The Overview and Scrutiny Committee met to discuss the progress of the No Wrong Front Door programme, which aims to make Lewisham Council the most accessible in London. The committee reviewed the programme's achievements, challenges, and future plans, with a particular focus on improving resident experience and digital integration.

No Wrong Front Door Programme Update

The committee received an update on the No Wrong Front Door (NWFD) programme, a key initiative within Lewisham Council's wider transformation plan, Transforming Lewisham: Run Well, Serve Well. The programme aims to make the council the most accessible in London by simplifying access to services, joining up service delivery, and improving fairness and inclusion.

David Austin, Executive Director for Finance, Digital and Corporate Resources, and Jo Kelly, Programme Director, presented the report. They highlighted that Phase 1 of the programme had focused on laying corporate foundations and delivering early improvements, such as streamlining the council's website and improving telephone services. However, they acknowledged the significant challenges posed by the council's multiple access points, varied systems, and differing service standards, which have led to duplication and avoidable contact.

The NWFD programme has been restructured into five new workstreams for its next phase:

• Access & Channel Integration: This workstream will focus on modernising the council's website, reducing the number of published email addresses and phone numbers, and piloting AI-enabled telephony integrated with CRM systems. It also includes expanding assisted digital support through kiosks.
• Early Help & Community Response: This will involve developing digital triage tools to help frontline staff assess resident needs and refer them to the correct services. It also aims to build stronger partnerships with community and voluntary organisations and establish early intervention hubs.
• Data, Insight & Continuous Improvement: This workstream will establish a corporate data and performance framework with real-time dashboards to track outcomes and provide regular visibility of progress.
• Our NWFD Culture & Behaviours: This strand will focus on embedding a resident-first ethos across the council through the finalisation of the Customer Charter and staff training.
• Resident Engagement: This workstream will develop a new engagement framework to ensure more consistent and meaningful involvement of residents, businesses, and stakeholders in decision-making and service shaping.

Concerns were raised by Councillor Luke Warner regarding the potential for digital exclusion and the need for robust systems to ensure residents can access information easily, even when contacting the council through non-digital channels. Councillor Joan Millbank echoed this, highlighting the issue of unread emails in corporate mailboxes and the need for clear communication channels for residents.

The report also detailed the financial implications, noting that Phase 1 had been delivered largely through existing resources, but that increased investment would be needed for Phase 2, particularly for customer service delivery processes and supporting systems. Legal implications, including data protection and equalities duties, were also outlined, with a commitment to undertaking Equality Impact Assessments.

The committee discussed the importance of aligning the NWFD programme with the wider Transforming Lewisham portfolio to ensure a coherent approach and stronger governance. Councillor James Rathbone suggested the development of a resident outcomes framework to measure the programme's real improvements for residents, alongside a clearer picture of how the programme links into critical service areas and a resourcing and investment plan for Phase 2.

The committee was also informed about the council's ongoing efforts to improve its website, having reduced the number of live pages from approximately 3,500 to 2,600, with a target of 1,500 by the end of the financial year 2025/26. A review of corporate mailboxes and telephone extensions had also identified significant duplication, with over 1,000 mailboxes containing large volumes of unread messages.

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the need for continuous challenge and improvement cycles for the programme, with a suggestion for regular updates to the committee. The committee noted the report and thanked the officers for their presentation. The next meeting was scheduled for December to discuss growth and resident engagement in policymaking.