Members considered a report providing a benefits analysis and financial

business case for the refurbishment of the Customer Hub.

The Strategic Lead for Customer First introduced the report, and highlighted the following points:

·         The number of customers entering the ground floor over a number of years had remained stable but the type of customers being seen now were very different;

·         Other partners had now joined West Lindsey District Council (WLDC) in the Guildhall. This was alongside regular surgeries for the local MP and others;

·         Face to face interactions tended to be more complex; the number of customers were using the space for longer;

·         Digital interaction with customers was available, however further digital technology was required on the ground floor;

·         The ‘Customer First’ agenda would change the way visitors to the Guildhall received service.  WLDC had changed the way it operated to assure tenants they still had the same tenancy rights;

·         Large consultations on the ground floor could be a struggle because of the current space configuration;

·         There would be a drive to serve those customers with a easy to solve query quickly; the idea would be to operate a triage facility in the first instance;

·         Better management of the flow of customers would help WLDC from a health and safety point of view;

·         There was a constant struggle for confidential space, in particular, interview rooms.  With surgeries also taking place this had led to increased demand.  The plans tried to create an increased number of formal interview rooms, and an increase in quieter areas;

·         The service space on the ground floor currently had a range of PCs, however they were locked down for a specific purpose.  If a large number of people were using these PCs for job searches they automatically became unavailable.  In addition, these workstations were not private as they faced into the reception area;

·         A ‘quick transaction’ area had been created in the plans, along with a ‘sit-down’ space for longer engagements;

·         There were times where engagement sessions, such as jobs clubs took place; this had been addressed with the addition of a multi-use area.  These sessions also used space on the 1^st and 3^rd Floors when the ground floor was not available, which was not ideal.

Following this introduction, Members then provided comment, and asked questions on the report.  Further information was provided:

·         It was important to put the customer at the centre of everything WLDC do, including tenants and partners;

·         The tank room in the plans was for oil and water storage;

·         The Department for Works and Pensions (DWP) were spoken to about a level of change on the ground floor, and whether they would contribute financially to this.  Because of difficulty in speaking to the Secretary of State, the idea of financial contributions from the DWP was not progressed;

·         Paint will be refreshed in the DWP area of the ground floor. It would be preferable to create some space at the Spring Gardens end of the ground floor;

·         The waiting area  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25