Issue - items at meetings - Potential 'Tell Us Once' Pilot

Report of the Director of Finance & Resources (copy attached).

1.       That the aims of the potential pilot project be noted.

2.       That any involvement the Council is able to secure in the Tell us Once programme be supported and agreed, subject to there being no additional unfunded financial or resource implications.

41.1    The Cabinet Member considered a report of the Director of Finance and Resources concerning the Potential ‘Tell Us Once’ Pilot, which, were it to be approved, would benefit the citizens of Brighton & Hove and would sit within the Council’s Access Vision (agreed by Policy and resources Committee in November 2008) and Council’s priorities, including better use of public money (for copy, see minute book).

41.2    The Assistant Director, Customer Services, explained that there were three strands to this pilot scheme, which were the pilots on births, bereavement and change of address. She reported that, prior to the Cabinet Member meeting, it had been announced that Brighton & Hove City Council had not been chosen as a pilot, though officers had hoped it would be chosen for the bereavement pilot.

41.3    The Assistant Director explained that though the city was performing well where bereavement was concerned, the pilot would bring the required legal framework which would facilitate the standardisation of services for a uniform sharing of information between all services. She also explained that even though officers were disappointed with the outcome, the lessons learnt from becoming involved in the process of pilot such as this one had been positive.

41.4    The Assistant Director further explained that the third strand of the pilot, ‘change of address’, was still open and available for allocation. Officers were hopeful that Brighton & Hove still had a chance of getting this one pilot. She agreed to bring an update to the next Cabinet Member Meeting. 

41.5    The Cabinet Member thanked officers for their work and involvement with this matter. He agreed that it was disappointing that the city had not been chosen to lead on this process. He pointed out, however, that it was good and positive that the council still wished to pursue more in future. He also recognised that the process had allowed the Assistant Director and her team to bring forward all that the services were already doing positively.

41. 6   RESOLVED - That having considered the information and the reasons set out in the report, and to accommodate any future expression of interest with regards to the discussed change of address pilot scheme, the Cabinet Member accepted the following recommendations:

(1)      That the aims of the potential pilot project be noted.

(2)      That any involvement the Council is able to secure in the Tell us Once programme be supported and agreed, subject to there being no additional unfunded financial or resource implications.