Minutes:
Councillor Orson stated that:
(a) since the last Council meeting, Cabinet and Scrutiny had held their first meetings and both had a positive and constructive start. Cabinet had made decisions to enter a regional economic partnership, consult on new powers to tackle environmental crime, adopt the Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Guidance and consult on a new Developer Contributions SPD. As part of aspirations to become more commercial, the Council had also recently initiated a consultation for a new Debt and Income Management Policy. Scrutiny Committee was playing an active part in policy development. It had already provided valuable feedback on the proposed Public Spaces Protection Orders, and the approach to supporting Citizen’s Advice services in Leicestershire; the financial implications of which were due to be considered at this meeting. He looked forward to continue the work with Scrutiny Committee and wider members, to ensure the Council made the best possible decisions on behalf of its community;
(b) the Council’s organisational review to improve service quality had commenced. Alongside the work already being done in planning, focus was on process improvement within Housing Repairs and support from Scrutiny Committee would be sought for the establishment of a task and finish group to review the voids management process. Key to these reviews is that the process is looked at from an ‘end to end’ perspective, where the whole customer journey is considered. In doing this, any waste, inefficiency or poor service could be identified and action taken to improve. At the right time, there would be opportunities for Members to see what had been learned from these reviews and the actions being taken to improve;
(c) a focus on service quality would be a key component of the Council’s new Corporate Strategy. The initial work had started on this and would continue over the summer. Outcomes from the resident survey would be received in August and discussed, together with the Council’s proposed new priorities with all Members in October at the Development Day. As well as agreeing what it wanted to achieve, the Council would also be considering its organisational structures and resources to ensure it was equipped to deliver them. The Chief Executive and his team would also bring forward a dedicated Housing Improvement Plan to ensure the Council continued and accelerated the improvements necessary in its housing services;
(d) later in the meeting, Members would consider whether to declare a ‘climate emergency’. Another factor which needed to be considered as part of the Council’s strategy. The challenge climate change brings to our environment and our communities could not be ignored and as Melton looked to grow, it must ensure it did so sustainably.
He congratulated Councillor Chandler on raising £7,000 for her charities during her Mayoral year and commended the Mayor and officers for the excellent Summer Social event last week. He also thanked officers for the terrific service exhibition held before this meeting, adding that events like these created opportunities for Members and officers to better understand the wide range of activities undertaken across the Council and all the things done on behalf of our community.