Latest news with #RayMogford
Yahoo
04-08-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Residents' feedback and complaints ‘important' if council is to improve
Newport residents have been urged to provide feedback to the council on its services, even if it takes the shape of a complaint. Senior officers told a council committee the feedback, whether positive or negative, was crucial if people wanted to see improvements. A new report has prompted questions about the role local councillors should play in dealing with residents' concerns, however. The committee heard the top area for feedback last year was environmental or public protection issues. Compliments included cleanliness and the standard of services, while negative experiences were 'mainly about waste collection', complaints resolution manager Sarah McCool said. The report on feedback 'highlights how we've continued to listen to residents, learn from their experiences and use that feedback to improve services across the council', she added. The council had 'learned key lessons' including that 'residents want clearer, more timely updates' and 'staff interactions matter'. Head of service Tracy McKim told the committee that the council is 'trying to do more work to encourage people to complain and to compliment'. 'We don't see complaints as a bad thing – it's really important that feedback about services, whether positive or negative, is recorded in a robust way in order to make improvements,' she said. But following a question from Cllr Ray Mogford, it emerged the local authority does not collect data on how many complaints come from ward representatives. 'I get a lot of complaints – people say they've put in requests for services and nothing's happened,' he explained. 'I take on the mantle of pushing through and more often than not manage to get a response. That alleviates the resident complaining, because they're using the councillor as a vehicle to help resolve issues.' 'Would you encourage councillors to complain?' he asked the officers. 'I would say the correct avenue for that would be for you to advise them to contact our customer complaints department,' Ms McCool responded. 'A lot of the time when I'm contacted by councillors, and provide them with information regarding a complaint, I look and actually the customer hasn't raised it with the complaints department. 'They may have instead sent a request for service into a department, but they haven't actually raised a formal complaint with ourselves.' Committee member Don Reed challenged that process, however, suggesting residents may be perplexed if their councillor told them to phone the contact centre rather than ask them directly for help. Ms McKim accepted the matter was 'a fair challenge' but said there was a 'balance to be struck on how complicated and how confidential the issue is'. For residents wishing to make complaints, she advised that 'when it's about a complex personal query, it's better to do it yourself'.
South Wales Argus
05-07-2025
- Politics
- South Wales Argus
Who monitors the M48 Severn Bridge and ANPR cameras?
The M48 Severn Bridge Stakeholder steering group, launched at the end of June, appears to have been created by either the Department for Transport or National Highways. Currently, no public information about the group exists. This prompted Newport councillor Ray Mogford to remark, 'Seems I know as much as Google does,' when asked whether he was aware of the seemingly covert and unelected body. Its remit includes controversial and arguably ineffective policies, such as the enforcement of Severn Bridge weight limits through Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras. Until now, the absence of such cameras had raised questions. However, the group's internal slideshow confirmed that ANPR cameras are now operational - a detail which is also missing from online sources. According to the body's slideshow, ANPR cameras have been in place since the end of June. Previous weight limit enforcement problems: The steering group includes fourteen members: Three officials from National Highways Representatives from Welsh Government Officers from Monmouthshire and Gloucestershire county councils One regional government officer A director from a UK government-funded transport advocacy group Additional members from business organisations. Despite internal claims about ANPR monitoring, it remains unclear whether the use of the Severn Bridge by HGVs is being actively tracked. A senior councillor recently stated that enforcement of weight limits, by ANPR cameras, falls to the back-office functions of Avon and Somerset Police, who oversee policing on the bridge. The South Wales has submitted freedom of information requests in respect to summonses, but the information is unlikely to be available, given how current the data is. You can read the latest possible enforcement failures here: The group's presentation outlines two sets of plans for restoring the bridge: Short- to medium-term fixes, expected to continue until late 2026 Long-term solutions, beginning in 2027, broken down into: Measures: continuation of current maintenance efforts Interventions: structural reinforcements, particularly to the bridge's cables When asked who was responsible for democratic oversight, National Highways responded: 'National Highways has set up a dedicated steering group to support, assist and advise on the future of the bridge, drawing on expertise from freight representatives and key authorities. We remain committed to finding a timely and effective solution that ensures the safety and longevity of this iconic structure. Regular briefings will be provided to MPs, local councils and stakeholders, and no payments are made to members of the group.' Despite its connections with the UK Government and overlap with regional and local authorities, the steering group lacks elected officials and, to date, there is no clear mechanism for holding it to account, raising ongoing concerns about transparency and democratic oversight. Bulwark and Thornwell councillor Sue Riley commented: 'I am aware of the steering group but have no clear idea who is on it beyond Paul Matthews, CEO, nor do I understand its remit. I cannot go so far as to call it a quango because I have no idea of its purpose or the agenda of those involved. It is certainly not democratic and is not, as far as I'm aware, engaging with residents or local members.' Newport councillor Steve Cocks simply added 'I have no knowledge of it,' a view echoed by Newport Conservative councillor William Routley, who expressed concerns about unelected officials increasingly gaining power over democratic bodies.
