A Cabinet decision to outsource the maintenance of parks and open spaces, street cleaning and the maintenance of all off-street and on-street parking facilities has been called-in for further scrutiny.
The authority's Cabinet agreed at a meeting on Monday, 17th September, to extend the scope of the Highways Services Contract with Ringway Jacobs to include existing Grounds Maintenance, Street Cleaning and Parking Maintenance, excluding parking enforcement, activities that are currently undertaken directly by the Council.
However, nine councillors have called-in the decision of the Cabinet on the grounds that "Streetscape works well, perhaps excellently. Highways contract is unproven and insufficient evidence is available to show that the service will not deteriorate or even to make the decision to change."
They also stated that: "professional advice was not taken from officers or not duly considered; the decision was taken in the absence of adequate evidence; there was inadequate consultation relating to the decision and viable alternatives were not considered".
It is anticipated that by increasing the scope of the contract immediate savings in excess of £50,000 will be realised in the last quarter of 2012-2013, increasing to a full-year saving of over £250,000 during 2013/14, rising to about £450,000 per annum from 1st April 2014, after the first full year of operation.
It is expected that Parking Maintenance will see efficiencies generated from combining the management activities and combining works associated with Traffic Regulation Orders and maintenance activities into one operational team activity. It is anticipated that after the first full year of operation, efficiencies generated will be in excess 7.5% of current operating costs.
The Cabinet agreed on 17th September that, subject to no challenge being received during the Voluntary Ex-ante Transparency Notice period (commonly referred to as the VEAT notice), approval be given to: extend the scope of the Highways Services Contract to include Streetscape and Parking Maintenance activities; publish a procurement VEAT Notice and develop a detailed activity programme that will engage with elected members, existing employees and their Trade Union representatives - with a view to achieving a commencement date of 1st January 2013 for the new service delivery arrangements.
The Environment and Prosperity Scrutiny Committee will consider the call-in at a meeting on 1st October and decide whether or not it wishes to offer advice to the Cabinet in response to the call-in.
