Agenda item - Activity & Performance Data Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4

Agenda item

Activity & Performance Data Quarters 1, 2, 3, and 4

Minutes:

The Board considered a report that detailed Worcestershire Regulatory Services Activity and Performance Data for Quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2017/2018.

 

The Licensing and Support Services Manager, Worcestershire Regulatory Services (WRS) introduced the report and in doing so informed Members that the total number of interventions at premises for food safety across the County for the year was 1,332.  A high proportion (97.6%) of these premises in all districts was broadly compliant, indicating that the vast majority of food businesses were well run.

 

The number of health and safety complaints and enquiries fell in the fourth quarter such that demand was lower than in previous years through February and March.  Health and safety activity continued to be intelligence led and the high level of enforcement activity continued.  Investigations this financial year included a fatality which resulted in a custodial sentence.  In addition a number of serious cases were also investigated. 

 

The number of accident reports rose in Quarter 4, but overall had remained slightly lower than in the previous two years.

 

The poor weather in Quarter 4 kept nuisance complaints at a relatively low level.  The team investigated 2,387 nuisance complaints in 2017/2018 covering light, noise, odour and smoke.  1,739 of these related to noise nuisance which placed the greatest demand on the service.

 

A special edition of the Members’ Eye Bulletin was produced to help Members to better understand the legal basis for their respective authority’s activities in relation to statutory nuisance and to explain where WRS had to draw the line in relation to their investigative activities.

 

As air quality continued to steal the headlines nationally, local air quality continued to be of importance.  Following several detailed investigations in Worcester City, the decision was taken in January to declare the political boundary of the city as an air quality management area.  In similar circumstances Wychavon District Council had decided to declare a significant part of Wychbold (along the A38 and M5) as an air quality management area.  Both declarations were due to exceedances of Nitrogen Dioxide caused by road traffic.

 

The Licensing and Support Services Manager, WRS, provided Members with additional air quality updates as detailed on page 32 of the main agenda pack.

 

Members were further informed that WRS had received a series of permit applications over the year with several from waste management companies in relation to Small Waste Incineration Plant (SWIP).  It was believed that changes in the waste industry had instigated the need for companies to dispose of certain waste streams (waste wood) through the process of incineration as export to non EU countries had now become unviable.  Because of the economies of scale created by WRS, this had enabled the retention of significant officer resource and knowledge in these highly technical areas.  WRS was regarded by the Environment Agency and others as the leading local authority regulatory service in this sector in the UK.  The team had worked with the Environment Agency to provide guidance nationally to other authorities.

 

Businesses’ interest in primary authority relationships continued to grow in this sector and WRS were in the process of finalising formal partnerships with CEMEX and Weinberger.  This would make WRS a provider of assured advice to two international companies with multiple sites and major investments in the UK with work scheduled to commence on the 1st May 2018, a first for the minerals sector.

 

The cumulative number of sick days per staff member was 12.45 days per FTE (Full Time Equivalent) which was double the figure for the previous year, which was 5.95 days per FTE.  The Licensing and Support Services Manager, WRS, explained that all members of staff who recorded sickness had been grouped by the total number of sick days recorded during the year, as detailed on page 33 of the main agenda pack.  Nine members of staff fell into the group taking 21 days or more sick-leave during the year.  Three members of staff required significant surgery; three members of staff had been suffering from stress due to either domestic issues exacerbated by the pressures of work or issues that had occurred at work.  A further two had chronic medical conditions that meant they were likely to have more than the average number of sickness days.  One staff member had been through the 4 stage process for dealing with sickness absence and had been dismissed on capability grounds.

 

Of the three officers with stress related issues, one had returned to full-time work, one had opted to take early retirement and the third officer was in discussion with their Team Manager and Senior Practitioner about their future.  The two officers with long-term chronic conditions had been to see occupational health and the service was making adjustments to help them to avoid some of the issues that could exacerbate their conditions.

 

A significant proportion of the illnesses between 5 and 10 days occurred from October onwards and was due to the influenza virus that went through the teams over the winter period.

 

In response to this difficult year, Team Managers had been asked to review the records and identify those officers who had hit the intervention trigger in the sickness policy and to speak with them informally about their record, unless the trigger was caused by a single bout of influenza.  The Bromsgrove District Council (BDC) Sickness Absence Policy for Employees had two potential trigger points for a rolling 6 month period.

 

The Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, had arranged for a regular HR presence from BDC at Wyre Forest and each Team Manager would meet with the HR officer on a monthly basis to look at any HR issues including sickness related ones, particularly those hitting the trigger point. 

 

The Licensing and Support Services Manager, WRS, continued and informed the Board that, with regard to income generation, the total income generated was £325,000, which expressed as a percentage of district revenue budget (2017/2018) was at a very healthy 10.7%.  In summary, with the exception of sickness, performance overall had been maintained and was broadly comparable with the previous year.

 

The Chairman thanked the Licensing and Support Services Manager, WRS, and commented that it was an excellent report.

 

The Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, added that there were labouring under no illusions that the levels pf sickness for 2017/2018 were extraordinary compared to previous years and he had recognised that he needed to do something about it.  Managers had now put a system in place to ensure that this did not happen again.

In response to Members’ questions, the Head of Regulatory Services, WRS, informed the Board that, the BDC Sickness Policy for Employees had an “Informal Action – Meeting” to consider the particular circumstances, if there was pattern or cause for concern.  The informal meeting enabled discussions to ensure that there were no particular work issues that had caused their sickness, to inform staff that whilst they were not at work it could create pressure on their colleagues; and also to determine if there was anything that officers could put in place to help them.  A record of the “Informal Action – Meeting” would be kept.

In response to questions from Members, the Technical Services Manager, WRS, informed the Board that he was unable to answer as to why the export of waste to non EU countries had now become unviable, resulting in the growth in incineration activity.  However, he would reassure Members that a lot of work had been carried out in conjunction with the Environment Agency to check that the right waste was going to the right incineration plant.  It was a complex area, so officers had tried to sort out the best way to deal with this and in doing so, had produced a flow chart with the Environment Agency detailing what waste goes where and this would assist other local authorities in dealing with issues in their areas.  Officers had received positive feedback from the Environment Agency for this.  Two investigative operations had been conducted and this had proved to be a really useful exercise.  The information from those investigations was then used to feed into the WRS intelligence system.

RESOLVEDthat the Activity and Performance Data report for Quarters 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2017/2018 be noted.

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