Agenda item

To consider a report by the Contracts and Performance Manager (copy attached) to review the Authority’s partnership with Civica in the delivery of Revenues and Benefits services to Denbighshire residents.

10.15 a.m. – 10.55 a.m.

The Chair welcomed the Lead Member for Finance, Corporate Plan and Performance, Councillor Julian Thompson-Hill, Richard Weigh, Head of Finance, Paul Barnes, Contracts & Performance Manager, and Debbie Basham (Civica) to the meeting.

The Lead Member for Finance, Corporate Plan and Performance, introduced the report (previously circulated) for members to review the Authority’s partnership with Civica in the delivery of Revenues and Benefits services to Denbighshire residents.

The Lead Member advised that the report was presented to the Committee in accordance with Cabinet’s wish that the Committee reviewed the partnership’s performance 18 months after its establishment.  In his introduction the Lead Member detailed the partnership’s governance structure and the progress achieved to date with respect of the following areas:  new business/commercial opportunities, service delivery, financial expectation and Welsh language provision – all of which were detailed in the report.  He advised that the Service since its establishment:

·       had assisted some English authorities by undertaking some work on their behalf in order to ease pressures on them; and

·       all of the efficiency savings had been achieved.  Some of the savings had been utilised for the purpose of upgrading Civica’s accommodation in Russell House to accommodate the ‘Elwy Centre’.  It was envisaged that these modifications would support Civica’s ambition to attract new business.

Due to uncertainties in Wales on local government re-organisation, progress in relation to expanding commercial opportunities with other local authorities had been slower than originally anticipated.  Nevertheless, it was hoped that this would be an area for growth in future, now that local government re-organisation was unlikely to take place in the short to medium term.  Discussions were at an advanced stage with respect of potentially delivering the Revenues and Benefits Service for one North Wales local authority in future, and other authorities had shown an interest in services that could be provided from the Elwy Centre.

Responding to members’ questions the Lead Member, Head of Finance, Contracts and Performance Manager and Civica’s Partnership Director:

·       confirmed that the number of complaints against the Revenues and Benefits Service had not increased since Civica had assumed responsibility for delivering the Service.  During 2013/14 39 complaints had been lodged against the Service, 17 in 2014/15 and 20 during 2015/16.  The general trend in the number of complaints was downwards;

·       advised that the provision of service was generally regarded as being of good quality;

·       informed the Committee that there had been no changes to protocols or to information sharing practices between the Council and Civica or vice-versa;

·       confirmed that part of the rationale for establishing the Partnership was to streamline staff numbers.  Nevertheless, no staff had been made redundant.  The new open-plan layout for the Elwy Centre assisted managers in their role of managing staff.  Personnel who had transferred from the Council to Civica had all done so under Transfer of Undertakings of Protection of Employment (TUPE) arrangements;

·       advised that the agreement between the Council and Civica specified that Civica occupied its current space in Russell House rent free. However, if Civica’s business were to grow as expected and it required more floor space within the building rent would be charged for the additional space;

·       informed members that whilst there seemed to be increased interest from local authorities. It was also exploring potential options which may arise from the devolvement of tax-raising powers to the Welsh Government (WG);

·       confirmed that the provision of revenues and benefits services through the medium of Welsh was a stipulation of the contract between the Council and Civica.  Currently work was underway to promote the new Welsh language standards, and Welsh language classes were provided to staff who wanted to improve their linguistic skills;

·       advised that Civica worked closely with the Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) on issues such as debt advice.  There were strong protocols in place between both organisations.  Currently work was underway in relation to helping Council Tax payers who were experiencing budgeting problems to explore whether weekly Direct Debit (DD) payments of the tax could help them with their household budgets.  Civica was also working with the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in a bid to persuade individuals who were facing ‘benefit caps’ to interact with Civica and CAB early on in order to alleviate financial pressures and emotional stress;

·       advised the Committee that another initiative under consideration as an early intervention method for avoiding debt accrual was sending Short Message Service (SMS) reminders for outstanding Council Tax payments;

·       confirmed that in relation to Business Rates, Civica’s role was the same as the Council’s role previously i.e. in that it only collected the rates on the WG’s behalf.  Rateable values were determined by the Valuation Office Agency;

·       advised that in relation to the recent re-valuation of Business Rates Bands, particularly the potential adverse effect this could have on local businesses and consequently on the Council’s ambition of developing the local economy, the Leader and the Corporate Director:  Economy and Public Realm had expressed both parties’ concerns to the WG in the strongest possible terms;

·       informed the Committee that Civica was represented on the Tackling Poverty Working Group;

·       advised that the risks relating to the Council’s contract with Civica (attached as an appendix to the report) were monitored on a monthly basis.  Trends were then reported to both the Strategic and Operational Board on a quarterly basis.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Committee:

Resolved:  

(i)              subject to the above observations, determined that it was satisfied that the Partnership was working effectively in the four key areas of new business/commercial opportunities, service delivery, meeting financial expectations and provision of services through the medium of the Welsh language; and

(ii)            that an information report be circulated to Committee members as soon as it was available detailing the Partnership’s work in relation to debt management in the county, discretionary housing payments and the weekly direct debit pilot for the payment of Council Tax.