Agenda item

Report to follow.

M Brookes introduced the report and highlighted a couple of issues with FOI and complaints. He said the service manages the process but it was down to individuals to respond so he has been working with the teams to try and improve on that. He advised that there was also a process review on complaints.

The Chairman asked if we were ready for the forthcoming Election. M Brookes said there had already been numerous meetings, there was a project plan in place and staffing was being organised.

Councillor Claughton asked if we knew how many eligible voters there were that hadn’t registered yet. M Brookes said he would need to come back to him with those figures.                                                                                  Action: M Brookes

Councillor Claughton referred to the work carried out by procurement relating to temporary agency staff. He welcomed that work but asked if we were becoming reliant on agency staff. B Hosier said there was a need for temporary agency staff across the council, some of which is seasonal. He said one of our largest contracts came to an end so there was a need to review that but also we needed to check that all departments were having their requirements met.

The Chairman expressed concern about the grievance procedure for taxi drivers within the Licensing department. He said he often receives complaints from drivers that the complaint process was not fair and that they don’t feel that they get the opportunity to explain themselves. He asked how we could make the process fairer for drivers. M Brookes advised that the Licensing Committee approved the three strike rule and that we do give drivers an opportunity to come in and explain themselves before we take a view on the issue. He said he would be interested to hear about specific cases and asked Councillor Mahmood to email him with the details of drivers that feel they have been treated unfairly so he could look into it. The Chairman said he didn’t have a problem with the three strike rule, it was the manner in which certain officers are dealing with the drivers and felt it was unacceptable. He said he would speak to the Licensing Committee and express his concerns and also speak to M Brookes separately. He added that all interviews with drivers should be recorded so that this issue can be avoided. M Brookes said he would discuss these concerns with Nathan March, Licensing Team Leader. F Hussain said she was surprised to hear that feedback. She said the matters she had dealt with where we had revoked licences, we had given the driver an opportunity to put their case forward and on occasions we have then reinstated the licence. M Brookes said they could look at recording meetings with consent in the future.

The Chairman asked how we choose sites for CCTV. B Hosier said in this instance we had been asked by the sheltered housing schemes to install CCTV and there was an ongoing programme to ensure that all the schemes are covered. In terms of additional CCTV in public spaces, he believed there was an application that needed submitting and would be discussed with JAG (Joint Action Groups).

Outcome:

The report was noted.