Agenda and minutes

Members and officers must declare any disclosable pecuniary interests in relation to any business on the agenda. Declarations should also be made at any stage such an interest becomes apparent during the meeting.

If in doubt contact the Legal or Democratic Services representative for this meeting.

To approve the minutes of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting

held on 15 July 2024, copies of which have been previously circulated.

The minutes of the meeting of the 15 July 2024 were approved as a correct record and be signed by the Chairman

So as to provide the best opportunity for the Committee to provide the public with the fullest answer, questions from the public should be submitted by 12.00 noon on 2nd September 2024

Where relevant notice of a question has not been given, the person presiding may either choose to give a response at the meeting or respond by undertaking to provide a written response within three working days.

Questions should be submitted to Democratic Services democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk

(Note: Public Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

There were no questions from the public

Councillors who are not members of this committee can ask questions under CPR 12  Questions should be relevant to the committee where the question is being asked and also relevant to an item on the agenda. Please contact Democratic Services for more information

Members question time is 30 minutes and questions should be submitted no later than 12.00 noon on 2nd September 2024.

Questions should be submitted to Democratic Services democratic.services@adur-worthing.gov.uk 

(Note: Members’ Question Time will operate for a maximum of 30 minutes.)

There were no questions from Members

To consider any items the Chairman of the meeting considers to be urgent

There were no urgent items

There were no call-ins

To consider a report by the Chief Executive, copy attached as item 8.

The Committee had a report before it attached as item 8, which had been circulated to all Members and is attached to a signed copy of these minutes. This report would assist the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) in questioning the Chief Executive and the Adur and Worthing Council Leaders.

Questions for the Chief Executive

A Member asked, “I refer to Appendix B; Joint Priorities for Adur and Worthing Councils, Point 3.1

‘Simplification of online processes, making it quicker and easier for residents to get in touch with teams and access services they need.’

Having consulted widely with Adur Councillors, there have been many concerns raised by residents across Adur by the removal of face-to-face appointments at the Shoreham Centre using the ‘cheese counter’ drop in system. Many residents have tried in vain to book appointments via the telephone, only to be held in lengthy queues. In moving towards a simplified online system, is the Council in danger of marginalising the many residents who lack either the IT skills, or the financial resources to access the necessary hardware to take advantage of this shift?

Members were informed that as part of the service redesign for Resident Services the organisation was moving to a digital first approach.  To address the budget savings required they had reduced the number of officers and the capacity in the team.  As part of this work they were now mirroring the same approach across Worthing and Adur which meant switching to appointments only. Switching to an appointment only system with telephone triage ensured they were able to help everyone as quickly as they were able in the channel most appropriate to residents needs with the officers available. It was worth noting the Shoreham centre would deal with people that present with more urgent needs without the need for an appointment.

In the Shoreham centre there was a hybrid approach, maintaining face-to-face service while also enhancing online and telephone options. This would ensure that all residents, regardless of their situation, had access to essential services.

There wasn't always a requirement for residents to always speak with an officer when they needed to deliver forms/letters. Having received feedback, they had created a secure option to enable residents to leave their forms without the need for an appointment.

There were still some issues that were being worked through, and the long term plan was to pursue partnerships with local organisations that could provide workshops or one-on-one support sessions to help residents improve their digital skills to empower more people to use online services.

A Member asked, “I sent an email on August 14th requesting an explanation as to why the councils' internal communications' strategy appears to have changed. To date, I have yet to receive a reply.

This followed an incident whereby elected members found out that some public toilets were going to be closed on a busy August Saturday, due to staffing issues, via social media. There was no prior warning or consultation.  

In that email, I  ...  view the full minutes text for item JOSC/18/24-25

To consider a report by the Director for Sustainability and Resources copy attached as item 9

The Committee had a report before it attached as item 9, which had been circulated to all Members and is attached to a signed copy of these minutes. This report set out progress with the delivery of the new Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee (JOSC) Work Programme for 2024/25 which was submitted to the Committee for consideration and comment.

Members discussed the theme of the next meeting of JOSC being around housing, who to invite to speak and how to encourage public participation. Members also discussed the scrutiny request that had been submitted to look at commemorative events.

Resolved: 

The Joint Overview and Scrutiny Committee agreed to add the scrutiny request; looking at the plan for future commemorative events and how to cover the communities wishes, to the meeting in January.