2018

G0379 - Use of WhatsApp and other media platform for staff and citizen engagement - 211218

This APSE member authority is considering conducting a messaging trial using WhatsApp on council devices as a way to help their teams to keep in touch. The hope is that this might help particularly teams or small groups that need to keep in touch in a regular and flexible way. However, they are also trying to balance the value of this technology with a number of data protection and security concerns; particularly with regards to WhatsApp sharing contact information with Face Book for example. They would be interested to hear from other APSE member councils about their experiences of using instant messaging in the workplace:-
• Have you undertaken any similar trials?
• Do you intend to run any trials in the future?
• What software has been used or is being considered for use?
• Has anyone successfully used WhatsApp to reach citizens, or for internal use?
• Has instant messaging been considered but then not subsequently pursued? if so what was the reason?

 

G0378 - IT Training arrangements - 151118

This APSE member authority is currently reviewing the provision of training for IT within the council. They would be interested to hear from other APSE member authorities as follows:-

- What provision does your council have for IT training?
- Where in your structure is this function located; Central Training, IT Services, other or provided externally?
- Do you have a central IT suite to conduct training or use colleges for this?
- Do you use e-learning much and how is this sourced: purchased or created in-house?

 

G0377 - Byelaws addressing jetskis and horse riding on beaches - 151118

A member authority is currently trying to research legislation including byelaws relating to beaches, particularly with reference to jet skis and horses.
They appreciate that this may fall outside of the Environmental Health remit in some councils but they looking for respondents to point them in the right direction.

They would therefore be very grateful for any assistance that colleagues could provide, in particular from those authorities with a coastline.

They are interested in the following information:

1. Do you currently have byelaws/ beach strategy in place which considers the use of jet skis or allowing horses on beaches?

2. Have you had any issues regarding the use of jet skis / allowing horses on the beach? How many complaints have you received each year since 2014 in relation to a) jet skis and b) horses?

3. Have you ever had to investigate a serious injury/ fatality as a result of either: a) jet ski or b) horse riding activities at beach?

4. Have you ever had to take enforcement action in relation to jet skis or horse riding at the beach? If so what legislation was used?

5. Would you be open to sharing your current rules and practices with us and giving some information as to how they are currently working for you?

 

G0376 - Car Parking charges/spaces for staff - 241018

A member authority is currently reviewing car park charges and would be interested to receive information on the following:

• Do any authorities charge staff for parking or for parking spaces?
• Do you have designated car parks for staff?

If so, we would be interested to see pricing structures, if available.

 

G0375 - Developing a Markets Strategy - 241018

A member authority is keen to connect with colleagues in other local authorities who would be happy to share about their authority’s experience developing a markets strategy.

In particular, they would be very grateful to understand how you approached the following aspects:

1 -      Researching and scoping strategic options for developing local markets and what the content would be
2 -      Determining structure and presentation of the final document
3 -      Consultation and review

In essence, they are keen to understand how you ‘got going’ and an outline of your overall approach that they might be able to learn from those who have gone before them.

If you have been directly involved in developing a markets strategy, we would be grateful if you could please send a sentence to describe your approach to each of these three aspects along with any advice you would share with a local authority at the outset of this process.

Alternatively, if you are aware of who has undertaken development of your local authority’s markets strategy, we would be very grateful if you could please forward this query for their consideration and help.

 

G0374 - Live animals in Circuses - 121018

A member authority would like to ascertain if other local authorities and APSE Members have banned Circus Shows with animals from their venues, and if so do they have a total ban on animals including domestic animals (dogs, horses/ponies, doves/budgies etc.) or just exotic and wild animals?

We would also be very interested in other members' policies on animals at events in general, i.e. dog shows, pet’s corners, birds of prey displays, pony and cart rides etc.

At the moment we welcome a well- known Circus to one of our parks venues here in Sheffield, and they are very well received. Their show includes a dog show, stallions and budgies. As far as we understand our city has not had a circus with exotic/wild animals on local authority land for over 35 years.

 

G0372 - Parking Enforcement Services - 041018

A member authority would like to know if there are any authorities with internal parking enforcement services.

The authority is currently evaluating parking enforcement and would like to receive any information from those authorities who either have internal enforcement teams or have evaluated this and chosen a different service delivery model.

 

G0371 - Talent Management - 041018

A Member authority are currently in the process of developing a planned approach to TM and would like to hear examples from other authorities who have successfully moved talented people around their organisation (that are not part of a structured graduate programme) and progressed them so they reach their potential.

The Member Authority are keen to know how Talent Management works in your establishment?

 

G0370 - Farmers Markets - 270918

A local authority is keen to connect with others who coordinate a local Farmers Market and to understand the delivery models in place within other local authorities.

• Do you organise a Farmers Market, held separately to your other markets?
• Is it a weekday or weekend market? How frequently is it held? Weekly, fortnightly, monthly or other (please specify)?
• Do you have duplicate traders and therefore competition between traders i.e. 2 or 3 veg traders, 2 or 3 meat traders etc.?
• Have you ever coordinated a ‘market-wide’ promotional offer across produce and sales?
• What other approaches have you tried to promote the market? What has been successful?

 

G0369 - Use of a combined template for monitoring contract performance - 260918

A member authority is reviewing their approach to contract monitoring and would be grateful for advice from colleagues within other local authorities on the use of a combined template for monitoring contract performance over several contracts at once:

1. Do you have a combined template for monitoring contract performance?
2. Does it capture Health and Safety concerns also?
3. What contracts does it cover?

If you are able to share a copy of your monitoring template, that would be greatly appreciated also.

 

G0368 - Car Parks & Permit Parking pricing structures 170818

A member authority would like information about other APSE authorities regarding their car parks & permit parking pricing structures.

We would like to know the following, if possible;

1. How much do you charge for parking in town centre authority car parks?
2. How much do you charge for parking in out of town centre authority car parks?
3. How much do you charge for residential parking permits?
4. How much do you charge for parking permits for businesses, if offered, in parking zones?

 

G0367 - Lighting public buildings - 060818

A member authority is enquiring regarding when local authorities receive a request to light up a public building (e.g. a Town Hall) for a special event such as the NHS 70 year celebration.

If any local authorities have a policy in relation to this, with regards to how the requests are approved, and how the costs are covered etc the member authority would be pleased to receive a copy.

 

G0365 - Advocacy services for Looked After Children - 160718

A local authority is reviewing their Advocacy services for Looked After Children and seeking to compare their approach with other local authorities.

To help with this, they would be very grateful for details of the following:

- Within your authority, what practises are in places to help ensure continual service improvement i.e. case monitoring/ reflective practise etc.?
- How do Looked after Children access advocacy services and how are they made aware of the service?
- Brief details of any aspects of your approach, which work well in helping to ensure Childrens’ voices are represented.

 

G0364 - Lifebelt monitoring system - 090718

This member authority is looking to install a monitoring system for lifebelts and safety equipment on their river and coastal sites.

Does any other APSE member have any recommendations for companies that provide such a service and how effective it is?

Do you self-monitor this service and how effective has this approach been?

This member authority has an ongoing issue on misuse of life-saving equipment and they would therefore be interested in any approaches taken to ameliorate the problems.

 

G0363 - Electronic Signature - 290518

A member authority is enquiring as to whether anyone is using electronic signatures within their authority? Particularly within their Legal and Procurement departments as well as any internal processes / procedures.

If so, would you be happy to discuss your service delivery model in more detail? Can you recommend any particular software?

 

G0363 - Accessing mediation services - 180618

A member authority is reviewing their approach to mediation in workplace conflict and would be grateful to understand how other local authorities meet the need for effective mediation within the workplace.

• Do you provide mediation services within your workplace?
• Under what circumstances is mediation sought?
• Do you have inhouse trained mediators?
• If you source mediators externally what suppliers do you use?

Where possible, a copy of a related policy or procedure that encapsulates your approach would be most helpful.

 

G0362 - Adoption of Chatbot ( Virtual Assistant ) and Amazon Alexa Technologies in Customer Service Centres - 290518

This APSE member authority is currently considering augmenting their customer service centre by developing a Chatbot ( or Virtual Assistant ) technology to deal with volume / predictable requests. They would welcome responses to the following questions:-
• Are you currently using Chatbox technology in your customer service centre (or any other contact points)?
• Are you currently developing Amazon Alexa Skills for customer self-service (or other interactive voice response systems)?
• Would you be happy to discuss your service delivery model in more detail by sharing your findings?

 

G0361 - GDPR - Photography and Videography - 210518

A member authority is reviewing their procedures around photography and video consent in view of the forthcoming GDPR legislation
Please can you provide information on the following:

• How do you capture consent when commissioning photography and videos?
• Do you have any special procedures depending on the person photographed (i.e children and vulnerable adults)
• Do you get blanket consent for all uses or do you limit the use of the image/video by category
• What procedures do you have in place to manage any data captured - for example storing contact details?
• Do you gain consent at public events?

 

G0360 - Benchmarking unit rates in domiciliary and residential care - 280618

A member authority is seeking to compare costs of service delivery and would particularly like to understand how other local authorities calculate their unit (hourly) costs of in-house care provision.

To assist with this, they would be very grateful if colleagues could share what they consider to be the cost of ‘an hour of care’ within your authority as reported/ discussed and calculated for internal purposes and what this cost consists of.

Domiciliary Care

1) Do you have a ‘worked out’ cost of ‘an hour of domiciliary care’ within your authority? If so, what is it?

2) In working out this cost, which of the following do you include?

• Salary - Yes/No
• Annual Leave – Yes/ No
• Sick Leave – Yes/ No
• Travel costs – Yes/ No
• Management Costs - Yes/ No
• Support services inc. HR, Legal Services, Finance etc. – Yes/ No
• Facilities overheads i.e. Buildings costs and utilities – Yes/ No
• Other – Please state

Residential Care

1) Do you have a ‘worked out’ cost of ‘an hour of residential care within your authority? If so, what is it?

2) In working out this cost, which of the following do you include?

• Salary - Yes/No
• Annual Leave – Yes/ No
• Sick Leave – Yes/ No
• Travel costs – Yes/ No
• Management Costs - Yes/ No
• Support services inc. HR, Legal Services, Finance etc. – Yes/ No
• Facilities overheads i.e. Buildings costs and utilities – Yes/ No
• Other – Please state

 

G0359 - Human Resources & Payroll: Calculation of Rate for Deductions - 190418

This APSE member authority is looking to develop a consistent HR/Payroll/Time and Attendance system and they are currently reviewing all their payroll elements.  One area which is under discussion is whether to pay staff on a 1/260 basis or 1/365 basis (or 1/5th or 1/7th ) for the purposes of deductions and others calculations.  They would be grateful to receive feedback on how other local authorities pay their staff and the logic that they applied in arriving at the calculation, particularly for the purposes of deductions.

 

G0358 - Staff recruitment - 120418

A member authority has found itself struggling to find new staff for  a number of their operational posts.
They  would therefore be very interested to find out from other local authorities if they are having similar difficulties recruiting to any of the following posts;

 . Seasonal gardening staff – do other authorities still have these workers and any difficulties attracting?
 . Seasonal games in parks staff – as above
 . Seasonal loaders
 . Mechanics
 . HGV drives
 
The member authority would also be interested to know salaries for these posts as the service feels attraction is linked to the pay rates?
 
Finally if anyone has any tips/best practice they would be willing to share regarding how they have successfully recruited to these posts that would be really helpful.

 

G0357 - Comparing injury rates by type and service area - 090418

A local authority has been in touch to advise that they would like to compare their annual injury rates within operational services.

In particular, they would like to be able to compare incidences of the following injury types:

• SB = Striking, struck or contact with objects
• MH = Manual Handling
• ST = Slip or Trip incident
• OTH = Other type of injury or incident
• FFH = Falls From Height
• VA = Injuries from Violence or Aggression

If you hold this data for one (or more) of  service areas 1- 9 (below) and would be interested in comparing this with other local authorities and local authority owned trading companies, we would be very grateful if you could share these figures by completing the online questionnaire, below. 

Click to complete questionnaire (scroll to find relevant service area).

1. Refuse collection
2. Street Cleansing
3. Parks and Open spaces
4. Highways and Engineering light civil works
5. Domestic/commercial building maintenance and refurbishment/ repair
6. Larger construction projects
7. Car parking enforcement
8. Motor vehicle repair and fleet maintenance
9. Office and business support services


.
G0356 - Market Rate Supplement - 060418

A member authority is exploring the option of paying market supplements in order to retain and attract staff to specific roles within the organisation.  The authority would like to know:

• Do you pay market supplements?
• Which type of roles are subject to market supplement payments?
• On what basis are the payment amounts derived or calculated?
• How did you safeguard against any possible equal pay conflicts?

 

G0355 - Hot -desking and health impacts - 060418

A member authority is enquiring whether those authorities which have introduced hot-desking have noticed an increase in sickness levels as a result.

If there have been increases, has this been apparent in any particular service areas or has it been a general increase across the council’s workforce.

Finally where increases have occurred what actions have been taken to reduce these increases?

 

G0354 - Community Partnerships/ Local Strategic Partnerships (LSPs) - 230318

A member authority is reviewing their approach to coordinating Community Partnerships/ Local Strategic Partnerships and would value contact with colleagues within other local authorities responsible for coordinating Community Partnerships/ Local Strategic Partnerships to share good practise and information around governance arrangement.   I.e. role of sub-groups, whether agency or community led etc. 

If you would be happy to share your experiences coordinating strategic community oversight whether through a Community Partnership,  Local Strategic Partnership or similar, we would be very grateful if you could send an email with the contact details of the best person to speak to.

 

G0352a - Community Facility Development - 120318

This local authority would be grateful if other local authorities could provide information regarding a local community group developing a Community Facility.

This facility will offer a truly multi-functional community facility having a range of facilities available for the use of the local and wider community. The building will also be utilised to provide accommodation of office space for potential anchor tenants in order to make the maximum use of the building seven days per week.   Further uses will include an educational HUB help to attract Health and Social Care professionals, Third sector and Independent Businesses.

Has any Local Authority recently worked with the community to undertake a project similar to the above? Any information, including options appraisal and feasibility study, consultation, communication, design, costs etc. would be welcomed.

 

G0352 - Management of call-out and out of hours service  (Regulatory services / Buildings & facilities / Assets / Parks and Open Spaces / Enforcement) - 280218

A member authority is requesting information on the following:
 
1. How does your organisation provide and manage standby, call-out and out of hours service in the following areas:-
 
(by out of hours we mean outside of normal office hours, for instance between 6.30pm and 7.30am Monday to Friday and Saturdays/Sundays/public and extra statutory holidays)
 
• Regulatory services (eg Food Safety, Noise Pollution, Air Pollution, Dog Wardens)
• Buildings and facilities (eg community centres, sports pavilions, security)
• Assets (eg fleet)
• Parks and Open Spaces
• Enforcement (eg littering, illegal dumping, anti-social Behaviour)
 
2. How are employees compensated for working outside of normal office hours?

• Overtime
• Set payment
• % of salary
• TOIL
• Other
 
3. Does your organisation have an overall corporate approach to out of hours service provision / management or is it on a departmental basis?
 
4. In terms of supervision / management how are issues / emergencies dealt with and prioritised?  When working out of hours does the employee have access to a supervisor/manager?  If so is this access on site / via a mobile / based at HQ etc?
 
5. If there is out of hours supervision / management is this a separate designation eg Duty Manager/Supervisor?  If there is a Duty Manager/Supervisor or equivalent does he/she have a specific role relevant to one area or is it a generic role providing supervision/management across all out of hours functions?

 

G0351 - Commercial Manager Role - 280218

This local authority is looking to recruit a Commercial Manager, as is looking for information from other authorities on:-

1. Job Profiles for Commercial Managers
2. Job Evaluations for Commercial Managers

 

G0350 - Policies on dealing with vandalism to council property - 200218

A member authority is enquiring whether any other Authorities have specific policies on how they deal with vandalism to their property.   In particular they are interested to discover:

• do you always refer to the police when you have CCTV evidence?
• do you have a policy of always pursing the reimbursement of all costs from the perpetrators (regardless of what the police decide to do?
• do you have a policy on whether they pursue depending on age of the offenders?

 

G0349 - Assessing workforce digital skills - 240418

A currently looking to assess the digital skills of their workforce and aim to use an online assessment to understand current digital literacy levels. 

They are eager to hear from any other organisation who may have/are currently working on a similar project to understand:

- What questionnaire was used to undertaken the skills assessment? (supply link if possible)
- How many people were assessed?
- Was the assessment mandatory?
- If not, what % undertook the assessment?
- Were any incentives used to undertake the assessment?
- Was an external organisation used to undertake the assessment or carry out any identified training?  If so, please supply details?
- If the questionnaire was undertaken in-house, what tool was used to collect results?
- What benefits have been realised by a) the employees and b) the organisation since undertaking this?

 

G0348 - Out of Hours working - 230218 

A member authority is currently looking at the issues around out of hours cover.

They would be interested in receiving the following information from colleagues:

• Do you have ‘Out of hours’ cover?
• Do you have in place ‘Emergency response’ work teams?
• Do you have operational and Management staff employed for this cover?
• If so, for what type of work, hours and days covered?
• What remuneration is offered to staff for this work?

 

G0347 - Case study examples of bringing a contract for services back in-house ( Insourcing ) - 020218

APSE is currently exploring further cases of Insourcing  (bringing a local authority service back in-house). We would like to hear from local authorities that are willing to share information on their own experiences of this. Although the information is needed across all different service areas we would especially welcome case studies in respect of social care  including domiciliary care, residential care homes and reablement teams.

 

G0346 - Use of live animals at events - 290118

A member authority would like to understand how other local authorities have addressed concerns over animal welfare when they hold public events to showcase certain animals for viewing or petting.

Is such an event considered to be appropriate any longer or have animal welfare concerns resulted in no longer delivering this type of activity?

 

G0345 - Use of management companies by developers to maintain public open spaces - 230118

A member authority is looking at the growth in the number of management companies being used by developers to maintain public open space.
 
They are concerned that this  is leading to a decline in the amount of public space adopted by local authorities with the loss of the associated commuted sum payments.
 
In some cases developers are no longer delivering highways to an adoptable standard, which is leading to other issues in relation to street cleansing, street lighting, general maintenance, and refuse collections.
 
This practice is leading to residents being asked to pay management charges for the maintenance of open spaces as well as council tax.
 
It has been found that these charges often increase markedly following the initial development.
 
With regards to social rented or affordable homes, budgeting for this cost can be extremely challenging in fact it has been found that the charges levied are sometimes not properly accounted for.
 
In recent case the enquiring member authority have  found that  the ‘admin’ fee charged was as high as 60% of the overall charge.
 
The member authority would  therefore be interested to learn whether other local authorities are finding similar problems and how they have dealt with them.

Responses will be used to form a view as to whether further action is necessary to highlight this as an issue nationally form of a further more detailed report which could be used to lobbying Government .

If APSE does produce a report, all respondent will be asked whether their comments can be included.

 

G0344 - Sponsorship - 230118

A member authority is keen to know the different approaches and income levels being taken/achieved by other local authorities regarding sponsorship.

The areas they are interested in include:
• Free Standing Unit
• Lamp post Column
• Banners
• Roundabout
• Gateways
• Floral Display
• Play
• Trees
• Advertising

 

G0343 - Employer contribution to professional memberships - 190118

A member authority is seeking to review their policy for employer contributions to professional memberships such as those that entitle employees to Chartered status in Engineering and Accounting,

To assist with their review, they would be very grateful to understand the following in relation to the policies in place within your authority:

- Are employees able to access contributions towards professional memberships?
- If yes, do you have a set of criteria to determine eligibility that you could share?
- Further, how do you administer the payment? If a beneficiary leaves before the end of their term of membership and you seek to re-coup the funds, how is this administered?

If you have a policy document that outlines your approach, which you are able to share, this would be greatly appreciated too.

 

G0342 - New-Build Community Centres - 080118

A local authority is at the outset of supporting a local group to design and build a S106 and CIL funded community facility, which is envisaged to include community activity rooms, outdoor sports pitches, a community café and office space for the Parish Council.

They would be very glad to connect with colleagues in other member authorities with experience of building a new Community Centre and to gather a brief overview of the work undertaken.  If you have been or are involved in building a new Community Centre and would be happy to share and discuss best practise with regards to delivering a facility that meets Community needs, we’d be very grateful if you could please contact us to outline the following:

When did you complete your Community Centre (or when is it due for completion)?
Facilities at the Community Centre:
Key aspects of your approach to delivery and securing funding:

 

G0341 - Developing a community support hub - 080118

This APSE member authority is considering setting up Community Support hubs and would welcome additional information from other APSE members who have set up similar schemes. They would be particularly interested in finding out about your approach to setting up and running the hub, the Terms of Reference you have adopted and how you have considered any Data protection implications. They would also welcome information on