Agenda and minutes

There were no apologies for absence.

No declarations were declared.

To approve the minutes of the meetings held on 28 May & 07 July 2015 as a correct record.

Minutes of the meetings held on 28 May & 07 July 2015 were approved and signed as a correct record.

 

Please see information at the end of the agenda.

There were no public questions.

Matter for Decision

To approve a project to procure and award a contract to provide a cash collection service for the Council’s car parks and other Council departments.

 

Decision of the Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport.

    i.          Approved the carrying out and completion of the procurement of a corporate cash collection contract to Cambridge City Council car parks and other Council departments.

 

  ii.          The new contract would be for 3 years with a 2 year optional extension period. The value of the new contract would be approximately £375,000 over five years.

·                   There were no capital costs arising from this scheme.

·                   The revenue costs associated with this contract would be paid from existing revenue budgets

 

iii.                       Subject to:

·                    If the quotation or tender sum exceeded the estimated contract value by more than 15% then the permission of the Executive           Councillor and Director of Business Transformation, Chair of Environment Scrutiny Committee and Opposition Spokes would be sought prior to proceeding.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alterative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a report from the Commercial Operations Manager which noted that the existing contract included cash collection from the off street car parks and other Council departments. These departments had been consulted and they had indicated that they wished to be included within the new cash collection contract.

 

The report explained discussions were to take place between Parking Services and a neighbouring authority regarding a joint procurement if suitable, which could be advantageous for both parties. Parking Services would be engaging with ESPO (Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation) and LGSS (Local Government Shared Services) to establish if an existing cash collection could be utilised.

 

In response to the Committee’s comments the Commercial Operations Manager and Director of Environment made the following statements:

     i.        Peterborough City Council was the neighbouring authority referenced in the report. 

    ii.        Cashless payments were becoming increasingly popular and non-cash payments were expected to increase in popularity.

   iii.        Payment machines at the Grand Arcade did have the mechanisms to take cashless payments in the future

  iv.        Sustainability criteria for issues such as labour and environment sustainability would be investigated and reported back to the Committee under the new contract. However there were elements of sustainability in the current contract.

 

Councillor C Smart proposed the following amendment to recommendation of the Officer’s report (additional wording underlined)

 

If the quotation or tender sum exceeds the estimated contact value by more than 15% then the permission of the Executive Councillor and Director of Business Transformation, Chair and Opposition Spokes would be sought prior to proceeding.

 

This amendment was carried Nem Com.

 

The Committee resolved unanimously to endorse the amended recommendations. 

 

The Executive Councillor approved the amended recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor and (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor

It is recommended that the committee resolves to exclude the press and public during item 6 by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

Matter for Decision

To approve in principle a single, shared commercial waste service between the City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council.

 

Decision of the Executive Councillor for Environment and Waste

     i.        Agreed in principle to form a single, shared commercial waste service business account and operation by combining the Commercial Waste Services of Cambridge City Council and South Cambridgeshire District Council as part of the Single Shared Waste Service, located at the Waterbeach Depot, with the Shared Waste Board overseeing the delivery and performance of the Single Shared Waste Service, within the budget and policy framework set by both Councils and subject to the provisions set out in the foregoing report and to undertake full consultation with the staff and unions to deliver these changes.

    ii.        Agreed to delegate the implementation of the proposal set out in 1 above to the Cambridge City Director of Environment and South Cambridgeshire DC Director of Health & Environmental Services, in consultation with the South Cambridgeshire DC Cabinet Member, and the Cambridge City Executive Member, Chair of Environment Scrutiny Committee and Opposition Spokespersons.

   iii.        Agreed to instruct officers to prepare a detailed implementation plan with financial implications to be agreed with the Shared Waste Board to inform the future budget setting work of the two Councils subject to consultation with Chair and Opposition Spokes to include a two year review of progress to the Environment Scrutiny Committee and the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet.

 

Reason for the Decision

As set out in the Officer’s report.

 

Any Alterative Options Considered and Rejected

Not applicable.

 

Scrutiny Considerations

The Committee received a joint report from the Director of Environment and Director of Health & Environment Services, South Cambridgeshire District Council. The report provided information on the Commercial Waste business accounts, management and marketing of shared waste service.

 

In response to the Committee’s comments, the Director of Environment, Director of Health & Environmental Services, (SCDC) and the Shared Waste Consultant made the following statements:

 

                     i.        Efficiency savings would be made by a more efficient use of assets, management and marketing as the two organisations would not be competing against each other.

                    ii.        In the future there would be a lower future capital investment requirement and maintenance cost.

                   iii.        Surplus would increase significantly as the business expanded.

                  iv.        Advised that there was a risk in the current contract held by the City Council and that no operation would be risk free. It was important to get the proposals right first time.

                   v.        In the long term there was more than enough opportunity to cover the risk to the City Council in the long term.

                  vi.        Immediate savings would be achieved for the City Council once the deal had been completed.

                 vii.        Noted the comment that the detailed implementation plan with financial implications to be agreed by the Shared Waste Board to inform the future budget setting work of the two Councils should be shared with the Opposition Spokes.

               viii.        Important to keep to the time table and it was up to the Committee to decide how much delegation Officers should be given.

                  ix.        Suggestion of an Annual Report had been referenced in the proposals of the report.

                   x.        Committed to sustainability, the shared service of the two Councils would see an overall reduction of waste to landfill as it would be in the Council’s financial interest to increase recycling.

                  xi.        Noted the suggestion to work with smaller alternative recycling organisations.

                 xii.        The key principle was to grow the business therefore there had been no discussion regarding redundancies. The report emphasised the importance of the consultation of staff and trade unions throughout the entire process.

               xiii.        South Cambridgeshire had a greater capacity for growth in the long term with businesses and elements of the University of Cambridge moving out of the City.

 

The Executive Councillor for Environment and Waste proposed the following amendment to the recommendation of the Officer’s report (additional wording underlined)

 

   iii.        Agreed to instruct officers to prepare a detailed implementation plan with financial implications to be agreed with the Shared Waste Board to inform the future budget setting work of the two Councils subject to consultation with Chair and Opposition Spokes to include a two year review of progress to the Environment Scrutiny Committee and the South Cambridgeshire District Council’s Cabinet.

 

This amendment was carried Nem Com.

 

The Committee resolved unanimously to endorse the amended recommendations. 

 

The Executive Councillor approved the amended recommendations.

 

Conflicts of Interest Declared by the Executive Councillor and (and any Dispensations Granted)

No conflicts of interest were declared by the Executive Councillor