This past week, the Stratford-on-Avon Council held several meetings, each addressing various community and administrative matters. Here is a summary of the key discussions and decisions made:

Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Friday 28 June 2024

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee convened to discuss a range of issues, including community safety, housing associations, and the findings of a recent peer review.

Housing Associations

The committee reviewed a report from the Housing Associations Task and Finish Group, which proposed the establishment of a Housing Associations Working Group. This new group will scrutinise the performance of housing associations within the district. The committee debated whether membership should be restricted to members of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee or open to all councillors. It was agreed to adopt service standards and invite all housing associations to agree to them.

Community Safety

The committee questioned the Portfolio Holder for Law and Governance on topics including community safety, the provision of CCTV, and a recent data breach. It was noted that the triage and referral processes might need strengthening to ensure individuals do not slip through the net.

Legal and Democratic Services

The Democratic Services team is under increased pressure due to recent and pending elections. The Legal team is recruiting for several positions, with some new posts potentially representing the council in court, thus reducing outsourcing costs.

Local Government Association Corporate Peer Challenge

The committee received a report on the findings of the recent Local Government Association¹ Corporate Peer Challenge². The council's management team was pleased with the report, which indicated that the council is in a strong position. The council is committed to two-way communication with residents, as reflected in the Council Plan.

Quarter 4 Performance Monitoring Report

Concerns were raised about the performance of HEART and the Disabled Facilities Grants. The committee also discussed the performance of the Planning service and requested a more detailed breakdown of planning targets and performance.

Work Plan

The committee requested that the Warwickshire County Council³ Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning be invited to the meeting on 4 October 2024 to discuss the Stratford-upon-Avon Transport Strategy.

Employment Committee - Tuesday 25 June 2024

The Employment Committee received updates on the progress of the council's Staff Strategy, workforce metrics, and the restructure of the Streetscene and Parking Team.

Staff Strategy

The committee reviewed a report on the progress of the Staff Strategy since its adoption in December 2023. Key initiatives included well-being events, changes to IT equipment provision, and the recruitment of an interim HR Business Partner. The launch of the Menopause and Perimenopause policy is planned for the coming months.

Workforce Report

The workforce report highlighted several key metrics:

• The average age of the workforce has reduced from 49.6 in March 2023 to 49.5 in March 2024.
• The proportion of the workforce aged 50 or over has decreased from 54% to 51%.
• The employee engagement score from the 2023 Staff Survey was 69, slightly down from 70 in 2021.
• The staff turnover rate was 13.6% in the year to March 2024, an improvement from 15% in the previous year, though still above the target of 12%.

Streetscene and Parking Restructure

The restructure involves merging roles to create multi-skilled officers and shifting to area-based working to build local relationships. The new roles require weekend and bank holiday working, which has caused some concern among staff. A policy has been implemented to protect the working hours of employees moving to these roles. The threat of redundancies has been reduced from four to two through redeployment.

Regulatory Committee - Thursday 27 June 2024

This meeting was cancelled.