A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

Council and councillors

Agenda item

"TALKBACK"

To receive updates from parish representatives on organisations they represent which might be of interest to other members of the Forum.

Minutes:

1.    Mrs Joyce Lucas provided the Forum with information regarding the Rutland Jigsaw Festival which she had organised for 19th to 22nd April 2019.

 

Attendees are invited to buy or donate direct one Jigsaw puzzle, e.g. from a local charity shop. The puzzle should assembled on a stiff piece of cardboard and covered with another piece of card (sandwiched together and taped down). If people just want to donate a Jigsaw direct to the organisers, they have a team who will assemble them. Also if people want to donate directly to the organiser, they need 500 piece size puzzles for distribution to all Elderly Residents' Complexes in Rutland. Children's Jigsaws are also needed so they can be distributed to Primary Schools. All puzzles will then be sold in aid of Oakham in Bloom.

 

2.    Mr Gordon Brown, Deputy Leader of Rutland County Council and Ward Member for Ketton, noted disappointment in the agenda for the Parish Council Forum as there was not a standing item on St George’s Barracks and Woolfox. Mr Brown also noted it would be useful to include an update from the Leicestershire & Rutland Association of Local Councils at a future Forum. Mr Silcock, Clerk to the Forum, would also send out an email to Parishes before the Working Group takes place, to ask for any items they wish to be considered for future Parish Council Forums.

 

3.    Miss Gale Waller, Ward Member for Normanton, spoke on behalf of South Luffenham Parish Council regarding the Fix My Street online service offered by the Council. South Luffenham were advised that they shouldn’t contact officers directly regarding issues in the parish with signage and highways and should instead use the Fix My Street service online. Mrs Lucy Stephenson, Portfolio Holder for Culture and Leisure, Highways & Transport, noted that she was looking into the effectiveness of the new system.

 

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Post-Meeting Note

 

Mrs Stephenson provided the following statement regarding the Fix My Street service:

 

It was introduced in March 2018.  It’s aim is for residents of Rutland to be able to log any issues that need to be addressed regarding highways and environmental cleaning.  Once an issue is logged an automated acknowledgement is sent.  The system then sends the issue to the relevant department.  (For example reports of an abandoned car would go to Environmental Health; a pothole to Highways).  A full response will be provided within 10 days, in line with Council policy. An acknowledgment will be sent to this effect. This should not assume an issue will be rectified within 10 days.  If it is determined that work does indeed need to be done, works can be added to an emergency (2hour), 7 day, or 3 month works programme. (It should be noted, anything deemed urgent should be phoned through).  The aim of this system is that a resident can check on the status of a given job online without the need for extensive phone calling / emailing to find out about the progress of a logged issue.

 

As ever with any new system there is a bedding in period.  Feedback from residents and the Parish Forum is vital in reviewing a service and evaluating it, ensuring that it is delivering what we need it to.

 

To date there have these concerns regarding the following:

1)            Items not being actioned in the required time frame of ten days

2)            The status up – dates do not seem to always be accurate (i.e. an issue appearing as ‘fixed’ when it isn’t)

 

Equally many residents have been very pleased with the service; they have found it easy to use and the action taken prompt.

 

Going forward:

·                     We need to determine frequency of the concerns above.

·                     Ensure clear understanding as to how the system operates.

Review and alter (if appropriate) the statements used to communicate progress.  If no action is deemed the right course of action, then the reasons for this needs to be communicated clearly.  Likewise if work will be carried out, the expected timeframe must be clear i.e. placement on the 3 month schedule of work.”

 

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