Minutes:
The Head of Environmental Services delivered a presentation on the subject of the work of the place team for the consideration of the Board. During this presentation the following points were highlighted for Members’ consideration:
· The work of the place team was aligned to a number of key operational principles.
· The restructure of the Environmental Services team had been completed.
· Staff in the new structure were expected to work holistically as part of a multi-skilled workforce.
· It had taken time for some members of the team to learn the new ways of working. Training and support was being provided.
· Some posts remained vacant though it was anticipated that these would be filled shortly.
· The Council was working closely with key partners, such as Bromsgrove District Housing Trust (BDHT), to meet the needs of residents.
· Staff were being encouraged to develop links with ward and parish Councillors and to participate in estate walkabouts with elected Members.
· Contact information for lead operational officers in Environmental Services was circulated for Members’ consideration.
· Key lessons had been learned from the restructure. The recruitment process had coincided with the main growing season and this had meant that in some cases staff had been distracted from core tasks at a busy time of the year.
· It would take time to embed the new ways of working as culture change could be a time consuming process.
· Route optimisation had enabled the Council to develop efficient waste and recycling collection services. However, these might need to be reviewed at a future date as and when larger housing developments emerged.
Following the presentation a number of key points were discussed in further detail by the Board:
· An increased emphasis on team working in order to encourage staff to take ownership of their work.
· Continuing use of schedules for services such as litter picking. These would be adapted to meet the needs of local areas as staff became familiar with their localities.
· Provision of staff contact details to the public and the most appropriate ways to report environmental concerns to the place teams.
· Communication between staff and the public, including Parish Councillors. Members were advised that there were standard timeframes within which staff should be responding to customers, including sending acknowledgements in complicated cases which would take time to resolve.
· The trial of the new working arrangements that had taken place in Winyates, Redditch and subsequently in Wythall.
· The success of the trial in Wythall and the extent to which ward and Parish Councillors in the area had appreciated the outcomes of this way of working.
· The enhanced role of ward Councillors in areas where there were no Parish Councils.
· The need to change the ways in which the Environmental Services teams had been working as these had been shaped by compulsory competitive tendering some time ago.
· The potential for Place team representatives to attend PACT meetings.
· The option for Place team representatives to participate in estate walkabouts at the weekends. This would be particularly helpful for Councillors with working responsibilities.
· Arrangements for gritting Council land and the responsibility of Worcestershire County Council for gritting the main highways during periods of inclement weather.
RESOLVED that the presentation be noted.