropriate governance and
oversight of the Business Transformation
Programme.
39
LIST OF BACKGROUND PAPERS AS REQUIRED BY LAW
(Papers relied on to write the report, which do not contain exempt information and which are not
published elsewhere)
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected
Cllr G Williams
Cllr R Oliver
All
Contact Officer, telephone number and email:
Sean Kelly, 01263 516276, sean.kelly@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
1.1 Members will recall that in the Business Transformation (BT)
Programme that Cabinet approved in October 2013, it was identified
that six monthly progress reports would be submitted along with
updates on the workstreams within the programme as these were
developed. This is the second of those updates and Portfolio members
have requested that it is pre-scrutinised by the Overview and Scrutiny
Committee.
1.2 Cabinet approved the commencement of work to deliver unified
communications (this having developed from the original telephony
project), website enhancement and standardised printing earlier this
year.
1.3 In this period the Standardised Printing project has been completed. All
users at the Council offices now have access to modern, cost effective
and environmentally friendly printing, document scanning and copying
facilities.
1.4 A new project has been added to the plan: Corporate Graphical
Information System (GIS).
1.5 Additionally several workstreams to improve the IT network have been
progressed and, when fully commissioned in early 2015, will
significantly improve access for remote users to Council information
and systems.
2.
Current Position
2.1
This period has been primarily focussed on implementing the
Corporate
Printing
Solution
identified
in
the
Business
Transformation Programme (BTP), preparing for the deployment of the
Unified Communications Pilot and improvements to the IT network
required to support enhanced mobile computing and data security.
2.2
The Corporate Printing project has been completed and the corporate
Graphical Information System (GIS) project added, which will allow
many types of information to be displayed, superimposed on maps and
aerial/satellite imagery.
40
2.3
The new Mobile Phone contract is in place and all staff with a mobile
role have received smartphones provided as a part of the contract. All
these staff now have “Always On” access to e-mail and calendar
wherever they are working. Further facilities will be incrementally added
to improve efficiency for mobile and remote workers as future elements
of the BTP are implemented.
2.4
A number of improvements to the network infrastructure have been
implemented which, when fully integrated, will provide significantly
better access to information and systems for remote users. One of the
initial improvements will be to allow files to be accessed from shared
drives and the intranet to be viewed from members’ tablet computers.
2.5
Delivery of the Web Presence Project has, following good initial
progress, slowed significantly. We have been unable to recruit to either
the Web Developer post approved by Cabinet in June or to the existing
Web Designer vacancy following the resignation of a member of the
Web Team. Other methods of delivering the project, using various
resources including contract staff and third party outsourcing, are being
piloted to assess the contribution they can make to the delivery of this
critical component of the BTP.
2.6
Customer Services (CS) are now managing the inbound Social Media
channels, “Twitter” and “Facebook” and are co-ordinating responses to
received messages. The Communications Team retains an oversight
role and are managing all Council generated Twitter traffic. Other social
media channels will be added (e.g. Pintrest, Whatsapp) as they are
required in the future.
2.7
The repository for Business Transformation documentation and
information has been created on the Intranet. This is being populated
with all existing information and regularly updated as a part of the
Business Transformation Communications Plan. In addition, notable
events and deliveries will be “blogged” and covered in both Members’
and staff briefings.
2.8
The IT Service Plan and day-to-day activities have been aligned with
the BTP to ensure a joined up approach between the BTP and the IT
work plan which will contribute to it.
41
3.
Project Updates
The projects detailed at Appendix A reflect the current and future projects and
workstreams for the BTP as they are known at the present time. They will
evolve over time as business requirements change, projects are completed
and new requirements are identified.
4.
Procurement
4.1
Overall procurement activities will be controlled and co-ordinated to
ensure value for money on all expenditure across the BT Programme.
4.2
Goods and services will be procured in accordance with the existing
NNDC Procurement protocols
4.3
In line with central government directives, Open Source (ie with no
licensing costs) solutions and components will be actively considered
for all elements of the BT Programme and only where the core
requirements cannot be met will proprietary software and systems be
considered.
4.4
Procurement will be executed using existing approved frameworks
wherever possible. For example, the recent procurement of unified
communications software, was executed as an extension to the range
of Microsoft products we access through the national Public Sector
Agreement with Microsoft.
4.5
11 Samsung Multi-Function Devices, along with controlling and
monitoring software, have been procured for the Standardised Printing
Solution Project within the £60,000 budget approved by Cabinet.
5.
Financial Implications and Risks
5.1
Financial Implications
5.1.1 All major expenditure within the BT Programme will continue to be
submitted for approval by Cabinet.
5.1.2 To date three such approvals have been received:
•
September 2014: Standardised Printing - £60,000 capital funding
for the procurement of Multi-Functional Devices.
•
June 2014: Web Infrastructure Refresh - £45,000 revenue funding
for the establishment of a new permanent web development post
within the Applications Development Team and £37,500 capital
funding for Web Infrastructure.
•
April 2014: Telephony – £90,000 capital funding for the
procurement
of
replacement
Telephony
and
Unified
Communications.
42
5.1.3 As work-plans are further developed and requirements and costs
clarified, these will be submitted for Cabinet approval.
5.2
Risks
5.2.1 The funding estimates were calculated some time ago against the
known business requirements and technology costs. Current
indications are that the full range of deliverables can be achieved within
the current funding limits. However should business requirements alter
significantly as a result of external legislative or other influences there
is a risk to either or both of the programme timescales and or costs.
This will be managed by strict change control which will assess the
impact on the project of all such external influences. Any such changes
which significantly affect the programme will be referred to Cabinet.
5.2.2 Recruitment to approved permanent and temporary posts for highly
technical staff may take an extended time with associated implications
for planned project timescales. This will be mitigated by adopting a
flexible approach to securing appropriately skilled resources form a
variety of internal and 3rd party sources. A variety of approaches to
secure sustainable access to the necessary skills and expertise will be
explored including developing internal talent and partnerships with local
education and training establishments.
5.2.3 The Business Transformation programme is a complex wide ranging
project based upon a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Consequently there is a risk that the programme fails to deliver the
planned outcomes. In order to mitigate this risk, the programme and
the projects within it will be managed using standard governance and
programme management tools and techniques.
6
Equality and Diversity
Requirements will be included in all specifications for systems to ensure
as far as possible they can be used by customers and staff with
disabilities. In addition, it is accepted that some customers may not
wish to use some of the services, which may become automated as
part of the Business Transformation Programme. The Council will
continue to provide mediated services where this is required by
customers.
7
Section 17 Crime and Disorder considerations
There are no section 17 implications.
8
Conclusion
The Business Transformation Programme business models remains
viable and is on track to deliver as planned.
43
Appendix C: Project Updates
Ref
1
December 2014
Title
Outcomes
Update
Unified
Communications
Will deliver a Council wide
fully integrated solution
allowing Officers and
Members to communicate
effectively and efficiently
using:
Telephony
Video Conferencing
Instant Messaging
Document Sharing
A fully costed solution design
has been produced in
conjunction with a
consultancy specialising in
Microsoft Lync. Because of
our existing software
agreement with Microsoft,
adding the licences needed
for Unified
Communications(UC) is an
extremely cost effective way
to provide the required
infrastructure.
The formal project has been
initiated with Kate Wilson,
Network Manager, becoming
project manager.
A specialist third party
company have been
commissioned to deploy the
Microsoft Lync Unified
Communications, as a pilot,
within the Council. This is
expected to be available to
users of the pilot in midDecember. Key stakeholders
and service teams will
evaluate the product to
ensure it meets their business
needs and to identify the
optimum configuration of the
system for their processes.
The pilot will include all of the
significant technical
44
Key Dates
Pilot:
Jan 2015
Commence
Rollout:
Mar 2015
Completion:
Jul 2015
Project
Manager
Original
Budget
Cabinet
Approval
Expenditure
To Date
Kate
Wilson
£100,000
£100,000
£5,000
Appendix C: Project Updates
December 2014
capabilities of the latest
version of the project.
2
3
Council
Document
Management
System
Electronic
Document and
Workflow
Management
We will deliver a central
repository and
management system for
all electronic records. This
will also include
implementation of
document workflow to
manage the creation,
approval, distribution and
access to, all documents
used by the Council.
We will migrate, as far as
practicable, all paper
based activities to use the
Council Document
Management System for
During the detailed costing
exercise and solution design
for Unified Communications,
it has become clear that a
document management
solution based upon
Microsoft SharePoint will
provide significant functional
and cost benefits. This is
because much of the software
licencing requirement for
SharePoint is included in the
Licenses procured for the
deployment of Lync.
This has resulted in a minor
delay in the project, however
this is regarded as prudent in
light of the potential reduction
in the costs identified.
A test environment has been
installed and is being
evaluated to ensure to will
meet the requirements of the
BTP.
This will mean that the pilot
deployment to trial service
users will occur in early
January 2015.
An initial survey of significant
business processes has
commenced and this will
inform the prioritised list of
processes to be re45
Development
Environment:
Dec 2014
TBC
£100,000
£0
£0
TBC
£180,000
£0
£0
Live
Environment:
Jan 2015
Rollout (Ongoing from):
Mar 2015
Prioritised list
of initial
processes:
Nov 2014
Planning
Appendix C: Project Updates
record and workflow
optimisation. Transition
will be prioritised to deliver
maximum benefits.
Prioritised List of initial
processes to be reengineered
Planning process
re-engineered
Other Processes reengineering
December 2014
engineered. For operational
reasons, a pilot review of the
Development Control
processes has commenced
ahead of the general
prioritisation of work.
In support of this the BPR of
the Development Control
work-stream has commenced,
with the first step being to
identify and procure external
specialist assistance to
facilitate this. A deliverable
from this work-stream will be
a template for the BPR
process which can be re-used
in other service areas and
processes.
Because of the upcoming
elections, the Individual
Electoral Registration(IER)
process re-engineering has
been re-scheduled for July
2015
The Information Asset
Register, a list of all corporate
information stores, is largely
complete and will be
published to the Intranet as
soon as it has been collated
and analysed. It will then be
used to improve the efficiency
and accuracy of the
management and use of
shared information which is
used in more than one system
or process.
46
process reengineered:
Mar 2015
Other
Processes reengineered:
(On-going
from) Jul
2015
Appendix C: Project Updates
4
Mobility
We will integrate existing
and future mobile devices
into the systems and
infrastructure used within
the rest of the council
including:
Access to the Intranet
Access to the Document
Management System
Access to Unified
Communications
Field Worker Access to
back office systems
December 2014
During this period, the
Council’s network and
security infrastructure has
been upgraded to ensure
continued protection from
unauthorised access to its
systems and data, whilst
improving the facilities
available when working
remotely. By the end of the
year, the equipment will be
fully configured and will
deliver remote access to
shared data and the intranet
from Council mobile devices.
The mobile phone contract
has now been re-let which has
also provided all council
mobile users to access e-mail
and calendars the intranet,
shortly access to the intranet
and line of business systems
will also become available
Currently there is not a formal
project team for this work as
it consists of a number of IT
technical workstreams. It is
anticipated that we will move
to a formal Project
Management environment
with service users once the
foundation technology
components are established,
to enable services to take
advantage of mobile working
solutions.
47
Initial
Infrastructure:
Dec 2014
User Access:
Jan 2015
Field Worker
Systems:
(On-going
from)Jun
2015
Kate
Wilson
£134,000
£0
£0
Appendix C: Project Updates
5
Printing
We will implement a fully
integrated printing,
scanning, copying and fax
system which will
contribute to efficiency and
the green IT agenda by
actively driving down the
use of paper and reducing
the cost of the printing that
remains.
6
Management
Information
We will commission
software and systems
which provides
personalised, up to date
management and
performance information
as a business “dashboard”
which is configured to the
requirements of the user’s
role.
We will re-engineer the
existing Website and
Intranet to a single
technology, enabling
efficient development and
7
Web Technology
December 2014
Following Cabinet approval of
funding for the procurement
of standard multi-function
devices, the contract has
been awarded for the supply
and maintenance of 11
Samsung combined
Printer/Scanner/Copier or
Multi-Function-Devices
(MFDs).
The IT team, supported by
Samsung engineers, have
deployed the printers on
budget and ahead of schedule
to 11 key locations within the
Council offices.
Printing costs and volumes
will now be centrally
monitored to ensure the
savings and environmental
improvements are delivered.
Market assessment and
requirements gathering have
commenced to identify a
short list of potential
solutions for evaluation by
key stakeholders.
Project
Complete
Nov 2014
Terry
Reynor
£40,000
£60,000
£54,000
Pilot:
Jun 2015
TBC
£66,000
£0
£0
Good initial progress in
migrating to Drupal software
has been interrupted by staff
resourcing issues within the
teams (IT and
Port of existing
intranet to new
CMS:
Nov 2014
Helen
Mitchell
£145,00
0
£74,500
£2,000
48
Cutover:
Mar 2016
Integration of
Appendix C: Project Updates
deployment of modern
transactional services.
This will support both the
internal processes of the
Council and the
interactions with service
users. The facilities will act
as a portal for a single
route into the services and
facilities delivered by the
Council.
Website on new
technology
E-mail & Messaging Alerts
“Webforms” to replace
existing paper forms.
Social Media Integration
Intranet re-launch
8
Customer
Information
Management
“My NNDC” User
registration and
management
We will migrate user
contact information and
systems to a single,
efficient facility. This will
provide a single view of all
contacts and activities for
users of NNDC services
and information.
December 2014
Communications)
progressing this project.
Consequently, there will need
to be a realignment of project
timescales and deliverables to
reflect the slower progress
caused by the delay in
obtaining appropriate staff
resources. Key dates will be
updated for the next update
once we have resolved the
recruitment issues.
To mitigate the effects of the
staff resource issues,
alternative development and
support resources continue to
be explored which will deliver
specific technical capability
and capacity in a flexible,
affordable manner. Business
Transformation and Human
Resources are working
closely to identify solutions to
the long term resourcing of
the website, intranet and
other web technology.
Social Media:
Feb 2015
The project has been formally
initiated with David Williams,
Customer Services Manager,
becoming project manager.
Options for technology to
support this facility which are
compatible with the Lync
telephony system are being
identified to provide a
Pilot:
Feb 2015
49
Rollout of
webforms:
(ongoing
from) Mar
2015
New Intranet:
Jun 2015
Citizen User
accounts:
Sep 2015
Website &
Social Media
Integration:
Jun 2015
Back Office
Intergation:
David
Williams
£110,000
£0
£0
Appendix C: Project Updates
Contact Centre system
deployed (initial
functionality pilot only)
Website Integrated with
Contact Centre
Social Media Integration
Back Office Systems
Activity Integration
9
Corporate
Graphical
Information
System
We will deliver an easy to
use Council wide
Graphical Information
System for use by
members of the public,
December 2014
shortlist of solutions for
assessment by customer
services and other
stakeholders.
The objective is to procure a
value for money technology
platform which is highly
functional and which will
address the current needs of
the Council but which can be
incrementally expanded and
enhanced as the needs
change in the future.
To inform the product
selection and to measure the
improvement in performance
of our customer interactions,
we will establish an initial set
of metrics which will be
reported on frequently.
Although the initial scope will
be the interactions managed
within and extent of the
performance monitoring will
be expanded as business
processes are re-engineered
A critical factor in the solution
selection process will be the
ability to provide detailed,
real-time, performance and
management information.
An effective, end user
Corporate GIS system which
represents data in relation to
its real-world location and
surroundings, is a strategic
50
(On-going
from) Jul
2015
Jane
Hodges
£20,000
£0
£0
Appendix C: Project Updates
Council employees and
partners.
December 2014
component of a
transformational IT
infrastructure. This project is
to develop the current,
service specific, use of GIS
systems into a single internal
and public facing Corporate
GIS capable of displaying any
information in a simple, easy
to use and understandable
map based format.
It is anticipated that any
funding required to deliver
this project will be provided
from savings achieved in
other areas of the programme.
51
Agenda Item No___15_________
Housing Allocations Scheme – update
Summary:
In December 2012, Full Council approved a new
Housing Allocations Scheme for implementation
which reflected the need to review the previous
allocations policy in light of the Localism Act 2011
and changes in statutory instruments. The new
scheme was designed to meet statutory
requirements for an allocations scheme whilst also
meeting the Council’s requirement that the number
of affordable dwellings let through the scheme
should maximise the number which are occupied
by households with local connections to towns and
villages in North Norfolk. The new Housing
Allocations Scheme went live on 18 October 2013
and this report reviews whether the Allocations
Scheme is meeting the objectives it was required
to meet. It concludes that the Housing Allocations
Scheme is operating well, it is meeting statutory
requirements and has increased the number of
properties let using the Local Allocations
Agreement which prioritises applicants with local
connections to towns and villages in North Norfolk.
Recommendations:
That Members receive the Housing Allocations
Scheme - update
Cabinet Member(s)
Ward(s) affected All
Contact Officer, telephone number and email: Nicola Turner, 01263 516222,
nicola.turner@north-norfolk.gov.uk
1.
Introduction
1.1
In December 2012, Full Council approved the adoption of a new
Housing Allocations Scheme for the Council. The Housing
Allocations Scheme would be used for the allocation of all properties
advertised through the Council’s choice based lettings scheme Your
Choice Your Home. This scheme is a partnership with 7 Housing
Association Partners and the vast majority of all housing association
properties in North Norfolk are allocated through the scheme.
1.2
The Housing Allocations Scheme proposed a move away from one
housing register to three housing registers within an overall housing
list. The Housing Register contains all those households with a
52
reasonable preference, these are households which the Council must
give a reasonable preference to over those that do not have this
preference. The Transfer Register contains all existing tenants of
affordable housing in North Norfolk who are not eligible for the
Housing Register. The Housing Options Register contains all
applicants who are not eligible for the Housing or Transfer Registers.
1.2
The Housing Allocations Scheme introduced a two stage allocation
process, where all general need properties under Stage One are
prioritised initially for applicants on the Housing Register, but if the
property remains unlet, it is let through Stage Two to someone on the
Housing Options Register or Transfer Register with priority given
through the Local Allocations Agreement to households with a local
connection to the parish in which the property is located or the
adjoining parishes. Properties on Exception Housing Schemes are
only let through Stage Two. In addition the scheme allows for up to
20% of all properties advertised to be advertised as priority for
existing Housing Association tenants in North Norfolk, if there is no
suitable tenant, the property is then let in accordance with the two
stage process.
1.3
The Local Allocations Agreement contains 7 criteria with criteria A to
E representing households who have a local connection through
residence, employment, family residence or previous residence in the
parish or adjoining parishes. Criteria F and G represent households
who do not have a local connection and are included to ensure that
the Housing Associations which deliver affordable homes on
Exception Housing Schemes can secure loan funding and any shared
ownership dwellings will be mortgagable. The Local Allocations
Agreement treats towns slightly differently to villages, so that where a
property subject to an allocation under Stage Two is in a town,
anyone with a local connection to the town and its surrounding
parishes will be prioritised. However, if the property subject to a local
connection let is in a parish which adjoins a town, anyone who only
has a local connection to the town would not have a local connection
to the parish.
1.4
An initial review of whether the new Housing Allocations Scheme was
delivering its key outcomes in terms of maximising the number of
properties which are allocated to households with strong connections
to towns and villages in North Norfolk was carried out after 6 months
of operation and the results reported to the July meeting of the
Overview and Scrutiny Committee. The conclusions from this initial
review was that the Allocations Scheme was operating well, it was
meeting statutory requirements and had increased the number of
properties let using the Local Allocations Agreement, however, a
further review at the first anniversary of the scheme implementation
was required to be clear whether the scheme does maximise the
number of applicants housed who have local connections to towns
and villages in North Norfolk.
1.5
A further analysis of lets through the scheme during the period 18
May 2014 to 18 October 2014 has now been carried out in order to
consider the operation of the Housing Allocations Scheme over its first
year of operation.
53
2
Analysis of Lets
2.1
During the period 25 October 2013 to 18 October 2014, 413
properties were identified as having been let across the district, this
excludes private rented and shared ownership properties and those
properties which were advertised which are located outside of North
Norfolk. An analysis of these lets showed that they were let as:
Type of Let
Number
Stage One
Stage Two
Transfer Priority
Exception Housing Scheme
Total
274
42
49
48
413
Percentage of all
lets
66.3%
10.2%
11.9%
11.6%
100%
Where properties were advertised with priority for tenants, but were
shortlisted in accordance with the two stage process, they are not
recorded in this analysis as a transfer priority let.
2.2
There were a total of 82 lets which were let using the Local
Allocations Agreement (Stage Two and Exception Housing Scheme
lets shown at 2.1 above), this represents 19.9% of all lets.
2.3
The 82 lets using the Local Allocations Agreement were let to
households with the following local connections:
Connection
A
B
C
D
E
Total
Number
62
1
12
3
4
82
Percentage
75.6%
1.2%
14.6%
3.7%
4.9%
100.0%
The 82 lets shown above, excludes 8 lets where the successful
applicant of a property let in accordance with the Local Allocations
Agreement did not have an A to E connection. Of these, 7 related to
sheltered housing properties (including those restricted to households
who are at least 60 years old or older).
2.4
An analysis of all 413 lets showed that 220 households had a local
connection to the parish or adjoining parish in which the property they
were housed in is located. The 220 households had the following
types of connection:
Connection
A
B
C
D
Number
116
7
57
17
54
Percentage of all lets
28.1%
1.7%
13.8%
4.1%
E
Total
23
220
5.6%
53.3%
The analysis of lets between 18 May 2014 and 18 October 2014,
showed there were an additional two applicants whose local
connection was to an adjoining town of a parish.
2.5
The analysis of lets from 18 May 2014 to 18 October 2014, also
considered those applicants who had a local connection through the
Local Allocations Agreement to the surrounding area, either a parish
which was adjacent to an adjoining parish or was two to three
parishes away. Many would consider such connections to be local to
the area in which the property was located. This showed that a
further 24 households had the following connections:
Connection
A
B
C
D
E
Total
Number
9
2
5
4
4
24
Overall, if a wider interpretation of local is used (including connections
to a town adjoining a parish), a total of 246 applicants had a local
connection which represents 59.6% of all lets.
2.6
The percentage of lets by housing register, band and type is shown
below:
Register and Band
Stage 1
Housing Register
Priority Card
Band 1
Band 2
Total on Housing
Register
2.2%
51.3%
12.6%
66.1%
Housing
Register
Options 0%
Transfer Register
0.2%
Stage 2
Transfer
Priority
Exception
Housing
Scheme
Total
0%
0%
0%
0%
0.5%
4.4%
1.7%
6.5%
0.2%
3.6%
3.6%
7.5%
2.9%
59.3%
17.9%
80.2%
7.7%
0%
3.6%
11.3%
2.4%
5.3%
0.5%
8.5%
Total
66.3%
10.2%
11.9%
11.6%
It should be noted that some Housing Association tenants will be on
the Housing Register due to their level of housing need.
2.7
The analysis above shows that the Housing Allocations Scheme is
providing preference to those applicants who have a statutory
reasonable preference, overall 80.2% of all lets were to an applicant
on the Housing Register. This preference is provided irrespective of
whether the let is through the Local Allocations Agreement on an
55
100%
Exception Housing Scheme property or at Stage Two of the
allocations process or whether it is a transfer priority let or Stage One
let.
2.8
3
Registered Providers continue to under use their Transfer quota with
only 11.9% of all lets being let in this way. This percentage of lets
slightly underestimates the use of the quota, as a number of
properties advertised with a priority for transferring tenants were not
shortlisted with this priority and in some limited cases, there were no
suitable tenants and the property was then let in accordance with the
two stage process.
Conclusions
3.1
The analysis at section 2 above shows that the majority of properties
let in the year following the launch of the Housing Allocations Scheme
were let to applicants on the Housing Register. This means that the
Allocations Scheme is meeting the requirement that it provides
reasonable preference to households who meet the statutory
reasonable preference criteria over those that do not.
3.2
As a result of the new allocations process, 42 general need properties
or 10.2% of all lets in the year were let using the Local Allocations
Agreement of which 35 had an A to E connection to the parish in
which the property was located or an adjoining parish. The 7
properties which were let to an applicant who did not have an A to E
connection were sheltered properties or those properties restricted to
households of at least 60 years of age.
3.3
A further 48 lets were of properties on Exception Housing Schemes
which are prioritised using the Local Allocations Agreement.
3.4
A total of 90 properties were let using the Local Allocations
Agreement, of which 82 (19.9% of all lets) were to an applicant with
an A to E connection.
3.5
When considering all lets over the first year of operation of the
scheme, 53.2% of all applicants housed in the year had a local
connection (A to E) as determined by the Local Allocations
Agreement. If you considered those applicants whose connection
was to a wider area (neighbouring parishes and towns adjoining
parishes) this increases to 59.6% of all lets.
3.6
Overall it can be concluded that the Housing Allocations Agreement is
working as intended. It is increasing the number of properties let to
applicants who have a local connection to the towns and villages in
the district. In achieving this aim, the scheme still meets the statutory
requirement that it provides preference to those applicants whose
housing need is such that they meet the reasonable preference
criteria.
56
Overview and Scrutiny Committee
10 December 2014
Agenda Item 17
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY UPDATE
Work Programme at Appendix D
1.
Introduction
The Scrutiny Update report is a standing item on all Overview and Scrutiny
Committee agendas. The report updates Members on progress made with
topics on its agreed work programme and provides additional information
which Members may have requested at a previous meeting.
2.
Progress on topics since the last meeting
2.1
Passivhaus Visit
A visit to the Passivhaus scheme in Fulmodeston was arranged for 3rd
December, following the request by the Committee.
2.2
Ambulance Hub
A visit to the Ambulance Hub has been arranged for 23rd February. There is
one place remaining if any members are interested in going.
2.3
Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee
The latest outcomes and actions report for the NHOSC is attached at
Appendix E
3.
Responses to issues raised at previous meetings
Recording Committee meetings
Council agreed that all committee meetings should be recorded subject to the
purchase and installation of suitable equipment. It is proposed that a full
review of the equipment in the Chamber is undertaken and all options are
explored. Further updates on progress will be reported to the Committee.
4.
The Work Programme and Future Topics
4.1
The work programme has been readjusted to ensure that the agenda is not
too heavy and to bring it into alignment with the Cabinet work programme.
The update on the tidal surge and future contingency has been brought
forward to this month. It will be coming to Overview & Scrutiny before going to
Audit Committee. The Energy Strategy will come to January 2015 before
going to Cabinet.
Local member protocol – at the request of the Chairman, an update on a
revised Local Member Protocol will come to the Committee following its
consideration by the Constitution Working Party in January, prior to
consideration by Council.
A report on organizational structure and vacant posts, as requested by Cllr
Seward, will be coming before the Committee in March 2015.
57
Appendix D
OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE WORK PROGRAMME 2014/2015
Period December 2014 – February 2015
December
Housing Incentive Scheme –
Update Review
Housing Allocations SchemeMonitoring Report
Business Transformation
Programme, to include Customer
Service Update & answer
CAB Update
Flood Recovery
Mark Ashwell
Outside Bodies Report
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Emma Denny
January
Health Strategy
Waste Control Update
Energy Strategy
Enforcement Board Update, to
include long term empty properties
TBC
Rhodri Oliver
Nicola Turner
Glyn Williams
Nick Baker
Annual report requested by the
committee
Requested by Committee
Requested by Audit Committee
Steve Blatch
Rhodri Oliver
Nick Baker
Requested by committee and
senior officers
Cyclical
6 monthly cyclical
Customer Access Strategy –
including concerns over telephone
answerphones
Glyn Williams
Nick Baker
Annual
Planning Restructure Update
Benjie Cabbell Manners
Nicola Baker
Requested by the committee for
update 6 months following July
report
Planning Peer Challenge
Organisational Structure – empty
posts and changes to posts
58
59
Outcomes and Actions
Norfolk Health Overview and Scrutiny Committee (NHOSC)
27 November 2014
APPENDIX E
Agenda Report Title
Item
Number
Outcomes and Actions
Action By Whom
5.
Chairman’s announcements
Agreed to write to NHS Great Yarmouth and Waveney CCG to
congratulate them on winning the Health Service Journal 2014 award
for ‘Improved Partnerships Between Health and Local Government’.
Maureen Orr
6.
NHS workforce planning for
Norfolk
Agreed to establish a task & finish group to examine the issues in
more detail and to consider the recommendations made by Breckland
Council. Draft terms of reference will be presented to NHOSC on 15
January 2015.
7.
Stroke services in Norfolk
NHOSC noted the positive response from all the organisations to
which recommendations were addressed. The committee may return
to the subject in 12 months to check on the progress that has been
made in all areas of stroke care, including the Norfolk Stroke
Network’s review of the effectiveness of services for six month review,
prevention, information and communication (recommendation 19).
8.
Wheelchair provision by the
NHS, Central and West
Norfolk
NHOSC noted Family Voice’s view that there had been improvement
in services and service user involvement. NHOSC asked that Family
Voice and Cllr David Bradford be included in the wheelchair services’
discussions with service users. It also advised that any future issues
could be raised with Healthwatch, which can refer them to NHOSC for
examination if they are not resolved with commissioners / service
providers.
60
Maureen Orr
9.
Forward Work Programme
‘Ambulance response times and turnaround times in Norfolk’ was
added to 26 February 2014 agenda.
NHOSC asked for information on cancer survival rates in Norfolk.
Treatment of people with mental health issues in the county’s A&E
departments could potentially be added to NHOSC’s agenda in April
2015.
Copied to:Representatives attending the NHOSC meeting for NHS / other organisations
District Council Members of NHOSC
Member Support Officer - Christine Byles
CCG engagement contacts (x5)
Health and Wellbeing Board support officer – Linda Bainton
Healthwatch Norfolk – Chris MacDonald
61
Maureen Orr