Issue - meetings

44.1.     The Board considered a report providing updates on employer engagement activities including communications and the collection of employer and member contributions up to June 2021 which were due on 19 July 2021.

44.2.     The Board asked when BHCC may be added to i-Connect.

44.3.     Tim Hillman (TH) said it was hoped BHCC would be on the system by the end of the year. When BHCC eventually joins, an automatic comparison of data sets will be run and a data cleanse will be carried out. TH said this can be an arduous task, but the PAT is getting more proficient at it each time and from then on, the monthly data provided through iConnect will be more accurate. When East Sussex County Council was added to i-Connect, there were around 1,000 such queries and BHCC should have a similar number. PP added that BHCC is keen to resolve its data issues and has committed to upgrading its payroll systems, including agreeing to cover the cost of adding i-Connect back in March 2021.

44.4.     LW agreed that the new website is much improved and clearer and more accessible than before, based on seeing a draft of it during the CWG. LW said clearly accessible answers on the website should help reduce officers’ workload by enabling people to find the answers to their queries without needing to contact someone. She asked whether people can still give feedback on the site’s accessibility when it is live.

44.5.     TH confirmed that would be possible as the first step had been to move the old website information to the new format and the next step would be continuing to improve the presentation of the information once it is live. 

44.6.     The Chair asked why there had been a slight increase in the number of employers paying their contributions late in April.

44.7.     TH explained that this was due to various reasons such as mistakenly paying the old contribution rates, as they increased on 31st March; one employer carrying out the payroll of several other employers and paying late, adding a further two late employers to the list; and some employers still paying by cheque and because of COVID-19 working practices the cheques not being picked up straight away in the office. TH said the team is in a better position with resolving employer contribution issues than it was in January 2021. The next step will involve being more proactive with nudging and chasing employers more promptly if they do not pay their contributions ahead of the deadline of the 19^th. When a late or wrong payment occurs, the team will start chasing employers to find out why.  The team will also encourage those employers paying by cheque to adopt electronic banking.

44.8.     The Board RESOLVED to note the report.