Councillors want to know what bugs people about life in Portsmouth so they can possibly look into it.
Councillors on Portsmouth City Council’s scrutiny panel will be meeting shortly to consider what topics should be scrutinised or reviewed by councillors in the following months.
People are asked to get in touch via the council website, email or in writing by Friday 9 September September ahead of the meeting on Tuesday 13 September.
Recent topics considered by scrutiny have included: an investigation into the council’s handling of icy pavements which resulted in improved information for residents and increased storage of salt; a review of the way the council allocates housing; and an investigation into the emergency response to a serious power failure in the city in June 2010.
Councillors from the scrutiny management panel want people in Portsmouth to suggest which services provided by the council and other organisations could be improved.
The reports and recommendations then have to be formally considered by decision makers at the council so it is a real chance for improvements to be made. Policy recommendations can also be put forward.
Councillor Michael Andrewes, chair of the scrutiny management panel, said: “We are here to make sure the services provided by the council for Portsmouth residents are as good as they can possibly be and encourage other service providers to improve their services so it’s important they tell us which services they think we need to take a closer look at with them.
"We all fume about something in our lives - our train or bus is late, we can't find the information we are looking for, is there anything that can be done about noisy neighbours? Some of these things are the irritations of everyday life. Others could be improved more generally. Or we may say ‘that's really good - why can't it be applied more widely?’
“I think Portsmouth is a great place to live. And two in three people think it is better than 10 years ago but nothing is perfect and everything can be improved. I, along with my committee, want to know what people in Portsmouth want us to look into to try and improve.
“We can't solve individual complaints but we can look at structures, systems and policies. We can invite companies and organisations to come along and answer questions and we can ask questions of the council, help develop its policies and make recommendations. So if you have a good idea or have ever said to yourself ‘why can't they do that in Portsmouth?’ - let us know."
Topics that are chosen to be ‘scrutinised’ will be looked at by a panel of councillors from different parties. The councillors will assess how the council is performing in that area to see whether we’re providing the best possible cost-effective services for people in the city.
The panel's findings will be reported to the cabinet and may result in changes to the way in which services are delivered.
Suggestions for scrutiny are welcomed by the council at any time.
If you would like to make a suggestion, contact the scrutiny support team at city.helpdesk@portsmouthcc.gov.uk.
You can also write to: Democratic and community engagement, Civic Offices, Guildhall Square, Portsmouth, PO1 2AL.
Would the scrutiny panel please look at the procedures of public utilities to make sure if they do not reach a satisfactory standard in a reasonable time scale then PCC takes action. I write this as a resident who has suffered at the hands of Southern Water's cavalier attitude to the numerous complaints over many years about the sewage smell which pervades the area in spite of a so called State of the Art Odour Control Centre
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