Agenda and minutes

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting of 21 October 2024.

The minutes of the meeting of 21 October 2024 were confirmed and signed.

To receive an update from Anglian Water on Ofwat, Flooding, Pollution, Storm Overflows and Planning.

The Chairman welcomed Grant Tuffs, Regional Engagement Manager, Natasha Kenny, Head of Quality Regulation and Enforcement, and Lucy Hodge, Water Recycling Network Manager, from Anglian Water (AW) to the meeting. 

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated in the Ofwat 2023/24 report, the overall categorisation of AW was ‘lagging behind’ even the widely criticised Thames Water was considered ‘average’ and she found it shocking that AW were one of only three water companies to be ‘lagging behind’. She asked what is AW doing about this? Grant Tuffs responded, as stated in the presentation, AW accept that the performance in certain areas is not as good as it should be, and a 10-billion-pound proposed investment plan is in place to tackle some of those issues and the Performance Commitment Plan in the presentation outlines all those details which include climate change impacts. He continued the underperformance was justified and the 38-million-pound fine was a rebate which has been paid back to the customers which means next year customers will see a reduction in their water bills. Grant Tuffs stated that leakage has been reduced by 40% since the company was privatised and they are now industry leaders, there will be more money spent in the next cycle on smart meters to be able to find more leaks in customers properties and the aim is for every customer to have a smart meter fitted in their home by 2030, which will show a continuous flow in properties that can help identify leaks which can be fixed via the customer which is just one example of AW making some positive changes to increase the leakage performance. He added the Per Capita Consumption was another issue shown in the presentation, AW are one of the lowest in the industry, customers in Fenland are good at saving water mainly though the fact that the Fenland area is drought prone with a fragile infrastructure and water supply, there is a supply and demand approach in place to be able to supply enough water to people but in return AW ask people to use less of what is provided to save water and be more water efficient in their homes. Grant Tuffs explained that the water industry averages around 133 litres per day and is predicted to reach 159 litres by year 2025 with there being a 20-million-pound planned investment into water efficiency by 2030 to reduce further leakages and another 130-million-pound investment into the smart meter scheme. Natasha Kenny stated to support the Per Capita Consumption, AW are also seeking new innovative ways of being able to reduce water usage within the region, one example AW are working with the Environment Agency on enabling new regulations to allow some customers where it is appropriate and safe to use the final effluent from the water recycling centres, so where AW discharge effluent into the receiving water courses that water is clean enough to be discharged into the river and  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC21/23

To consider progress in delivering the Environment Corporate Priority.

Members considered the Progress of Corporate Priority – Environment.

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Roy stated that in the report it mentions that FDC approved 154 properties for energy related grants and he would like to know if any of that success has been measured or if there has been any feedback from information collated from recipients of those grants and if the financial outcomes or reductions in carbon footprint were achieved? Annabel Tighe responded one of the big projects is the home upgrade grant funding from Central Government and the project works through a partnership which is led by Cambridgeshire City Council on behalf of all the District and local authorities. She stated that 154 properties have been allocated for the opportunity for the funding, they have not all accepted to go ahead but the key performance measure is using the energy performance certificate which is a recognised method of what the efficiency of the property is currently and what improvement could be made, and those are graded from A to G so there would need to be an improvement in terms of the work put in place. Annabel Tighe continued, in terms of the written feedback to the questions asked previously, there is a survey that is completed with residents but because that data is held by the City Council this is not available but for future reports the feedback can be included.

·         Councillor Roy stated that residents often express their frustration about the inappropriate use of FDC operated car parks, there is a trend where the car parks because they are free are being used by people who have got bus passes which results in reduced car parking spaces. He asked what are the current plans for FDC car parks and how use can be regulated? Garry Edwards responded the Council has been looking over the last few years to introduce Civil Parking Enforcement (CPE) which would allow regulation of car parks both off-street and the on-street areas, but due to the shortage in funding for introducing CPE that is currently on hold and the only other choice would be to introduce a district wide off-street parking policy order which would allow more enforcement for all of the sites. He stated that currently the Council has 28 parking facilities, 21 of those are public car parks and 7 are associated with Council public buildings, but only 6 of the car parks have off-street parking place orders on them which makes it difficult to enforce some of those overstaying or vehicles being used for the motor trade etc. being stored in the car parks. Garry Edwards continued the reason why there has not been a district wide order is because investigations are in place to look at CPE, and this is something the Council needs to decide if it wants to introduce in the future. Councillor Roy stated that the loss of income by not having CPE given that the communities across  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC22/23

To receive an update on the annual statistics in relation to the Local Government Ombudsman (LGO) and the Council’s corporate ‘3Cs’ procedure.

Members considered the Local Government Ombudsman and the Council Corporate 3Cs Annual Review Complaints.

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

·         Councillor Sennitt Clough stated given the excellent record that has been described how can the Council avoid becoming complacent? Councillor Boden responded all the officers concerned are always vigilant and it is not merely a matter of dealing with complaints it is also a matter of learning from the complaints, as the Council continues to have a process of learning going on then the Council knows the system is working as it is meant to work, with it being closely monitored by the Head of Human Resources, so nothing is taken for granted.

·         Councillor Barber stated a noteworthy number of complaints are in relation to FDC staff. She asked what the nature of those complaints might be and what is the process for investigating these complaints? Councillor Boden responded there are several reasons why customers may complain about members of staff, but any complaint which is made about a named staff member is triaged by the HR team then it follows the 3C’s process. He stated that where it is appropriate an HR business partner will provide support to the responding manager, but this is dependent on the nature of the complaint and ensuring that staff are supported throughout the process and that any investigation is thorough and personal details are never shared with customers as part of the response, however, feedback is always provided. Councillor Boden made the point that complaints vary in nature and further analysis has been carried out and there were no obvious patterns or trends in the complaints which name a particular member of staff. He continued it is worthy of note where complaints have been made about planning, housing, refuse, cleansing, council tax and benefits even if it is against a specific named member of staff, it tends to be about the outcome rather than about the performance of that individual. Councillor Boden stated that there is a plan to increase the frequency of customer service training for all staff and managers and they are encouraged to share their in-service complaints, anonymized so that their team get greater awareness, and they capture lessons learnt to improve customer service.

·         Councillor Hicks asked if it was true that the figures shown are never entirely accurate? Councillor Boden responded figures like these can never be completely accurate and there is subjectivity about how something can be categorised, some cases are over reported and in some cases there is under reporting in terms of numbers, however, the work is undertaken meticulously and conscientiously and whilst it has some degree of subjectivity the numbers are created on a like by like basis year on year and there has been no change in procedure about the way in which the numbers are recorded which provides a good indication of the direction of travel.

·         Councillor Booth suggested that the category of staff complaints should be recategorized once  ...  view the full minutes text for item OSC23/23

To consider the Draft Work Programme for Overview & Scrutiny Panel 2024/25.

Members consider and noted the Future Work Programme, making the following comments.

·         Councillor Booth suggested that the Fees and Charges should come first on the agenda then the draft Business Plan as this has an impact on the draft budget.

·         Councillor Booth suggested that the meeting on the 29 April be moved to either a month before or after the elections because councillors will be coming into purdah as half of the Cabinet are also County Council members and will not be able to attend the meeting. Councillor Davis responded this is being investigated and if it is held it would be at the Boat House.

·         Councillor Booth asked for calendar dates for after May so that plans can be put in place.