Venue: Burnley Town Hall
Contact: Alison McEwan Democracy Officer
No. | Item |
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Apologies To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: Apologies were received from Councillor Kelly. |
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To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 9th February 2017. Minutes: The minutes of the previous meeting were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair. |
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Notice of Key Decisions and Private Meetings PDF 73 KB To consider the Key Decisions to be taken for the period March to June 2017. Minutes: The Notice of Key Decisions and Private Meetings was noted. |
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Resident Satisfaction Survey To receive a presentation on the outcomes of the Resident Satisfaction Survey. Minutes: Rob Dobson gave a presentation on the Annual Customer Satisfaction Survey that had been carried out in Autumn 2016.
Rather than the sample being limited to members of the Citizen’s Panel, the survey had also been shared via social media. A significantly higher number of responses had been received, although this had affected the demographics of the sample. It also meant that the information was not comparable to previous years, as the method of collection was different.
The presentation highlighted the respondent’s perceptions about the best and worst things about living in Burnley, alongside questions about satisfaction levels with a number of specific services, such as the market and customer service.
The top three ‘bests’ were the Borough’s sport facilities and parks, access to the countryside, and the people of the borough/having good neighbours. The top three ‘worsts’ were dog fouling/litter; the level of crime/lack of police, and, lack of shops/amenities.
When questioned about the Market, users were most satisfied with the cleanliness of the market, with the toilet facilities being the lowest scoring aspect. However, since the survey was completed, some improvement works have been carried out to the facilities.
On the whole, 73% of respondents were happy with the council’s customer service experience, and 77% felt they didn’t have to wait too long before getting to speak to the right person.
Members discussed the following:
· Lack of shops & amenities – this had been particularly highlighted by residents of Rosehill & Burnley Wood. There were some thoughts that this related more to the lack of choice, rather than there being no shops. Was it possible to drill down to find out ages of respondents? Could this be older people who had been affected by reduced bus services? It was possible to drill down, but this would produce very small numbers of respondents. Also to note, since the survey the new Aldi on Todmorden Road had opened. · With regard to telephone customer service, the recorded message was repeated twice. Members recognised the benefits of trying to encourage some users to access services via the internet if they were able, but also that it could be irritating. Members will shortly be receiving an up to date telephone list to enable them to ring appropriate back office council staff without having to go through the switch board.. · Could the Council advertise the survey by email as well as social media? It was possible, but the aim was to avoid sending out unsolicited requests to customers. It might be possible to build in a question along the lines of ‘are you happy for the Council to contact you about other services?’ when customers sign up for an account. This would allow the Customer Satisfaction Survey to be emailed to all those account holders who accepted. The full survey was available to view at Customer Satisfaction Survey 2016 |
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PREVENT Agenda To receive a presentation on the work of the PREVENT Agenda. Minutes: Rob Grigorjevs delivered a presentation on the PREVENT Agenda, which was part of the Counter Terrorism Strategy.
Members discussed the following:
· Was there an age profile that was most likely for perpetrators of extremist attacks? Possibly between the ages of 20 and 40, but it happened across all ages, and radicalisation could start at a very young age. · Potential for conflict with freedom of speech. The aim of the PREVENT Agenda was not to impose limits on freedom of speech, but to enable discussion and debate in a safe environment, and encourage the presentation of oppositional views alongside. Organisers of events should be mindful of this in their event planning. · From the presentation, each authority required to have an Action Plan to support the Prevent Agenda. Does Burnley have one? It does have an action plan. · It would be useful to share this presentation with other members – as an All Member Briefing. All members have the same duty of care to the PREVENT Agenda. Alison McEwan to pass through to Member Structures Working Group for consideration. · Concern following recent political events, and the effect this has had globally. Following the EU Referendum result, and the increased profile of the right wing, there has been a rise in islamophobic incidents, although the impact does not seem to have been as great locally. Concern was raised at the parallels that could be drawn with events in 1930’s Europe. · Concerns that some parts of the community had been made to feel like the enemy – not by local grassroots work being carried out, but by the national agenda. Connections have been made locally with all sections of the community. It is hoped we will hold a round table event with Home Office representatives later in the year. |
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State of the Local Economy PDF 184 KB To consider a report on the local economy and economic development support. Minutes: Ryan Gifford presented a report which outlined the performance of the Burnley economy, and support being provided to local businesses and town centres.
Highlights of the report included:
· Employment had increased, and at a faster rate than comparator areas such as the Northwest of England. · Burnley was ranked 2nd in the UK for digital growth. · Demand for business premises and units was high. The Vision Park development was well underway. · There was lots of promotion work going on in town centres, including the Literary Festival, Painting Padiham, Christmas Festival.
Members discussed the following:
· Would it be possible to provide further information on the wage statistics – for example zero hours contracts, self employed? It was great to see the overall figures increasing. Although datasets were available that provided information on zero hours contracts, and low pay, figures were only available at a regional rather than Borough level. · Painting Padiham – Artists from as far afield as Liverpool and Cheshire had expressed an interest, it would be a great event. · The Canal Festival had also been a great event for Burnley. Were there any plans to improve the canalside? The Canals and Rivers Trust have a presence in Burnley, and some major canalside units have been brought back into use, so things are more positive. There is also ongoing work as part of the Super Slow Way project.
The report was noted.
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Scrutiny Review Groups To receive an update on the work of any active Scrutiny Review Groups. Minutes: The Leisure Scrutiny Report was being presented to the Executive on 27th March.
Railway Scrutiny - A date to meet with representatives from Northern Rail and Network Rail was awaited. |
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Work Programme 2017/18 PDF 69 KB To consider the Work Programme for 2017/18. Minutes: Alison McEwan informed Members that the work plan circulated contained the regular items. Additional items would be added as required throughout the year from the Notice of Key Decisions and Private Meetings.
The Chair advised Members that he would be asking Members to suggest items for a further scrutiny review group, and the Committee would consider any suggestions received. |