Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Chief Officers’ Management Team seeking approval for the Consultation and Engagement Strategy.

Approved the contents of the Customer Service, Communications and Marketing and Consultation and Engagement Strategies and requested that a further report be submitted as and when the supporting action plans are developed.

By way of a report by the Chief Officers’ Management Team, the Cabinet was invited to consider the following strategies:

-  Customer Service;

-  Communications and Marketing; and

-  Consultation and Engagement.

(Copies of the reports and strategies are appended in the Minute Book.)

In so doing, Members were advised that the strategies had been updated following the adoption of a revised version of “Growing Success” – the Council’s Corporate Plan in June 2007 and that the Overview & Scrutiny Panel (Corporate and Strategic Framework) had considered them at their meeting on 6^th February 2008.

Arising from Members’ comments in relation to the necessity for separate action plans for each of the strategies rather than a general plan embracing all of the objectives, the Head of Policy and Strategic Services acknowledged that while some of the actions were inter-related the plans needed to be prepared individually for the purpose of inspection and external audit. Having referred also to the need to identify savings within the plans and in view of the absence of measures/targets within the Customer Service action plan, the Cabinet

RESOLVED

that the contents of the Customer Service, Communications and Marketing and Consultation and Engagement Strategies be approved and a further report submitted as and when the supporting action plans are developed.

To consider a report by the Chief Officers’ Management Team on the Customer Service Strategy, Communications and Marketing Strategy and Consultation and Engagement Strategy.

With the aid of a report by the Chief Officers’ Management Team (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) the Panel considered the Customer Service, Communications and Marketing and Consultation and Engagement Strategies, which had been reviewed following the adoption of a revised version of Growing Success, the Council’s Corporate Plan, in June 2007.

Members were informed that the Strategies were mutually supportive and inherently connected in terms of the objectives that they were seeking to promote.  The Panel was advised that the Strategies would be reviewed every three years, and the respective action plans revised on an annual basis.

With regard to the revised Customer Service Strategy, the Panel was acquainted with details of the “Customer Insight” concept which would be adopted across the Council and which sought to identify the needs of customers thereby enabling the Council to provide services in a way that met those needs.  The Panel was advised that the formation of a Customer Services Team under the responsibility of a single Head of Service together with the effective use of resources would support the delivery of the Strategy.  The action plan for the Strategy had yet to be finalised but would be presented to the Cabinet at its February meeting.

The Panel was informed of the background to the decision to expand and strengthen the former Communications and Consultation Strategy by creating two separate strategies for Communications and Marketing and for Consultation and Engagement.  Members were acquainted with the measures contained in the Communications and Marketing Strategy to tailor information on services to the needs of individuals and to market services, particularly those that were subject to competition.

In discussing the Consultation and Engagement Strategy, Members were advised that it had been informed by new requirements on the Council to engage with communities.  As part of this, the Strategy was intended to support Councillors in their roles.  Members commented on the need to improve the way they were involved in the Council’s consultation process.

In response to a question by a Member, it was reported that the Strategies were intended primarily for internal use but that an executive summary of each would be made available for public use via the website.  Having noted that the Council’s performance against the Strategies would be reported through the performance management system, it was

RESOLVED

that the Customer Service, Communications and Marketing and Consultation and Engagement Strategies be endorsed for submission to the Cabinet.