SUPPLEMENTARY MEMORANDUM BY BIRMINGHAM
CITY COUNCIL (CP56A)
BIRMINGHAM CITY
COUNCILMONITORING
RESPONSES TO
PUBLIC INQUIRIES
During our session with your Committee on Wednesday
29th March 2000, the issue of City Council response rates to inquiries
for members of the public was raised. In response, I undertook
to supply your Committee with supplementary evidence which you
will find attached.
Most Departments of the Council have a 14 day
response target to letters from the public and the results of
our monitoring exercises for the previous three years (information
for 2000-01 are not yet available) are clearly laid out in Table
1. In addition a general 20 second answering target for telephone
calls also applies and similar monitoring results for this target
are shown in Table 2.
Can I at this point express my appreciation
for the opportunity to address your Committee. Both Councillor
Howell and I found the debate extremely stimulating and enjoyable
and we are both looking forward to your final report.
Sir Michael Lyons
Chief Executive
5 April 2000
BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
ANSWERING
LETTERS FROM
MEMBERS OF
THE PUBLIC
1998-99
Table 1: 14-day target
| 1998-99
| 1997-98 | 1996-97
|
Department | Number in sample
| Number in target | % in target
| % in target | % in target
|
Commercial Services | 10 |
10 | 100 | 100 |
100 |
Economic Development | 17 |
17 | 100 | 92 |
97 |
Education | 65 | 63
| 97 | 89 | 78 |
Environmental Services | 980 |
895 | 91 | 88 |
99 |
Finance | 4,311 | 3,518
| 82 | 95 | 99 |
Housing | 1,965 | 1,523
| 78 | 85 | 82 |
Legal Services | 1,189 | 1,189
| 100 | 100 | 99
|
Leisure & Community Services | 179
| 172 | 96 | 84
| 90 |
Neighbourhood Advice & Benefits | 13
| 13 | 100 | 100
| 99 |
Personnel & Organisation | 23
| 20 | 87 | 85 |
99 |
Planning & Architecture | 611
| 330 | 54 | 51
| 63 |
Policy Division | 17 | 14
| 82 | 81 | 99 |
Public Relations | 3 | 3
| 100 | 88 | 99
|
Social Services | 813 | 705
| 87 | 82 | 90 |
Transportation | 1,084 | 962
| 89 | 80 | 68 |
Overall Total | 11,280 | 9,434
| 84 | 92 | 86 |
BIRMINGHAM CITY COUNCIL
ANSWERING TELEPHONE
CALLS 1998-99
Table 2: 20 second target
| 1998-99
| 1997-98 | 1996-97
|
Department | Number in sample
| Number in target | % in target
| % in target | % in target
|
Commercial Services | 1,387 |
1,055 | 76 | 100 |
100 |
Economic Development | 521 |
495 | 95 | 95 |
98 |
Education | 1,811 | 1,550
| 86 | 100 | 95
|
Environmental Services | 3,394
| 3,682 | 94 | 85
| 100 |
Finance | 176 | 165
| 94 | 86 | 93 |
Housing | 2,948 | 2,567
| 87 | 74 | 88 |
Legal Services | 297 | 253
| 85 | 79 | 93 |
Leisure & Community Services | 1,012
| 866 | 86 | 87
| 97 |
Neighbourhood Advice & Benefits | 2,062
| 1,798 | 87 | 95
| 93 |
Personnel & Organisation | 239
| 227 | 95 | 84
| 93 |
Planning & Architecture | 1,609
| 1,456 | 90 | 98
| 97 |
Policy Division | 1,182 | 1,131
| 96 | 100 | 93
|
Public Relations | 1,183 |
1,129 | 95 | 100 |
93 |
Social Services | 10,376 |
9,167 | 88 | 87 |
93 |
Transportation | 1,201 | 1,127
| 94 | 89 | 91 |
Overall Total | 29,938 | 26,668
| 89 | 94 | 94 |
|