Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

None.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting dated 3 February 2021 be agreed as an accurate record.

It was agreed that all items were in Part I and would be considered in public.

The below proposed draft recommendations had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting for their consideration:

1.    Acknowledge, thank and recognise the response that all organisations across the voluntary sector have provided to the needs of residents throughout the pandemic/lockdown periods. 

2.    Recognise the pro-active steps taken by the Hillingdon Community Hub/Council Officers to bring together resources across a number of voluntary sector partners including Hillingdon4All to achieve a strong operating model. 

3.    Support the consolidated model lead through the Hillingdon Community Hub to work with a number of leading voluntary groups to manage and co-ordinate resources. 

4.    Continue to review and provide voluntary sector grants to enable key voluntary sector partners to continue to deliver services required by Hillingdon residents.  In addition, look to provide practical, operational and logistical support and guidance to enable VS partners to increase resilience going forward. 

5.    Deliver outbound communications (including through Hillingdon People) that provide information residents can access about key voluntary sector services, such as mental health/Hillingdon MIND, cognisant of witness comment about the possibility of becoming overwhelmed with new enquiries.  Dual purpose of communication to assist in recruitment of volunteers across Voluntary Sector. 

Members were broadly happy with the proposed review recommendations. It was suggested that the final recommendation be broadened to include children under the age of 16 many of whom had been struggling with their mental health during the pandemic.

It was agreed that Liz Penny, Democratic Services would draft the final report for consideration at the next meeting of the Corporate Services, Commerce and Communities Policy Overview Committee on 6 April.

RESOLVED:

1.    That the Committee noted the review into the Voluntary Sector’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic and agreed the draft recommendations proposed by the Chairman and Labour Lead.

Naveed Mohammad, Head of Business Performance and Insight, presented the report which set out how the tracking of performance and provision of insight data was arranged in the Council, examples of the data provided and how data were used to shape operational delivery and the strategic development of services.

Members heard that there were 100,214 households in Hillingdon. The Council routinely gathered a range of data across all directorates. The purpose of this data collection was to ensure services were being delivered efficiently to meet residents’ needs. There was also a requirement to plan for the future development of services. The Council had at its disposal a variety of mechanisms to gather, process and analyse the data using spreadsheets, bespoke databases and data mining software.

What is Tracked and Reported?

The Committee was informed that the Council provided over 700 services to local residents. A robust data set was essential in order to establish who was accessing which services and what their needs were. A table was set out in the agenda pack giving examples of the range of data gathered across directorates:

Corporate Services and Resources

Members heard that the next census would soon be completed - this would provide a fresh data set and would demonstrate how things had changed since 2011. Greater London Authority data also provided a useful and more up-to-date insight into the demographic profile of the Borough.

Finance

Information was gathered regarding Council tax collection, business rates, benefits and debtors.

Planning, Environment, Education and Community Services

Data were gathered regarding school places, crime types, school attainment, library footfall etc. Planning for school places was an important area – the Local Authority reviewed the data on an annual basis to predict likely future need over the next 10 years. The Strategic Needs Assessment was an important indicator of public health providing information regarding the prevalence of smokers, the number of residents with COPD, drug users in the Borough etc. Said data was sent to the public health team for their consideration. The Strategic Needs Assessment also provided useful information regarding crime types and how these had changed over the last year. Such information would be communicated to the Community Safety Team. In terms of school attainment, no information had been received in the last 12 months due to the pandemic; however, prior to this, information had been regularly received regarding the achievements of the children in the Borough.

Adults’, Children’s and Young People’s Services

This was a high-profile area, especially in respect of safeguarding, with a large volume of work. Statistics were gathered and passed to local services. Information was drawn from a wide range of data portals. In some cases data streams relied on contributions from partner agencies or external systems e.g. the Council did not collect data directly on local NEET numbers – a commissioned provider (Ealing Council) gathered and supplied the data including analysis. 

Infrastructure, Building Services and Transport

This covered Household Waste Collection, ASBET and Household Recyling.

Members heard  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the Forward Plan.

RESOLVED: That the Committee noted the Work Programme 2020/2021 and agreed that a discussion on possible future review topics be added to the April 2021 meeting.