Member question: Councillor J Watkins, received 30 April 2018
Subject: Caerleon public toilets
Following closure of the public toilets in Caerleon the authority stated that the toilets inside the town hall would be available for public use. However notices have been seen at the town hall stating this is not the case!! Additionally there has been at least one instance where staff at the town hall have refused access to the toilets stating they are not available for public use.
This state of utter confusion is not helpful, I am therefore asking for clarification on the issue and that both notices and staff share the same appropriate advice. I trust measures will be put in place to clarify the situation. Can the Cabinet Member give me an assurance that this will be the case.
Response:
I can confirm that the Caerleon town hall toilets have been made available while there is caretaker staffing within the building, this has also been extended to community event activities.
Hours of toilet availability have been made available at the town hall.
There is currently a temporary sign explaining availability and a permanent sign is on order.
I have directed the relevant manager to reaffirm the position with caretakers on site. Issued 14 May 2018
Member question: Councillor M Kellaway, received 4 May 2018
Subject: General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR)
Can you confirm that the council will be fully compliant with the 2018 General Data Protection Regs (GDPR). If not what action are you taking to protect the data and privacy of our residents as well as ensuring NCC will not incur heavy fines.
Response:
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) is regulation by which the European Parliament, the European Council and the European Commission intend to strengthen and unify data protection for individuals within the European Union. The GDPR will apply in the UK from 25 May 2018 as the Government has confirmed that the UK’s decision to leave the EU will not affect the commencement of the GDPR.
Many of the GDPR’s main concepts and principles are much the same as those in the current Data Protection Act (DPA). As Newport City Council has a good track record in meeting these requirements most of its approach to compliance will remain valid under GDPR. However, there are new elements and significant enhancements and we will be doing some things for the first time and some things differently.
The council has been preparing for the implementation of GDPR for some time and will continue to develop its approach beyond 25 May 2018. The Information Commissioner stated that GDPR compliance will be an ongoing journey. ‘It’s an evolutionary process for organisations – 25 May is the date the legislation takes effect but no business stands still. You will be expected to continue to identify and address emerging privacy and security risks in the weeks, months and years beyond May 2018.’
The work programme we have implemented and met will ensure that residents' data will continue to be managed securely by the council and the risk of financial penalty will be minimised. Issued 14 May 2018
Member question: Councillor J Watkins, received 4 September 2017
Subject: Information Station staffing costs
Recently I submitted an FOI in respect of excessive waiting times at the NCC Contact Centre telephone line.
The FOI revealed a £1.19m annual staffing cost for NCC call centre.
The FOI also highlighted the staffing numbers. So working on rough estimates...
21 full-time operators (£17k x 21 = £357,000)
6 part-time operators (£12k x 6 = £72,000)
6 senior operators (£20k x 6 = £120,000)
4 team managers (£35k x 4 = £140,000)
1 senior manager (£50k? x 1 = £50,000)
Estimated total: £739,000
This leaves a shortfall of roughly £450,000 unaccounted for? Are there other staffing costs unaccounted for? I would be extremely grateful for your clarification and response.
Response
There is no shortfall of £450k unaccounted for. The costs of basic salaries is £1,022,748 for a total of 40 full-time equivalent staff, including face-to-face and technical staff (not just phone staff).
In addition, the associated salary costs i.e. National Insurance contributions, pension contributions etc. cost a further £162,447.
These costs are based on the following salary grades:
Basic salary for customer services officers is up to £19,939
Basic salary for senior customer services officers is up to £22,434
Basic salary for team managers is up to £29,033
Basic salary for the senior manager post is up to £38,789
Issued 2 October 2017