Purpose of the item: To agree
the minutes of the Resources and Performance Select Committee held
on 15 May 2024 as a true and accurate record of proceedings.
The
Committee AGREED the minutes from the previous meeting were
a true and accurate record of the meeting.
21/24
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
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Purpose of the item: All
Members present are required to declare, at this point in the
meeting or as soon as possible thereafter:
I.
Any disclosable pecuniary interests and/or
II.
Other interests arising under the Code of Conduct in respect of any
item(s) of business being considered at this meeting.
NOTES:
·
Members are reminded that they must not participate in any item
where they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.
·
As well as an interest of the Member, this includes any interest,
of which the Member is aware, that relates to the Member’s
spouse or civil partner (or any person with whom the Member is
living as a spouse or civil partner).
·
Members with a significant personal interest may participate in the
discussion and vote on that matter unless that interest could be
reasonably regarded as prejudicial.
Cllr
Steven McCormick, Chairman of the Digital Business and Insights
(DB&I) Task Group
Cllr
Robert Hughes, Chairman of the Resources and Performance Select
Committee
(RPSC)
Jake
Chambers, Scrutiny Officer
The
Chairman of the DB&I Task Group outlined that the Task Group
reviewed the transition from the SAP enterprise resource planning
(ERP) software to Unit 4 ERP programme, evaluated and determined
tangible reasons for this and benefits for the Council. The
Chairman of the DB&I Task Group felt it was a balanced report
that would go to Cabinet, and all the report’s
recommendations were accepted, in principle, by
Cabinet.
The
Chairman of RPSC noted the report was agreed in a previous online
meeting of the Committee and noted the work of the Chairman of the
DB&I Task Group.
Purpose of the item: The
report provides an update on the Customer Transformation Programme,
including an overview of the approach and work to date and plans
for the next phase of delivery, including investment
requirements.
Denise Turner-Stewart, Deputy Lead and Cabinet Member for
Customer & Communities
Liz
Mills, Interim Executive Director of Customer, Digital and Change
(CDC)
Michael Smith, Director of Design and Transformation
Anna
D’Alessandro,Interim
Executive Director of Finance & Corporate Services and S151
Officer
Matt Marsden, Strategic Finance Business Partner for
Strategy and Innovation
Key points
raised during the discussion:
After the Deputy Lead and Cabinet Member for Customer &
Communities introduced the report, the Chairman asked what would be
different in five years-time if the Transformation Programme was
delivered and what consequences would arise if it were not. The
Interim Executive Director of CDC explained that it was understood
that current systems for customers are fragmented, largely designed
in siloes through a focus on services rather than customers, and
that customers’ achieving their desired outcomes expected
from council services had been made more difficult, despite some
examples of very good work. She clarified that the programme is
required to unify the council’s thinking regarding the
customer experience, re-design processes with this in mind,
underpinned by a core infrastructure to help with delivery
alongside a culture that puts the customer first. She noted, for
example, that the council’s than 40 microsites, often
handling important work done in partnership with other
organisations, would be reviewed and that the council would update
some end-of-life products to increase opportunities to gain
knowledge and insight, better target work and support customers,
and would investigate opportunities to automate work and help staff
focus on other work. The need for the Transformation Programme to
evaluate every customer journey was also referenced - two different
service delivery areas were evaluated in their current state, one
being an online application that is considered well-designed,
though in fact customers were unable to make it through the system
on 80% of uses. The impact of this was measured, and a new model is
being trialled. This was done in partnership across AWHP and Surrey
Police in the referral of vulnerable adults into adult social care,
thereby delivering significant customer benefits. The importance of
supporting Surrey County Council (SCC) staff through a
customer-focussed model was reiterated.
Referencing the government’s launch of gov.uk, the
Chairman about SCC unifying microsite content under its main
webpage. The Interim Executive Director
of CDC explained this was being reviewed in the Children, Families
and Lifelong Learning and Culture (CFLLC) directorate, where
information is presently posted for parents, carers and
professionals on multiple sites, and models have been implemented
elsewhere in the council that brought sites together under one area
through an intelligent search function, allowing users to better
navigate through these resources by bringing relevant information
together. It was also being reviewed with respect to school
partners, who often need to use multiple different services that
could be better unified. It was noted that Hampshire County Council
recently invested in this area and that colleagues from that
authority were being liaised with.
Purpose of the item: To share
the outcomes of research into digital exclusion in Surrey with
Members and the proposed response to the findings of the research.
The report seeks the Committee’s endorsement of the proposed
way forward.
Nikki Roberts, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Surrey
Coalition of Disabled
People
Clare Burgess, CEO of Sight for Surrey
Catherine Hodgson, CEO of Age UK Surrey- Online
Saba
Khan, CEO of the Surrey Minority Ethnic Forum (SMEF)-
Online
Key points raised during the discussion:
The
Chairman asked how Surrey’s rate of digital inclusion
compared to other counties of a similar size, such as Hampshire.
The Chairman also asked if 5.7% of adults being offline was a high
or low rate and how this compared to the regional average. The
Programme Manager for EDI explained that the regional average for
the South-East is 5.8%, in line with Surrey. Hampshire was 5.9%.
Surrey is within the average rate for its size and location, while
other counties have a higher rate such as Essex with 6.3% and
Buckinghamshire at 6.6%. The Digital Exclusion Risk Index examines
issues such as age, broadband access and deprivation - Surrey has a
slightly lower score than others at 2.47%, whereas the national
average is 3%.
Regarding paragraph 10 of the report, which references work done
to improve accessibility of digital services and resources, one
Member asked what this was and how partners would be worked with to
improve it. The Digital and Customer Experience Manager explained
that work undertaken in Surrey, around digital accessibility, was
underpinned by public sector bodies legislation which described
what should be done and recommendations the council was asked to
follow. Work was done with organisations such as Sight for Surrey
and the Surrey Coalition of Disabled People. The council has
increased the level of website content and work is undertaken to
ensure staff across the authority learn about digital
accessibility. Programmes of work tested this. They added that work
was done with procurement given challenges around the digital
accessibility of services provided to the council by the private
sector. This was expected to change with legislation that will
apply to the private sector.
The
Chairman noted and praised the council’s work on digital
inclusion, but raised concerns around the Digital Inclusion
Strategy, which was recently shared with the voluntary, community
and faith sector (VCFS). The Chairman invited views from VCFS
sector attendees. The CEO of the Surrey Coalition of Disabled
People (‘Surrey Coalition’) explained that the charity
provided a digital inclusion service in Surrey, (excluding
North-West Surrey). Devices are provided free of charge, on loan,
to people and five-to-sex digital skills training sessions are
provided. The CEO of Sight for Surrey explained that the charity
runs digital services to help people who are blind, partially
sighted, hard of hearing, deaf, or deaf blind, to access technology
through an employed specialist, an Artificial Intelligence (AI)
apprentice and a group of technology volunteers that helped people
at ...
view the full minutes text for item 25/24
Purpose of the item: For the
Select Committee to review the attached Forward Work Programme and
Recommendation Tracker, making suggestions for additions or
amendments as appropriate.
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