Agenda item

The Environmental Health & Trading Standards Manager presented the Activity and Performance Data, Quarter 3 2024/2025 report, and in doing so the following key points were highlighted: -

Activity Data

The number of Food Safety cases logged in our system in the first three quarters of 2024/5 represented a fall of 11% compared to 2022/23 and a reduction of 2% compared to 2023/24. Most service requests tended to be enquiries, including requests for business advice, rather than complaints. Of the 357 actual food complaints received during the period, 69% were related to issues with food products (such as poor-quality food or food containing a foreign object,) whilst 31% were related to alleged poor hygiene standards or practices at food businesses. In relation to these latter cases, it was seldom that they resulted in action as, even if standards had slipped, they seldom meant a business scored less than 3 on the Food Hygiene Rating System, so were still making safe food.

Quarter 3 saw health and safety work generally following trends, although the actual case number in the quarter fell slightly compared to the previous two. The number of cases received between 1st April and 31st December 2024 represented a fall of 11% compared to 2022/23 but an increase of 4% compared to 2023/24.

Licensing application numbers during Q3 and 4 generally fell compared to Q2 figures and this year had continued this trend. Complaints and enquiries fell during Q3 compared to Q2, but overall, they probably remained on trend. The overall number of cases received between 1st April and 31st December 2024 represents an increase of 4% compared to 2022/23 but this was consistent with 2023/24. In terms of the breakdown between application work and complaint/ enquiry work, around 65% of cases consisted of applications and registrations, with the remainder being the complaints and enquiries. Some 30% of applications related to private hire or hackney carriage vehicles and a further 27% were temporary event notices.

As with other areas of work, the service received a higher number of enquiries, such as queries about regulations, by-laws, and licence conditions compared with what might be described as complaints involving licensed businesses or individuals. Looking at the latter, during this financial year so far, some 41%of complaints related to taxi licensing (such as reports of poor driver behaviour, unauthorised parking, or poor driving standards,) with 17% related to alcohol licensing (business allegedly breaching the four licensing objectives).A further 10% of complaints related to animal licensing with most cases relating to the unlicensed breeding and/or sale of dogs.

Planning enquiries in Quarter 3 continued the upward trend previously described. The number of cases received to the end of quarter 3 represented an increase of 29% compared to 2022/23 and an increase of 18% compared to 2023/24. Around 89% of enquiries were consultations for air quality, contaminated land, or nuisances; and 1 in 4 enquiries were now processed (on a contractual basis) on behalf of other local authorities as part of the service’s income generation activities.

Members will see that the fall in nuisance complaints through quarter 3 mirrored previous seasonal patterns reflecting the poor weather in 2024/5. The number of cases received between 1st April and 31st December 2024 represented a reduction of 29% compared to 2022/23 and 22% compared to 2023/24. This was likely driven by poor weather. Approximately 90% of cases were reports of nuisances with around 43% of cases relating to noise from domestic properties (such as noise from barking dogs or noise from loud music). Other prominent nuisances commonly included noise from hospitality businesses, smoke from the burning of domestic or commercial waste, and dust from construction sites.

Performance

Quarter 3 was another more limited reporting period. The non-business customer measure at 58.6% but was slightly lower than at the same point last year (60.7%,) but slightly above the previous one (57.9%.) Whilst we saw reduced demand for nuisance work during the period, it seemed likely that problems in other areas of work like animal licensing may be reflected here. Response numbers also remained low with under 80 replies received from April to December. Having reviewed the data, the speed of addressing the issue and whether the overall outcome met expectations still needed improvement. The latter may need clear conversations at the beginning of the process as to the potential likelihood of being able to achieve the change someone wanted to see. Numbers who felt better equipped to deal with future issues at 54.2 % was slightly below the figures at the same point in the previous 2 years. 

Business customer satisfaction had fallen slightly this quarter to 96.8% but was still well above last year’s 92% at the same point in the year.

Overall numbers of compliant and non-compliant food businesses were at 98.3% and 1.7% respectively. This remained good and on a par with previous years.

The ratio of compliments to complaints remains good at 58 to 17.

Staff sickness had increased from 1.42 days per FTE to 2.94 days per FTE cumulative for the year. This was higher than last year but close to the level at the same point in the previous 2-years (2.44, 2.94). Whilst the cold and flu viruses appeared to be worse this year than last, over 36% of sickness fell into the long term (i.e., member of staff being off for 28 days plus,) so some of this was down to serious illness being suffered by one or two members of staff. Sickness also remained well below pre-pandemic levels with 2019/20 having 3.82, and 2018/19 having 3.26 days per FTE at the same point in the year.

The Director of WRS, responded to questions from Members with regards to customer satisfaction, and in doing so commented that a lot of customer dissatisfaction related to noise nuisance, some of which were not always a statutory nuisance under legislation.  The law did not always meet public expectation, so not everyone was happy with the outcome of noise nuisance complaints. There had also been an increase in service complaints with regards to animal licensing, where businesses were not happy with what they were expected to do to comply.

As highlighted in the report, the increase in staff sickness was in part due to a small number of staff on long term sickness due to serious illness.  

Councillor K. Holmes, Worcester City Council asked for it to be noted that Cathedral Ward had now been split into two new wards, named Fort Royal and Cathedral.  The Director of WRS noted this and agreed that officers would make this change in future reports.

In response to a question on the Homes for Ukraine team meeting with an external Mental Health team, the Director of WRS explained that WRS officers acted in a liaison role for Bromsgrove District and Redditch Borough Councils working with other colleagues to support guests on the Homes for Ukraine initiative.  WRS did not deliver mental health support they acted in a signposting role.

Officers responded to several general questions on: -

• Dogs euthanasia, had this increased or stabilised? WRS general policy on dog euthanasia.
• Noise issues and legislation, whereby the public struggled to understand current legislation with regard to statutory nuisance.  
• Taxi Licensing fees in Wyre Forest compared to other partner authorities’ fees.

RESOLVED that the Activity and Performance Data Quarter 3 2024/25, be noted and that Members use the contents of the report in their own reporting back to their respective partner authority.