Agenda and minutes

None received

Apologies were received from

The minutes of the xxxx held on xxxx were confirmed as a correct record and would be signed by the Chair of the meeting when possible to do.

The minutes of the xxxx held on xxxx were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair of the meeting.

Items of other business notified under Council Procedure Rule 30 to be announced, together with the special circumstances that justify their consideration as a matter of urgency. The Chair to rule on the admission of such items.

There were no items of other business.

To receive any declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest

Councillor xxxx declared a non-pecuniary interest in agenda item x

Councillor xxxx declared a non-prejudicial interest in agenda item x

The report requests the Committee approval for use of the Sustainability Impact Assessment Tool as mandatory in decision-making and Committee reports.

To propose to the Committee a new Fit and Proper Person Assessment Policy to ensure the Council’s compliance in its duties to the residents of Mobile Homes Sites in the District.

To propose to Committee a new Fit and Proper Person Fee Policy to set out the fees that the Council will charge for any application for an assessment as a Fit and Proper Person to manage a relevant protected site within the district as per the Mobile Homes (Requirement for Manager of Site to be Fit and Proper Person) (England) Regulations 2020.

The full policy is contained in Appendix A.

The purpose of this report is to enable the Policy and Resources Committee to recommend to the Council the updated revenue budget for 2022/23, proposed revenue budget for 2023/24 and indicative revenue budget for 2024/25 and 2025/26.  These budgets form the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP). 

The purpose of this report is to enable the Policy and Resources Committee to recommend to the Council its capital strategy and treasury management policy over the medium term (2023/24 to 2025/26).  This report is the second of three that is covered under the recommendations report at Item 10 on this agenda.

This report enables the Committee to make its recommendations on the Council’s Revenue and Capital budgets and Treasury Management Policy for the period 2023/24 to 2025/26 (medium term) to Council on 21 February 2023.

At the Council meeting on 13 December 2022 it was noted that the motion below had been referred to the Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 23 January 2023 under Rule 11(6) of the Council Constitution

Councillor Abbas Merali, seconded by Councillor Alison Wall to move under Notice duly the motion as given as follows:

This Council believes its Customer Services Centre (CSC) should be easily accessible to all trying to call it. 

This Council acknowledges that over many months, call answering times have been unacceptably slow throughout the working week. Call queue position numbers are frequently in double digits resulting in waiting times of 15 minutes or more. 

This Council resolves immediately to address the slow speed of call answering by the CSC and aim to ensure that call waiting times do not regularly exceed five minutes.

At the Council meeting on 13 December 2022 it was noted that the motion below had been referred to the Policy and Resources Committee meeting on 23 January 2023 under Rule 11(6) of the Council Constitution

Councillor Chris Mitchell, seconded by Councillor Ciaran Reed to move under Notice duly the motion as given as follows:

We thank Josh Sills for the Sept and Oct stats for the wait time on answering phone calls to TRDC.  Cllr Chris Mitchell is still getting complaints from residents who have waited for over 30 minutes and even 40 minutes for an answer. One, a 75-year-old, who has said she will not ring Three Rivers again because she cannot cope with the long waits. If we believe in good customer service then this is totally unacceptable. Our understanding is that if we were trying to sell goods 50% of callers abandon the call after 45 seconds, and if we were providing technical support 50% of caller abandon the call after 95 seconds. We are providing customer service, so people will hang on longer, but get very frustrated and it gives Three Rivers a bad name.

The Council therefore resolves to:

1.            Set a target of 80% of calls been answered within 90 seconds to be achieved in a reasonable time period, say by April 2023, to allow sufficient training of staff.

2.            This can be achieved by using extra staff at peak periods for short periods of time to back up the customer services team.

To note that Councillor Raj Khiroya has replaced Councillor Jon Tankard on the Local Plan sub-committee.

To receive the Committee’s work programme.

           If the Committee wishes to consider the remaining item in private, it will be appropriate for a resolution to be passed in the following terms:-

            “that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraph X of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

            (Note:  If other confidential business is approved under item 3, it will also be necessary to specify the class of exempt or confidential information in the additional items.)

The Chair moved, duly seconded, the following motion:

“that under Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined under paragraph (X) of Part I of Schedule 12A to the Act. It has been decided by the Council that in all the circumstances, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.”

To receive any declarations of interest.

The minutes of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on xxxx were confirmed as a correct record and would be signed by the Chair of the meeting when possible to do.

The minutes of the Policy and Resources Committee meeting held on xxxx were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair of the meeting.