Issue - meetings

Report of the Cabinet Member Corporate Services

RESOLVED THAT

1.    those functions for Customer Services listed at Appendix 3 be delegated to the 2020 Vision Joint Committee subject to delegation principles in section 6.

2.    the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists

The Cabinet Member Finance introduced the report and explained that at the Council meeting held on 19 October 2015 a commitment had been made by the Leader to ensure that back-bench members would be given the opportunity to be involved in discussions regarding the business cases for sharing services under the 2020 shared services partnership structure. This took the form of a Cabinet Member Working Group (CMWG) Customer and Support Services which met 3 times to consider ‘What, How and Why’ the council should consider sharing Customer Services including the consideration of other sharing options. Members of the CMWG considered the options in the business case and supported the recommended option for sharing with 2020 vision partners.

The Cabinet Member Finance highlighted what members of the CMWG thought were the most important outcomes for the council and for its customers and communities as laid down in paragraph 2.4 of the report. He also highlighted the benefits that linking IT and customer services would bring to the customer, particularly given the specific funding of £1.5 m for ICT to finance the necessary step change in technology required to support the development of customer services.

Councillor Wilkinson, as member of the CMWG, was invited to address Cabinet. He reported that it had been a positive process and that it was important that it was scrutinised and that the thinking behind it was understood. The group believed that there was significant scope for improvement as whilst the current customer services did a good job a more rounded, more responsive service which provided answers to the public in a quicker and more satisfactory way and with enhanced online technology, whilst maintaining face to face and telephone support, would improve the service greatly.

The Cabinet Member proposed that the wording to recommendation 2 be amended to read (changes in italics) : “the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists”.

RESOLVED THAT

1.    those functions for Customer Services listed at Appendix 3 be delegated to the 2020 Vision Joint Committee subject to delegation principles in section 6.

2.    the Director of Resources in consultation with the Cabinet Member Finance be authorised to undertake all necessary actions and processes to implement the matters set out in this report including authority to make minor amendments to the delegation lists