Agenda and minutes

To sign as a correct record the minutes of the following meetings:

AGREED:

An update on actions which arose at the 19 October 2022 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting, including the tracking of previous outstanding actions (enclosed).

Consideration was given to the actions which arose at the 19 October 2022 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting, and the tracking of previous outstanding actions.

Members considered the update and made the following comments:

• Members referred to action 28c, regarding communication of the Partnership to the workforce, and requested that more context/information come forward to the Panel. It was stated that there was a need for the workforce to feel more involved in the Partnership.
  • The Chairman responded that this issue had been raised as a concern during the Joint Scrutiny of the Partnership Task Group. A recommendation for this area to be improved had been made and updates would come forward in due course as part of that process.

• Members referred to action 45 and made the following comments:
  • had the Chairman consented to the merging of the following Task Groups: 
    • Public Open Spaces Task Group;  and
    • Effectiveness of Management Companies set up to undertake maintenance on residential estates throughout the district past, present and future Task Group. 
  • in addition, it was noted that progression of the Task Groups had awaited discussions at Executive level and the Panel should be able to set its own agenda.
    • The Chairman responded that both Task Groups had been pending for a long period of time. Management Companies had become increasingly responsible for open spaces. It was difficult to review actions from a historic perspective and the merging of the two Task Groups ensured that both areas would be reviewed. Reassurance was given that both areas would be scrutinised in due course.

• Members referred to the update regarding Public Conveniences and asked why public toilets were not open when advertised. 
  • The Panel was advised that a response would be sought from the Environmental Services Team.

AGREED:

That the actions and responses be noted.

Where a Councillor has a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest the Councillor must declare the interest to the meeting and leave the room without participating in any discussion or making a statement on the item, except where a councillor is permitted to remain as a result of a grant of dispensation.

There were none.

There were none.

No reports had been presented to Cabinet from the last meeting however the following items on the current agenda had related to Task Group Recommendations:

• Item 14: South Holland Centre Action Plan; and
• Item 15: Sir Halley Stewart Task Group update.

There were none.

Consideration was given to the Key Decision Plan dated 21 November 2022.

AGREED:

That the Key Decision Plan be noted.

To provide a six-month update after the adoption of the Workforce Development Strategy.

The Organisational Development Service Manager to deliver a presentation and provide a verbal update at the meeting.

Consideration was given to the Workforce Development Strategy six-months after adoption.

The Group Manager – Organisational Development delivered a presentation to the Panel which outlined the following points:

• The six key themes of the strategy included:
  • attraction and retention of talented employees;
  • a flexible approach to delivery;
  • a healthy and active workforce;
  • the maximisation of staff engagement and shaping of organisational culture;
  • to be efficient and effective; and
  • the celebration of successes and rewarding of excellence.

Each of the six themes comprised the following:

• Governance, risk and supporting work programmes included:
  • Monthly Workforce Development Board;
  • Annual Action Plan;
  • Strategic Risk Register;
  • Scrutiny;
  • ICT Strategy Road Map; and
  • Performance Framework.

The following key pieces had been delivered during the first six months:

Attraction:

• Resourcing and Assessment managers workshops had taken place which had ensured that managers were equipped to deal with the adapting nature and pace of the current recruitment market and ensured attraction and appointment of the right candidates;
• local schools, colleges and universities had recommenced careers fairs and officers had attended three local events;
• a draft Onboarding Platform had been introduced as part of the workforce induction.  The platform enabled the input of feedback from new recruits regarding their initial work period, induction and training.  The final draft had been submitted to the Corporate Management Team for feedback, and would be launched to new appointments in due course;
• the Council had a commitment to attain level 3 Leader Disability Confident Status and a mapping exercise had been completed across the Partnership which assessed current working practices;
• a series of visual Career Maps had been showcased at recent career events which showed the variety of careers in Local Government.  Videos which highlighted roles and careers were being used in recruitment campaigns.

Retention:

• shared workforce values and behaviours had been launched to the workforce which had included workshops with the Corporate Management Team and service managers;
• a single set of aligned progressive employee policies had been developed. The first three phases had been supported by SHDC and the remaining phases were pending for consideration by the Policy Development Panel on 13 December 2022 and Council in January 2023;
• a single Employee Benefits Platform had been launched;
• an Internal communications review had commenced;
• a quarterly staff poll tracked workforce responses in the following 4 areas:
  • whether staff felt valued;
  • whether staff felt informed;
  • positive mental health recognition and support; and
  • developmental opportunities.

Development:

• a single annual training plan had been implemented which included mandatory, essential, and desirable training for services, alongside a number of corporate focussed training which included Leadership Training, Mental Health Support and Resilience training.  Training spend was monitored monthly and shared with the Workforce Development Board;
• a Future Leaders Programme across the Partnership had been launched. Each delegate was assigned a mentor from the Corporate Management Team and the programme had consisted of leadership training elements. The Future Leaders Programme was positively recognised in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

To provide an update on how the Council is performing for the period 1st July 2022 to 30th September 2022 (report of the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Corporate to provide an update on how the Council was performing for the period 1 July 2022 to 30 September 2022.

The report was introduced by the Business Intelligence and Change Manager who highlighted the following areas:

• the layout had reverted to the previous format following feedback received at the 19 October 2022 Performance Monitoring Panel meeting;
• performance was now monitored using a business intelligence system which had been implemented across the Partnership;

Key areas of performance were outlined in Appendix A and the following points were highlighted:

• the time taken to process Housing Benefit and Council Tax Support claims (changes and new) was above the threshold target agreed between South Holland District Council and PSPS, and was within the national target set by the Department for Work and Pensions;
• regarding Customer Contact performance:
  • this was still below the target set for calls answered however performance was on a positive trajectory and a breakdown of the data was provided within the report;
  • a 67% increase in demand when compared to the same period last year had resulted from over 100,000 incoming calls regarding the Council Tax Rebate Scheme; and
  • essential training on the new telephone system had taken place during the period.
• Freedom of information and complaint response times had improved slightly but remained below target. The report provided a breakdown of data by service areas. The department was under review so that contingencies could be employed across the Partnership when required.
• Whilst Homelessness indicators remained under target, significant improvements had been made since the previous quarter and performance was on a positive trajectory. A breakdown of data was provided in the covering report and this area was to be monitored closely over the following months. The Assistance Director – Wellbeing and Community Leadership was to bring a report regarding interventions to Leaders of all three authorities within the S&ELCP on the 2 December 2022. The report could be shared with the Panel if this was considered useful; and
• Housing Voids had improved since the previous quarter and performance had been within targets.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members referred to the market stall occupancy rate and requested that the data be separated to detail occupancy of the different markets within the district, rather than as a total.

• Members referred to the conclusion at point 3 of the report which detailed the performance of 51 per cent of the Council’s metrics and asked for information regarding the remaining 49 per cent.
  • The Business Intelligence and Change Manager  responded that the 49 per cent related to ‘data only’ Performance Indicators where targets were not set. A narrative would be included in future reports so this point would be clear.

• Members noted the 67% increase in calls to the Contact Centre due to the Council Tax Rebate Scheme and questioned whether action had been taken to improve outward communications regarding the scheme to reduce demand on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

To report on the review and to consider the findings (report of the Principal Planning Officer enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Head of Planning which reported on the Review of Implemented Planning Decisions and asked the Panel to consider the findings.

The Principal Planning Officer introduced the report which included a background to the review of implemented planning decisions; an overview of the tour; and the main conclusions drawn from the tour. 

A summary of the comments from members during the tour were included at Appendix A.  Two recurring observations from the day were:

• a lack of attention to design detail; and
• clear concerns around the management and maintenance of public areas such as open space and incidental areas of landscaping.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Officers were thanked for arranging and leading on the tour;
• the tour was undertaken on a wet day and flooding on hardstanding areas was clearly apparent; in some cases, drains were sitting proud of the roads;
• the experience of some developments deemed ‘over-density’ on plans, felt open;
• members noted that play areas had been identified as an area for improvement. Play areas needed to be adequate for the estate in which they were situated: in some cases play areas had not been installed and in others, improvements were required; it was noted that most of the concerns raised would be the responsibility of the management company of the development;
  • The Planning Officer had investigated the play area that was not delivered and a subsequent planning application had agreed that the play area would not be installed due to anti-sociable behaviour concerns raised by residents;
• members were disappointed that meter boxes had not always been installed on the side of buildings; and
• attenuation ponds and berms were not given due attention at development stage and were either unattractive or not functioning as expected.

AGREED:

a)       That the report on the Review of Implemented Planning Decisions be presented to the Planning Committee; and

b)    That the comments of the Panel be noted.

To update the panel on progress of the renovation and marketing of industrial units(report of the Assistant Director – General Fund Assets enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – General Fund Assets to update the panel on the progress of renovation and marketing of industrial units.

The Strategic Property Manager introduced the report by stating that a rent review had been implemented which had led to lease renewals and negotiations regarding rent increases and service charges. Outcomes and actions which arose from the review were outlined at point 2 of the report.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members stated that the purpose of the original leases was for the provision of business starter units, which therefore offered employment opportunities, rather than being used as storage units. Had the terms of use changed over the years?
  • The Strategic Property Manager responded that:
    • the current focus had not been to lease units solely for the purpose of providing business starter units;
    • businesses were encouraged to grow however there was a lack of larger units for businesses to relocate to;
    • historically, the units had been under-rented;
    • until recently service charges had not been made which had led to maintenance issues – this had now been rectified; and
    • whilst the council could not influence a change with a current tenant, employment based firms were always prioritised against storage facilities. 

• Members were encouraged by the waiting lists for units across the district.

• Members referred to point 5.4.1 of the report and asked for clarification of the legal implications and whether tenants were offered the same terms across the estate.
  • The Strategic Property Manager responded that:
    • rolled-over leases applied in the cases mentioned at point 5.4.1 were subject to the Landlord and Tenant Act 1954;
    • the tenants had disputed the implementation of the new service charge and rent increase however negotiations were in place; and
    • the aim was to align lease agreements for consistent estate management.

• Members referred to the waiting lists and asked whether information was shared with the Growth team to identify opportunities.
  • The Estates Manager responded that regular contact was made to ensure those on the waiting list were still actively looking for premises. Where the requirement for a shop unit was identified, these were referred to the Growth team.

• Members referred to the arrears at points 2.6 to 2.8 of the report, and asked whether historical arrears were being paid or if legal action had taken place?
  • The Estates Officer confirmed that payment plans were either already in place or being sought.

• Regarding the lack of general maintenance, as stated at point 2.10, members were surprised that the services of a general maintenance person had not been secured.
  • The Estates Officer concurred, however the lack of interest had subsequently been attributed to an uncompetitive rate of pay.

• Members asked for assurance that the rent arrears process would be improved.
  • The Estates Officer was relatively new in post and, as a previous Lettings Manager, was accustomed to chasing arears. Regular contact was maintained with tenants and Credit Control to ensure that arrears were kept to a minimum.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

To update members of the Performance Monitoring Panel on the South Holland Centre action plan(report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture to update members of the Performance Monitoring Panel on the South Holland Centre action plan.

The Chairman introduced the item by stating that an agreement had been made with the Chairman of the Policy Development Panel to reconvene the joint Performance Monitoring Panel / Policy Development Panel South Holland Centre Task Group so that the delivery of the Task Group’s recommendations could be scrutinised.

The Communities Manager introduced the report which outlined:

• the re-opening strategy of the South Holland Centre;
• updates to the South Holland Centre Task Group recommendations at Appendix A; and
• the action plan of the Cabinet Subgroup at Appendix B.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

·         Members welcomed the report, nonetheless an increased depth of information was required which would be scrutinised by the Task Group early in 2023. 

·         Some members expressed disappointment that the action plan had been approved by Cabinet without scrutiny.  Whilst members accepted that the industry was still in recovery, this had necessitated the immediate implementation of a business plan. The plan was deemed to be inadequate and the following key information had not been included:

o   clarity of the aims and objectives of the South Holland Centre as an asset;

o   an outline of what recovery looked like and how this would be monitored;

o   a plan of action should recovery of the South Holland Centre not progress as anticipated;

o   an incorporation of the whole building: the recovery plan needed to apply to all aspects including the catering option and offices; and

o   accompanying financial information.

·         The Communities Manager responded that the full business plan would come forward for implementation in the following financial year due to the following reasons:

o   the industry had shifted significantly post-Covid and changes had been experienced in customer attendance/behaviours, product availability and costs which needed to be analysed;

o   as a result, a three-month baseline of comparable data was required to inform the business plan for the next financial year. Some trends had already become apparent, and the Centre had achieved increased pantomime sales compared to the same period last year; and

o   business intelligence data continued to inform the business plan.

·         Members enquired as to whether the Communities Manager had received support in setting up the business plan.

·         The Communities Manager responded that:

§  the business plan had commenced with low-cost film screenings;

§  this was followed by live shows but the full business plan had awaited the input of Arts Council England objectives;

§  the interim period allowed for a more detailed assessment of which products were profitable;

§  networking with independent venues and sharing of intelligence had taken place; and

§  national audience attitudes were obtained through MetrixLab.

·         Concern was expressed regarding the promotion of the programme however this would be investigated by the Task Group. 

AGREED:

a)       That the content of the report and appendices be noted by the Performance Monitoring Panel;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

To provide an update on the recommendations of the Sir Halley Stewart Task Group (report of the Assistant Director Leisure & Culture enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture to provide an update on the recommendations of the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field Task Group.

The Communities Manager introduced the report which outlined the following points:

·         background, purpose and scope of the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field Task Group;

·         playing field usage;

·         conclusion of the report which found that the playing field: continued to be well used by football clubs in South Holland; supported youth teams; and had been successfully used to host/promote a wide range of physical activity throughout the district through the ‘Give It A Go’ initiative.

Members considered the report and raised the following points:

·         Members asked how ‘Give It A Go’ was promoted to clubs across the district.

o   The Communities Manager responded that the initiative was promoted:

§  directly to a directory of sports clubs across the district;

§  on social media channels; and

§  through Parish Councils.

·         Members questioned the cost/profitability of the field to the Council and requested that the balance sheet be circulated to the Panel. Hire costs were also requested.

·         Members questioned the relevancy of the Task Group’s recommendations due to the passage of time since they were agreed.  Only one member of the original Task Group still served as a Councillor.

The following debate ensued around the financial responsibility of the playing field maintenance, as outlined at point 2.2 of the report: 

·         a distinction was drawn between the cost of general ground maintenance relating to health and safety compliance which was covered by the Council; and that of specific Football Association (F.A.) league upgrade requirements which was paid for by the respective football club; in the latter case, the Council offered support regarding the sourcing of contractors; and the Assets team ensured that satisfactory standards were upheld;

·         an immediate challenge existed in that whilst the floodlights complied with the F.A.’s minimum lux reading requirements for Pinchbeck United, they did not comply with the minimum requirements for Spalding United, who played in a different league. Spalding United would be demoted if the upgrade was not completed by the end of the current season. The anticipated cost was £25,000.00;

·         Some members were unhappy if the cost of F.A. stipulated upgrades to Spalding’s Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field, for the benefit of Spalding United, were met by South Holland District Council; maintenance of playing fields in other areas were funded by Parish Councils;

·         The Communities Manager confirmed that conditional league upgrade costs were met by the relevant football club, however the Council worked with clubs to assist with the recovery of costs;

·         Members were aware that the F.A. assisted with the cost of imposed upgrades where a ground was wholly leased by a football club, but the Spalding and Pinchbeck teams were unable to draw on this resource as the field was a public facility. The lease option could be investigated however this would involve lengthy negotiations with the Charity Commission who would likely insist on the inclusion  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

To update Panel Members on the investigation led by PSPS ICT into the ICT network issues that impacted on service delivery during the outage, and the business continuity de-brief that was carried out subsequently (report of the Assistant Director - Regulatory and the Assistant Director – Corporate enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Regulatory and the Assistant Director – Corporate to update Panel Members on the investigation led by PSPS ICT into the ICT network issues that impacted on service delivery during the outage, and the business continuity de-brief that was carried out subsequently.

The Head of Public Protection introduced the report which outlined:

• the network outage issue; and
• impact upon services and subsequent action taken/recommended. This had included a business continuity debrief which recommended that service managers review their respective business continuity plans.

The Head of ICT and Digital (PSPS) outlined the IT investigation;

• the supplier (Nasstar) had conducted a Major Incident Review which had failed to identify the root cause with certainty, but had suggested that the issue was caused by a circuit fault;
• one of the BT Openreach connections had been identified as the failed element of the service which was resolved after a test and circuit reset; 
• PSPS had conducted a Major Incident Review which recommended several non-technical actions, including the review of Business Continuity plans and documentation of any workarounds; and 
• a single internet link had been used and detailed resiliency options were being investigated; recommendations would come forward in due course.

Members considered the report and made the following comments:

• Members asked whether the outage had related to a problem with a physical link.
  • The Head of ICT and Digital (PSPS) confirmed that the problem had applied to a physical internet link.

• Members stated that resiliency investigations needed to be as thorough as possible; and to ensure that the recommendation stated at point 2.2 of the report was implemented. The issue needed to be seriously regarded.

• Members had been made aware that schools had been affected by the issue and suggested that the Council sought/shared solutions with schools.

o   The Head of ICT and Digital responded that public sector institutions across the East Midlands utilised the same Public Services Network (PSN) connection and had therefore been affected by the same issue.

• Members sought clarity as to whether the cause was a fault with a defective BT line.
  • The Head of ICT and Digital confirmed this was the case however there had been other failings which were highlighted in the Major Incident Review: this had included an uptime of some equipment of seven years which was much longer than industry standard expectations; as a result, PSPS were holding the provider to account and the provider was working through recommendations from its own Major Incident Review.

• The Assistant Director – Regulatory stated that:

o   as a Partnership, with PSPS, the three Councils were in a stronger position and had worked together to deal with the incident both as it occurred and during the debrief phase;

o   learning would be taken forward;

o   risks around IT were acknowledged and mitigations had been in place however technological mitigations were only part of the solution; and

o   mitigations included both IT solutions and effective service level Business Continuity Plans.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 46.

To set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel (report of the Interim Assistant Director – Governance enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Interim Assistant Director – Governance which set out the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel. The Work Programme consisted of two separate sections, the first setting out the date of the future Panel meetings along with proposed items for consideration, and the second setting out the Task Groups that had been identified by the Panel.

The Democratic Services Officer outlined the following updates to the Work Programme.

Regarding Appendix A:

• the Economic Development and Inward Investment Update had been moved to the 24 January 2023 meeting; and
• the Chairman had requested that a report come forward with suggestions for how the successful compliance with the Sustainable Products Policy could be monitored.

Regarding Appendix B:

• the South Holland Centre Task Group and the Sir Halley Stewart Playing Field Task Group would reconvene in the New Year.

In addition, members noted that a report from the Joint Scrutiny Public Transport Task Group would be presented to the Panel in due course.

AGREED:

That the Work Programme of the Performance Monitoring Panel be noted.

There were none.