Issue - meetings

The Board received a presentation from the Head of Regulatory Services on the subject of Worcestershire Regulatory Services (Appendix A).  The Chairman explained that the presentation had been requested in order to provide Members with background information about the shared service in advance of the launch of a joint scrutiny review of this subject.

The following points were highlighted by Officers for Members’ consideration:

·                A shared Regulatory Service had been one of eleven options originally considered under the Worcestershire Enhanced Two Tier Programme (WETT).  This shared service had been progressed because it had been considered viable and capable of achieving efficiency savings.

·                Worcestershire Regulatory Services was the only regulatory service shared between different local authorities in the country.  There was the potential that further Councils could be incorporated into the shared service in the long-term.

·                Worcestershire Regulatory Services was responsible for managing a number of functions including food safety.  In recent months service representatives had investigated the implications of the horse meat scandal for food provided to schools in Worcestershire, though only a single area of concern had been identified in the north of the county.

·                When the shared service had first been launched joint working had been challenging because officers were familiar with different organisational cultures and operating methods.  By using a central base in Worcester staff had been able to develop a single culture.

·                Elected Members’ engagement with the Worcestershire Regulatory Services team varied across the county, though senior Officers regularly briefed the Leader and Chief Executive of each local authority. 

·                Worcestershire Regulatory Services was based in Wyatt House in Worcester.  However, surgeries were provided in each of the districts and could be accessed by customers where required.

·                Bromsgrove District Council was the host authority for Worcestershire Regulatory Service.  The Council received a fee from other local authorities in the partnership for hosting the service.

During the meeting Members also discussed the following points in detail:

·                Members commented on the high frequency of nuisance complaints that had been received from the Aston Fields area of the district.  A number of reasons were discussed as the potential causes for these complaints, including the location of industrial estates within the area, though Members were advised that complaints could be influenced by a variety of factors.

·                A significant proportion of complaints about nuisance related to reports of noise. 80% of complaints about noise concerned domestic circumstances.

·                Dog Wardens employed by the service worked throughout the county.  The Dog Wardens were primarily employed to respond to complaints about barking dogs, though staff could provide advice about appropriate sources of support available to manage the behaviour of dogs.

·                Stray dogs located by the Dog Wardens were often placed temporarily in local kennels until either the owner could be located or a new home could be found for the animal.

·                Members commented that licensing arrangements at each local authority appeared to vary significantly.  This was largely due to the fact that each local authority retained local decision making powers in relation to licensing matters  ...  view the full minutes text for item 118