Issue - meetings

An issues paper prepared by the Opposition Group is attached for the consideration of Council.

The Council rules relating to Opposition Business are attached for information. 

Due to the absence of the Opposition, the Opposition Business Paper was not considered at the meeting. 

An issues paper prepared by the Opposition Group is attached for the consideration of Council.

The Council rules relating to Opposition Business are also attached for information.

Before the start of Opposition Business, it was reported that a petition of over 4,000 signatures had been received.  The Assistant Director, Legal and Governance, advised members that the petition had been received on the day before the Council meeting, that officers were in the process of verifying signatures, that it was subject to legal proceedings but that it would be brought forward to a future Council meeting if appropriate.

Councillor Laban introduced the issues paper, prepared by the Opposition Group.

Issues highlighted were as follows: 

1.          She began by stating that Opposition Business enabled the opposition to bring forward issues affecting the community and that the level of customer service being provided was currently an issue of great concern to the local community.

2.          She felt that the problems were acknowledged by all and well documented on social media.  Members of the public were often being kept waiting, at times 42 and more minutes, to get through to the call centre.  The main Council number was frequently engaged, callers received no automatic message, were often kept on hold for long periods, and in her opinion there was little chance of speaking to anyone. 

3.          Customers were being asked to use the new website, but the website was not working well.  Problems logged on line were not responded to, the relevant pages did not appear and customers were sent backwards and forwards in a loop between the old and new websites.  The online payment system was frequently out of order.  There were long queues of people waiting to speak to officers on the reception desks, queues, on many occasions, out of the door.  It was also taking members much longer than the agreed standard of eight days to get any response through the Member Enquiries System. 

4.          An organisation which did provide help to members of the public was being threatened with closure by the administration. 

5.          These problems could not be blamed on a Government lack of funding, as it had been the current administration’s decision to adopt the transformation programme responsible.  On top of this the people in charge of implementing the new services had since left or were due to leave the Council. 

6.          She felt that it was the poorest and most vulnerable residents who were suffering the most.  This was a real issue for Enfield residents and particularly those that relied on the Council’s help: the Council owed it to them to sort out the problems as soon as possible. 

Councillor Levy, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, responded on behalf of the Majority Group highlighting: 

1.     The Overview and Scrutiny Committee had set up a work stream to look into the Enfield 2017 Transformation Programme, including this area.  On 14 December 2015, a paper had been considered setting out the scale and scope of the work.  On 8 March 2016, a joint session with the Audit and Risk Management Committee had been entirely given over to an in depth study of the issues.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53