Agenda item

To present the report of the Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation.

The report of the Head of Profession (Human Resources) and Transformation incorporating the final scorecard report for 2020/21 was presented for the Committee’s consideration. The scorecard portrays the position of the Council against its operational objectives as outlined and agreed earlier in the year.

Councillor Dafydd Rhys Thomas, Portfolio Member for Corporate Business introduced the report highlighting that the Quarter 4 Scorecard brings to a close one of the most difficult periods in the life of this Council. During Quarter 4, Wales continued to be in a national lockdown and the Island saw its highest number of positive Covid 19 cases as well as an outbreak on Holy Island. As a result of a multi-agency response and intervention, the situation was successfully managed swiftly, avoiding further community spread to other areas of Anglesey. It is within this context that the Quarter 4 report has been prepared and is a key tool in monitoring the success of the Council’s normal business as usual activities.

Referring to specific areas of performance, the Portfolio Member for Corporate Business confirmed that the Coronavirus pandemic has had a significant impact on the normal delivery of services by the Council and as such the financial performance does not reflect what would happen in a normal year. The underspend of £4.197m is welcomed and strengthens the Council’s financial position but the situation could change especially as the demand for services is expected to increase following the pandemic. In those areas where performance has declined or is under target, Covid19 has been a significant contributing factor as shown in the report. Conversely, the pandemic and the national work at home edict have led to a marked improvement in the staff absence level with 6.68 days lost to absence per FTE in the year against a target of 9.75 days lost per FTE. Reduced contact with others has resulted in a short-term sickness level of only 1.94 days lost to absence per FTE throughout the year. The use of technology has been key although the number of online payments for the green waste collection service was disappointing. The Council’s phone lines came under particular pressure for a period at that time and lessons have been learnt from the experience with a view to improving the process next year. Despite its having been a most difficult year, performance on the whole has held up well and thanks are due to all the Council’s staff who have ensured the continuation of the Council’s business while adapting to different ways of working and in many cases undertaking roles that did not exist before the pandemic.

The Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation agreed that although it had been a most challenging year, staff had responded well to the changed circumstances but that Covid-19 remains a challenge going forward.

In the ensuing discussion, the following points were raised –

•           The timeline for the re-opening of Cyswllt Môn, the Council’s customer facing area   for members of the public to manage issues that cannot be dealt with online acknowledging that that must be done safely.

The Chief Executive clarified that it was hoped that Cyswllt Môn would be able to re-open in some form soon and that work is being done in the background to that end. The Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation further advised that the public can contact the Council through other means and although people do like to visit the Council’s Offices for face to face discussion, any such visit must be for a purpose. The Council is not alone among the North Wales councils in not yet having yet re-opened its corporate contact centre and whilst work is being done to consider how re-opening Cyswllt Môn can be achieved in a way that keeps both visitors and staff safe, the advice from Welsh Government at this time is that staff continue to work from home where that is possible which applies to Cyswllt Môn staff as to staff in other services.

•           Issues with the Council’s telephone system and its ability to cope on occasions when the number of calls is high (e.g. in connection with the green waste collection service) which it was noted pre-date Covid-19. Questions were asked about what provision is being put in place for the telephone system especially while Cyswllt Môn remains closed and what plans are there to upgrade the system.

The Head of Profession (HR) and Transformation advised that it was important to consider the context and in particular the volume of telephone calls received which at peak points was three times higher than usual. Whilst no issues were reported with the telephone system in the nine months from March to December, 2020,  a significant surge in the number of calls during March, 2021  – close to 3,000 calls per day were received on several days during the month -  placed enormous pressure on the system.  Prior to the pandemic, a task group had been formed to look specifically at the Council’s telephone system but its work was disrupted by the pandemic and the consequent reassignment of its Officers to emergency response duties. However, a the process of reviewing the telephone system was underway and it is the aim to bring a proposal to the Business Process Transformation Board in the near future with a view to improving to the system.

Councillor Dylan Rees in voicing his own concerns about the telephone system suggested that a Key Performance Indicator for customer satisfaction with contacting the Council be introduced which could set a baseline for satisfaction levels against which planned improvements to the telephone system could then be compared. The Chief Executive advised that a workshop with the SLT and all Elected Members will be held to discuss a suite of KPIs for inclusion in the 2021/22 scorecard when all suggestions will be considered.

•           Arrangements for facilitating access to the Council’s recycling centres and particularly whether there are any plans for extending opening hours or relaxing visits by pre-booked appointment only. The Chief Waste Management Officer advised that it had been a very challenging time for the Waste Management Service which has been operational throughout the period of the pandemic. The downturn in recycling figures at the Council’s Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) from approximately 5,000 tonnes pre-Covid to 2,000 tonnes in 2020 has hit the service hard in that the 3,000 tonne reduction has had a significant impact on recycling figures. The HWRCs were closed for two months from March, 2020 after which an online booking system was introduced when the centres were allowed to reopen. However, the demand for bookings remained low and visits to the recycling centres were well below pre-Covid levels. Whilst the booking system is still in effect, other options are now being considered. The Head of Service (Highways, Waste and Property) clarified with regard to the Gwalchmai HWRC that due to the risk of a road accident, the number of visits to the centre have to be managed carefully meaning they will still only be allowed on a pre-booked appointment basis. However, arrangements are in place to allow visits to be made to the Penhesgyn HWRC without a prior appointment; the number of visits will be monitored and visitor details will be taken at the entrance for track and trace purposes. If this arrangement can be successfully managed then it will be allowed to continue. In the long-term the aim is to look at ways of improving the booking system to make it more user friendly.

•           The impact of the revenue underspend position at year end on Council budgets during 2021/22 and beyond.

The Portfolio Member for Finance confirmed that the revenue outturn for 2020/21 is better than that projected at the end of the third quarter due in great part to the late receipt of grants and Covid related Welsh Government financial support. The Council’s positon in this respect is no different to that of other North Wales Councils which have also underspent more than expected. Some of the grants received have been earmarked to be spent in 2021/22 under plans that will proceed accordingly. The Director of Function (Resources)/Section 151 Officer advised that in closing the 2020/21 accounts attempts have been made to identify those grants not linked to a specific purpose and they have been assigned to the earmarked reserves which have as a result increased by in the region of £5m. The total revenue underspend for 2020/21 was approximately £4m thereby bringing the Council’s general balances to £11.6m. School balances have likewise increased on the back of Welsh Government grants some of which were for 2020/21 and some of which are for 2021/22 to help with pupils’ education catch-up plans. School balances currently stand at £4m up from the previous level of £200k. It is anticipated that the level of school balances will drop again in 2021/22 as schools make use of the grants they have received. Whilst the general financial position is therefore healthy, the outlook is uncertain both as regards the demand on services after the pandemic which could rise leading to potential service overspend and the consequent utilisation of reserves, and as regard the level of future settlements which could be affected by the financial impact of Covid 19. It is hoped that the Welsh Government review will provide some indication of the longer term prospects for councils’ funding. In the event of a reduced settlement for 2022/23 and beyond, the Council’s improved balances will allow time to implement any cuts and/or make up a funding shortfall in the short-term.

Having considered the Quarter 4 2020/21 scorecard report and the updates provided by Officers at the meeting, the Committee resolved to accept the report, to note the areas which the Senior Leadership Team is managing to secure improvements into the future and to recommend the mitigation measures as outlined to the Executive.

NO FURTHER ACTION