1.0 OUR ORGANISATION
1.1 INTRODUCTION
Gosport Borough Council has an organisational structure and working practices in place to help it operate effectively and deliver its mission.
Unlike private sector companies, the Council is a non-profit making organisation. Councillors formulate policy, set objectives and targets and monitor and review performance. The Chief Executive heads the organisation which implements policy and delivers services.
1.2 THE DEMOCRATIC PROCESS
Local Councillors are elected by the community to decide how the Council should deliver its services.
The Borough is divided into 17 Wards, with two Councillors representing each Ward. Elections are by halves every two years, with the last elections being held in May 2008.
Councillors are responsible for deciding policies and ensuring that these are carried out. They also prioritise and monitor services to ensure that they are delivered in the most efficient and effective way. There are three Service Boards, a Regulatory Board and a Licensing Board that make decisions:
- Policy and Organisational Board
- Community and Environment Board
- Housing Board
- Regulatory Board
- Licensing Board.
There are also a number of sub-boards. An Overview and Scrutiny Committee oversees and scrutinises the work of the Service Boards and the Council. A Standards and Governance Committee helps ensure good governance through its focus on audit, risk and standards of conduct.
All the Councillors also meet together as “the Council” to decide the Council’s overall policy framework and set the annual budget. It is this full Council that appoints Councillors to serve on the Service, Regulatory and Licensing Boards and Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
More details on the democratic structure and workings of the Council are set out in the Constitution of the Council, copies of which are available from the Town Hall, or can be viewed on the Council’s website
www.gosport.gov.uk/sections/your-council/constitution.
If you would like further information on the democratic arrangements described above please contact the Council’s Head of Democratic Services on telephone number (023) 9254 5215.
1.3 THE COUNCIL'S ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND SERVICES
The Council provides a wide range of services, which are delivered by Service Units. Some Service Units directly provide services to the community, whilst others provide support to the organisation and make sure that the Council has the means and ability to do its job.
The framework of the Service Units reflects the Council Boards and is organised to allow maximum management efficiency. The various Service Units, and sections within them, are shown in Diagram Two on page 8, which also indicates the composition of the Council’s Management Team.
The Service Units are:
- Chief Executive's Unit
- Corporate Services
- Development Services
- Environmental Services
- Financial Services
- Housing Services
- Legal and Democratic Support
- Leisure and Cultural Services.
1.3.1 Chief Executive's Unit
The Chief Executive's Unit contains six sections:
- Community Safety
- Corporate Policy and Performance
- Economic Prosperity
- Internal Audit
- Personnel
- Press and Public Relations.
The unit provides front-line services dealing with Community Safety and the implementation of regeneration and inward investment. The unit also provides corporate support to the Council in respect of Human Resource legislation and practices, corporate policies, strategies, consultation, equality and diversity and performance management processes. The Press and Public Relations section is the Council’s interface with the media and also produces the Council's magazine, 'Coastline'.
Internal Audit is an assurance function that primarily provides an independent and objective opinion to the Council on the control environment, comprising risk management, control and governance.
1.3.2 Corporate Services
The Corporate Services Unit provides front-line services in respect of the main reception, contact centre and cashiers as well as on-line services via the Council website. Support services, including Information Technology, Telecommunications, Central Purchasing, Printing and Graphics and the management of Town Hall accommodation are provided for all other Service Units. This arrangement ensures the cost effective delivery of support services and enables front-line units to concentrate on the direct delivery of services to the public. The unit also provides secretarial support to the Mayor and other Members, as well as managing the Council’s Emergency Planning arrangements. The unit also deals with Data Protection matters and manages requests received under the Freedom of Information Act.
1.3.3 Development Services
The Development Services Unit contains five service sections:
- Planning Policy
- Development Control
- Building Control
- Conservation and Design
- Property Services
The Planning Policy Section is responsible for the preparation and implementation of spatial planning policy through the Local Plan and Local Development Framework (
LDF)1.
Development Control is a process that regulates the development and use of land. Like the Planning Policy service, it is statutory and is governed by law. It operates within a complex framework of government guidance, policies and advice set out in the South East Regional Plan, the Gosport Borough Local Plan and the emerging LDF.
National building standards throughout the United Kingdom are legislated through “The Building Regulations”. The Fareham and Gosport Building Control Partnership provides an independent specialist surveying service, examining drawings and calculations and supervising building works during construction. Fees are charged for this service, which is provided to the public, designers, architects, other development professionals and to the building industry. A range of other related services are also provided to the same clients. All are statutory and provided essentially in the interest of health and safety.
The Conservation and Design Section provides policy and implementation support relating to heritage and conservation matters, and regeneration schemes.
The Council's land and property interests are managed by the Property Services Section.
In addition Development Services represents the Council in respect of transport planning and traffic management matters and liaising with the Highway Authority and other bodies.
1.3.4 Environmental Services
The Environmental Services Unit contains two Service Sections, Streetscene and Environmental Health (Commercial, and Pollution and Environment).
Streetscene provides front-line services dealing with Grounds Maintenance, Street Cleansing, Waste Management, Recycling, Car Parking, Litter, Dog Control, Fly Tipping, Fly Posting and Graffiti.
The Environmental Health (Commercial) Section provides the following services: Food Safety and Hygiene, Health and Safety at Work, Infectious Disease Control, Licensing and Registration, Public Health, Smoke Free Compliance and Health Promotion.
The Environmental Health (Pollution and Environment) Section provides the following services: Air and Noise Pollution Control, Water Quality Monitoring, Contaminated Land Monitoring and Pest Control.
1.3.5 Financial Services
The Financial Services Unit provides front-line services in respect of Benefits, Council Tax, National Non-Domestic Rates, Concessionary Travel and Council Mortgages. Support services including, Accountancy, Salary and Wages, Insurance, Debtors and Creditors, are provided for all the other Service Units and the elected Councillors. The Financial Services Unit aims to ensure that the Council operates in an accountable and financially efficient manner, both by the direct provision of front-line services and by providing information and support to other service providers.
1.3.6 Housing Services
The Housing Services Unit contains four main service areas: Operational Services, Strategy and Enabling Services (comprising Strategy and Enabling Resident Involvement Services and Private Sector Housing), Housing Options and Housing Finance and Business Services Team. These together discharge the statutory and contractual housing duties of the Council.
Operational Services provides a range of management and technical services split into 5 distinct teams. Those are the Sheltered Services, Rents and Income Recovery Team, Technical Services, Asset Management (including Cleaning Services) and Housing Tenancy Management (including the Estate Warden Team).
The Technical Services Team is focused on delivering the Asset Management Strategy through our partnering services for repairs and maintenance, empty properties and the cyclical programmes to achieve the Decent Homes Standard. The Asset Management function delivers the Asset Management Strategy with an emphasis in 2009/10 on energy efficiency initiatives, asbestos management and contract procurement.
The collection of rent remains one of the Operational Services' primary activities, but in addition, it provides the key services to council tenants and leaseholders outlined below:
- Dealing with rent enquiries, rent arrears and court action
- Ordering day-to-day repairs
- Dealing with neighbour disputes between council tenants
- Environmental improvements on housing land
- General management of communal housing areas and estates
- Estate Warden services to various communal areas on housing estates (includes rubbish removal and general cleanliness)
- Community Development Services
- Cleaning of communal areas in flats and sheltered schemes
- Management of sheltered schemes
- Management of the Council’s planned maintenance and improvements programme
- Agreeing disabled adaptations to Council owned dwellings
- Turnaround of empty Council-owned dwellings
- Right to Buy administration
- Management of services to leaseholders.
More detail on these services is provided within the Tenant and Repairs Handbook, which is available from Housing Operational Services.
One of the main activities of Strategic Services has been the preparation and implementation of the Council’s Housing Strategy and its various elements. Although this has recently been replaced with a Sub-Regional Housing Strategy, it will still be necessary to produce a local Housing Strategy in some format (to be determined) for the Borough. The Resident Involvement Team is responsible for the comprehensive consultation processes (including statutory consultation that the unit undertakes with residents).
The aim of the Housing Options Section is to implement the Council’s statutory duties and policies in respect of access to suitable housing, prevention of homelessness, temporary accommodation, support for homeless customers and housing advice. In addition, through enablement and partnership work the section addresses housing needs in the district with external agencies.
The Housing Options team provides the following services:
- Management of the joint housing register (transfer/waiting list including homeless/exchanges/garages)
- Processing of transfer/waiting list (including homeless) applications for permanent re-housing
- Dealing with homeless applications
- Allocation of Council dwellings through a Choice Based Lettings process
- Nominations to housing associations and liaison with housing association partners
- Allocation of garages
- Housing advice to “all comers” aimed at helping people to find accommodation and/or to retain their existing accommodation
- Management of homeless persons hostels
- Management of the RAPS Scheme (Rented Accommodation in the Private Sector)
- Management of Bed and Breakfast/Hostel/Lodgings/Contractual Tenancies (Council general needs stock allocated on a temporary basis) and associated rent accounts
- Damage deposit/Bond scheme
- Monitoring external services
- Citizens Advice Bureau Fast Track Debt Service
- ‘Supporting People’ Services. The Homeless Support Officers provide support and resettlement services to homeless customers.
The Housing Finance and Business Services main role is to provide accountancy, financial and systems support to Housing Services. The key functions of the team are:
- Preparation of annual budgets for HRA (Housing Revenue Account) and Housing General Fund including homelessness
- Preparation of final accounts
- Housing stock reconciliation
- Statutory returns (CIPFA, Housemark)
- Housing subsidy returns
- Rent setting, control and direct debits
- HRA Business Planning – preparation, review and monitoring HIP (Housing Investment Plan) returns
- Management accounts
- Invoice checking and coding
- Administration of Right To Buy scheme
- Leasehold management – buildings insurance, heating charges and income management
- Renovation grants reconciliation
- Supporting People – financial returns
- Benchmarking costs against other landlords
- IBS systems development
- Temporary accommodation former tenant arrears debt management.
1.3.7 Legal and Democratic Support
The services provided by the Legal and Democratic Support Unit are a mixture of front-line and support services. Land Charges and Electoral Services are front-line services whereas Legal Services and Democratic Services provide corporate support for the Council.
1.3.8 Leisure and Cultural Services
The Leisure and Cultural Services Unit is structured with an overall management function and four service sections: Leisure Corporate and Tourism; Leisure, Recreation and Development; Service Facilities; and the Engineering Group.
Leisure Corporate and Tourism provides overall management of, and support to, the whole unit as well as monitoring the delivery of Tourism Services via the agreement with Tourism South East.
The Leisure, Recreation and Development Section provides the following services: Arts and Events, Community Recreation, Countryside Management, Explosion (Museum of Naval Firepower) and Holbrook Recreation Centre.
The Service Facilities Section provides the following services: Ann’s Hill Cemetery; Play Areas, Parks and Open Spaces, Sports and Facilities Management, Allotments, Beach Huts and Slipways.
The Engineering Group provides the following services: coastal protection services and engineering support to the unit.
1.4 Operational Structure - Diagram One
1.7 OUR COMMITMENT TO OUR CUSTOMERS
Our Customer Charter (which sets out our commitment to our customers) and a summary of our complaints procedure are outlined below.
Two local performance indicators are used to measure our performance in respect of telephone answering and letter answering.
1.7.1 Customer Charter
Our commitment to you…We will:
- provide easy-to-understand information
- treat you politely and respectfully
- provide services that are easy to use and staff who know what they are talking about
- try to get things right the first time
- listen to your queries and concerns and let you know how quickly we can deal with them
- respect your confidentiality and tell you in advance if any of your personal information will be shared with other organisations
- deal with your comments, suggestions and complaints in a positive and responsible way;
- provide an effective, formal complaints system to help you if you believe you have not been treated fairly
- answer your letters, e-mails and phone calls promptly and effectively.
When you visit us…Our offices and receptions will be:
- welcoming
- comfortable
- accessible
- safe, clean and tidy
- useful centres of information.
We are pleased to offer you:
- A private interview room for appointments if you would like one
- staff who are trained in signing for the deaf and hard of hearing
- information in Braille, on tape or large print
- disabled access arrangements including disabled parking bays and lifts to all floors
- easy access toilet facilities on the ground floor
- a translation service if your first language is not English.
When you visit us…We will:
- respect you and your home
- always show you our official identification before entering your property
- call you in advance if we have to postpone an appointment.
When you write to us by e-mail, letter or fax…We will:
- reply to your communication within ten working days of receiving it
- reply clearly and concisely using plain English
- include in the response the name and telephone extension of the person dealing with your enquiry
- let you know if we cannot answer your enquiry fully within ten working days and when you can expect a complete reply
- respond to requests for information under the Freedom of Information Act within 20 working days.
When you contact us by telephone…We will:
- answer your call within 20 seconds
- ring you back if you ask us to
- give you any relevant direct telephone numbers and/or email addresses that you may need
- call you back within one working if you leave a message on an answerphone.
We ask you to…
- be honest and give us as much relevant information as possible to assist us in dealing with your enquiry
- be respectful and patient when dealing with Council staff as they try to resolve your enquiries and concerns. Abuse, threats or harassment, on or off Council premises, will not be tolerated.
We welcome your views and any suggestions you have for improvement.
1.7.2 Complaints Procedure
In case we do not live up to the level of service expected, we have established the following complaints procedure in addition to the formal Ombudsman system that exists.
If a customer thinks that any aspect of our service, procedure or performance is unsatisfactory, then they should initially take the matter up with the head of the relevant section. If the matter cannot be resolved satisfactorily with the immediate head of the section, the following formal procedure can be used:
- first contact the Service Unit Manager to resolve the situation;
- if still not satisfied the next step is to contact the Corporate Services Manager, who will arrange for an independent review into the complaint;
- if still dissatisfied the complaint can go before a Panel of elected Councillors, which can be arranged by the Corporate Services Manager.
If you have any queries regarding this or the Ombudsman procedure please contact the Complaints Manager on telephone number (023) 9254 5305.
1.8 OUR COMMITMENT TO WORKFORCE MATTERS
In the past year no contracts were awarded which involved a transfer of staff, however Gosport Borough Council, where applicable, would have complied with the requirements in the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Local Authority Service Contracts.
|
|
