Agenda item

The Committee considered the report of the Business Manager – Housing, Health & Community Relations jointly presented with Jackie Insley, Chief Officer for Sherwood & Newark Citizen Advice (SNCA) in relation to the performance targets in respect of core advice service provision and debt advice, as set out in the Service Level Agreement between SNCA and the Council.  Circulated at the meeting was the Client Experience Dashboard 2017/18.

Ms Insley highlighted the main points contained in the report whilst adding that it had been a very busy year for the service.  She noted that the amount of clients the service had dealt with had reduced from the previous year but that their issues were more complex.  She also noted that more clients presented with mental health issues and that this was a challenge for the staff to deal with.  It was reported that referrals to food banks continued to rise but that some clients did not wish to use the service as they were embarrassed to do so. 

Ms Insley advised that the service continued to operate with the use of volunteers, some of which had left in the previous 12 months.  A rolling programme of recruitment and training was in operation but that to fully train a volunteer could take up to 12 months.  She added that advice over the telephone was continuing but that a web chat was also to be launched in April.  Ms Insley stated that the Council’s Customer Services Team continued to support the work of the SNCA and that this was invaluable.  She added that the SNCA were looking to extend their partnership working with other organisations in order to maintain a sustainable local provision.

In considering the report and presentation Members raised a number of queries.  In relation to the lower number of clients seen, a Member queried whether this was due to fewer individuals presenting themselves or whether it was because the numbers had to be managed due to the complexity of their issues.  Ms Insley advised that it was very difficult, at times, to manage the waiting area.  Some clients may only require a 10 minute interview but other issues may take up a number of hours.  In those cases the clients waiting may not be seen and seek advice from a different source. 

A Member noted the aborted partnership working with Bassetlaw and queried as to the motivating factor to create the partnership.  Ms Insley advised that if a larger organisation was created it offered the opportunity for bigger funding to be bid for.  Any additional funding would enable face to face services to be maintained at a local level.

A Member queried the total number of referrals to the service and where they had been referred from.  Ms Insley advised that they were from both Newark & Sherwood District Council and Newark and Sherwood Homes.  She added that it was hoped that the statistics could be expanded to give a clearer picture as to the nature of the referrals but that at present it appeared that most were in relation to debt. 

A Member referred to the use of food banks and cited the case of a resident in the ward she represented.  She congratulated the work that SNCA, the Council and Newark and Sherwood Homes did to help the individual concerned. 

In summary, the Chairman thanked Ms Insley on behalf of the Committee for her informative report and that he was pleased to see that SNCA working at Castle House continued to assist in the continued improvement of an already excellent service provision, adding that he would wish to see such provision in the Ollerton area of the district. 

AGREED      (unanimously) that the report, particularly the performance outturns and annual report regarding the provision of core and debt advice service provision to residents in the district provided by SNCA, be noted.