Agenda item

In accordance with the Constitution Councillor Gary Fuller the Cabinet Member for Resident Engagement and Accountability will be attending the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to provide a verbal update in relation to his portfolio. 

Councillor Jim Martin, Leader and Cabinet Member for Otterpool Park and Planning Policy will also be in attending the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to address any queries members may have.

In accordance with the Constitution Councillor Gary Fuller the Cabinet Member for Resident Engagement and Accountability provided the Overview and Scrutiny Committee with an update in relation to his portfolio. This included several key areas including Customer Services, Information Technology (IT), Information Governance, Elections and Audit.

·       Customer Services – Members were advised of two key aims being progressed: MyAccount take up and functionality, and the renewal of the Customer Access Strategy. Current MyAccount utilisation across the district is 73%, with a take up of 200 accounts per month. It was identified that take up was lower in the Romney Marsh areas predominantly and officers are looking at ways to improve this. The aim is that MyAccount will become progress a single use service.

·       Information Technology (IT) – The Council is exploring ways to utilise current systems more effectively, such as Microsoft, with the aim to become less reliant on individual product licenses. It was noted that Cyber Security was also another area of key importance. Authorities are expecting an increase in attacks generally and particularly across the forthcoming election period.

·       Members were advised that work to revise the Customer Access Strategy is underway and that this will progress over the next 6 months. A draft strategy would be subject of a report to the Committee in due course.

·       Members were also advised that the Digital Strategy was also in the process of being reviewed, but more information on this will be provided to all members at a later date.

·       Information Governance – Members were made aware that the Council was not meeting all the required statutory deadlines for responding and reporting. However, Work is underway to look at ways to improve the reporting processes including reviewing forms which staff use.

·       Elections – Preparation for the Police and  Crime Commissioner election is underway. The Council currently has 84,114 electors eligible to vote in the PCC election and 68,158 electors eligible to vote in the general election (date not confirmed) in line with the new parliamentary constituency boundary that is due to take effect, following the Boundary Commissions review  (more details can be found here).

Following the Cabinet Members update, members raised serval points, including:

·       Has the Council considered Applications (App’s) – Yes, this is under consideration, however, there are several different types of applications, and these can be very expensive to develop. This will form part of the refresh of the Customer Access and IT strategies.

·       Not everyone has access to a smart phone. What are we doing to maintain accessibility for those without access – Residents have access to the Customer Access Point (CAP), telephone and email. The Council is also considering other options to increase accessibility in more rural areas.

·       As the Marsh areas have a lower take up of MyAccount, could members (district, town, and parish) and officers work together to produce ideas. Could the data be analysed to target particular areas, so that we can encourage more residents – The data could be categorised into wards.

·       Could the Council and Members look at organisations to help bridge those gaps?

Councillor Jim Martin, Leader, and Cabinet Member for Otterpool Park and Planning Policy answered questions raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee:

·       Princes Parade Project – Hoarding removal decision taken by Councillor Jim Martin, as published on 12/02/2024 (Decision Details). Members were concerned about the significant monies to be spent as a result of this decision – Councillor Jim Martin provide members with a summary break down of the costs involved and stated that the approach confirmed meant the Council would be saving money overall.

·       As per the report C/23/88 – The report advises that the hoarding should remain in place due to ground contamination – As part of this decision, a new perimeter fence will be installed, to prevent access and trespassing, and due to the design, this will also open up visibility across the area.

·       Some members were happy with new fencing being installed and thus opening space up visually. It was also mentioned that residents feel unsafe driving along that particular stretch of road due to the reflection from the current hoardings.