No disclosures were received.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2024 (enclosed).

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 February 2024, as circulated, were approved and signed as a correct record.

To consider the report of the Senior Democratic Services Officer (enclosed).

Considered – report of the Senior Democratic Services & Scrutiny Officer.

Cabinet Executive’s response was noted.

With regards to Recommendation 9, Cllr. Luke Cousin requested that a cost-benefit breakdown of increasing HVO storage be provided. It was agreed that a more detailed answer would be provided by the Neighbourhood Services Group Manager.

Members will receive a presentation from the Transformation & Projects Service Manager and the Transformation & ICT Group Manager.

Considered – Presentation from the ICT & Transformation Group Manager and the Transformation & Projects Service Manager.

The ICT & Transformation Group Manager and the Transformation & Projects Service Manager provided an update on Transformation, covering the background to Transformation, the journey so far and future ambitions. Members were invited to ask questions throughout the presentation.

Question 1:

The Transformation & Projects Service Manager updated Members on the Transformation Survey which was distributed to all BDC staff members, including staff at the depot.

Cllr. Matt Tomeo queried, from a diversity and inclusion perspective, whether the survey received responses from all levels of staff, e.g., including staff on lower salary ranges and part-time staff?

Response:

The Transformation & Projects Service Manager responded that the survey was anonymised and therefore did not capture any employment information other than the respondent’s group and service area.

Question 2:

Cllr. Luke Cousin asked whether any examples could be given of adverse or negative impacts of Transformation so far and, if so, how challenges were monitored and overcome.

Response:

The ICT & Transformation Group Manager explained that, in the early stages of the Transformation journey, it was important not to disengage staff. Therefore, initial Transformation projects focussed on areas where targets were easier to achieve, where improvements could be shown, and where there was more engagement from staff. Now, a year into the Transformation process, greater challenges would be expected and these would be tackled through the same project management process that guided earlier projects. The ICT & Transformation Group Manager expressed confidence in the team’s ability to deal with upcoming challenges as staff members are now more confident in the process and many have engaged with the project management training that is available to all staff members.

Question 3:

Cllr. Matt Tomeo asked which projects the Transformation team expects will be the most challenging over the next year?

Response:

The Transformation & Projects Service Manager responded that greater challenges are expected where BDC is working with partnerships or delivering services on behalf of other authorities, as the Transformation team will have less control of the process.

Question 4:

Cllr. Antony Moseley asked how taxi licensing processing timescales were reduced and queried whether this has led to a reduction of quality?

Response:

The Transformation & Projects Service Manager responded that an emphasis was placed on maintaining the quality of the licensing service while reducing the timescales. Specifically, the team were able to reduce the amount of times an individual needs to visit the Council Offices to obtain their taxi license, by re-hashing the process into a logical order where multiple processes could be completed during one visit.

Question 5:

Referring to the reduced timescales in planning application initial evaluations, Cllr. Antony Moseley asked whether application numbers remained consistent during this time period, or whether the reduced timescales were partly due to less planning applications being received?

Response:

The Transformation & Projects Service Manager responded that the number of planning applications received has stayed consistent during the period in question.

Question 6:

Cllr. Antony Moseley asked whether much  ...  view the full minutes text for item 277.

The Democracy Support Officer updated Members on several upcoming Scrutiny groups and informed Members that they would receive invitations to the following:

·         Contaminated Land Task & Finish Group

·         Net Zero by 2050 Working Group

·         iPlan Working Group

·         The Council’s approach to Graffiti & Littering Task & Finish Group

·         Parks and Open Spaces Strategy Task & Finish Group

·         HR Review Task & Finish Group

Members accepted the items on the Scrutiny Work Programme 2023-24 and no additional actions were proposed.

No items were raised for further information or examination.

There were no further actions arising from the meeting.