Babergh and Mid Suffolk District Councils
Democratic Services

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Agenda item

Minutes:

98.1 The Corporate Manager for Customer services introduced the information bulletin to the committee and the headline details contained within it and updated Members that the pop-up services in Shotley and Hadleigh would be taking place from the 4 October 2021.

 

98.2 Councillor Sue Ayres asked what measures were being undertaken to inform Members of the public that the Town Hall was no longer a customer access point as there were on average 10 people a day who were trying to access services from there and what additional communication services were available to residents when they entered the Customer Access Points.

 

98.3 The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that more advertising would be undertaken if this continued and that other forms of communication including sign language would be explored for communicating with residents where required.

 

98.4 Councillor Melanie Barrett queried the number of residents who had visited the Sudbury Customer Access Point and the Stowmarket Customer Access Point and the reasons for the relative difference in numbers.

 

98.5 The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that historically there had been a higher demand for face-to-face services in Babergh but there had been a greater uptake in telephone appointments in Mid Suffolk and Stowmarket.

 

In response to a follow-up question from Cllr Barrett the Corporate Manager for Customer Services confirmed that the face-to-face services were always under review and that the council would be bringing back its pop-up services and that in Sudbury 2 days a week and would measure demand in the future.

 

98.6 Councillor Paul Ekpenyong suggested that in future the number of telephone appointments also be included within the information presented before Committee and questioned what work was being done on the website to help customers upload information through the website and whether the digital skills support had been launched and what effect it was having.

 

98.7 The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that the telephone appointments would be included in any future information bulletins, and outlined that the website was reviewed regularly especially with regards to feedback which was received, and the digital skills would be launching shortly and would be online training which would be supported by a face to face offer and that a survey regarding this had been sent to the Councils tenants.

 

98.8 Councillor Alastair McCraw – Cabinet Member for Customers and Digital Transformation (BDC) commented that the average time spent with each customer during a face to face meeting was 30 minutes , and that the Councils’ were providing 4 times as much officer time as was used currently and that this was the right level of service provision for customers.

 

98.9 Councillor Melanie Barrett commented queried the efficiency of telephone calls when compared with the face to face contact. The Cabinet Member for Customers and Digital Transformation confirmed that most queries were dealt with on first contact and that he would feed back any further information at any further meetings.

 

98.10 Councillor Keith Scarff commented that there was a general misunderstanding on the roles of each authority and what their responsibilities are and who should be contacted for each role.

 

98.11 Councillor Sue Ayres left the meeting at 12:20

 

98.11 Councillor Terence Carter queried the disabled access to the Stowmarket Customer Access point and whether it was possible to do teams meetings and whether monitors and sound setups could be used to increase accessibility to the service.

 

98.12 The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that in terms of the access for Stowmarket, the Disability forum had visited the site and had made some recommendations which were being planned to be put into place to improve access and that there was currently a limit of 1 person allowed in at a time due to the Pandemic Regulations to allow a 1 to 1 service with the officer. In term of the Teams appointments the Corporate Manager responded that the Council was working with Citizens Advice to provide that service.

 

98.13 Councillor Sian Dawson queried whether there would be a service provided to residents in Hadleigh Library and was something going to be coming back to Hadleigh. The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that this would be restarting from the 4 October with 2 officers attending.

 

98.14 Councillor Melanie Barrett queried what grade of officer would be attending the customer access points. The Corporate Manager for Customer Services responded that the Customer access points would be attended by a grade 4 officer and a grade 3 officer.

 

98.15 The information bulletin was noted by the Committee.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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