Agenda item

Councillor Mrs Cowling, the Leader of the Council, presented the following statement:

 

“Tonight we are going to be debating the merits of our business plan and setting the framework for us to work within for the next 4 years. When we come back after summer we shall start the process of setting our budget for next year. Hopefully the success of the green waste scheme will give us some further flexibility in our budget and we may also be in a position to receive some news regarding the leisure contract procurement exercise. The meetings to facilitate the site selection process for our local plan are now underway – we have at last got to the interesting bit!

 

This is a list of the meetings I have attended since we last met:

 

02/06/2014 Housing Board

1. Membership of the board was increased to better align with the Local Enterprise Partnership aspirations for growth in housing. The new members are an elected member from the East Riding( cllr Simon Fraser), a representative from registered providers of housing ( Paul Lightfoot from Broadacres, Shaun Tyman from Yorkshire Coast Homes on a rotating basis and Julia Histon from York Housing association as a reserve)and a representative from the building industry ( Paul Newman, MD of Barratt Homes).

2. The partnership has a very good web site where there is lots of information available and agendas and minutes can be viewed. www.northyorkshirestrategichousingpartnership.co.uk

 

04/06/2014 Ryedale Folk Museum Presentation

 

10/06/2014 Malton Ward Walk

1. This is a very informative event organised by the Fitzwilliam Estate, which gives a behind the scenes look at what is going on in Malton – if you haven’t attended yet I would highly recommend it.

11.06.2014 Careers CPD Event

1. Brilliant event – what I took away from the event most was the disparity between careers advice available in the different schools in our patch

11/06/2014 Parish Liaison Meeting

1. The liaison meeting was very well attended as usual with some very probing questions from the parishes – particularly around site allocations in the service villages – the agenda and minutes are available on our website.

 

12/06/2014 Site allocation meeting

1. Again if you have not been able to attend the two meetings held so far then I would highly recommend that you attend the last meeting on the 15th July. Even if it does not involve the parishes that you represent, it will give you a very good insight into how the selection process works. There will also be ongoing work with the market towns around site selection

 

17/06/2014 Interviews for Corporate Director

1.  A full day of very intensive work! You all now know the outcome. Congratulations to Phil!

 

18/06/2014 Ryedale Strategic Partnership

1. Again the agenda and minutes are available on our website if you wish to see them. Jos has circulated what was a very good presentation from Moorsweb a project which has been enormously beneficial in providing fast internet services in some of the more isolated areas of Northern Ryedale.

2. You will recall that Ryedale Community Safety Partnership has now been merged with 6 other CSPs to form the North Yorkshire CSP

3. The Ryedale Strategic Partnership will now be dissolved subject to the formation of the North Yorkshire Community Safety Partnership

 

25/06/2014 North Yorkshire Joint Procurement Committee

1. Sounds boring but actually it isn’t! I am sure you will find the following interesting! It is just a flavour of some of the ways in which the procurement partnership has saved us money. Unfortunately the Scarborough work is missing from this, but I will circulate it when I get a copy.

2. Ryedale DC Procurement Activity 2013/2014:

 

- Palm Dry Recyclates contract negotiations and dispute resolution for 3rd year contract pricing. Contract value fluctuates due to variation in prices, but generates approx. £100k/year income.

- Dry Recyclates – procurement of temporary provision of service with Todd’s after serving notice on Palm (whilst running full EU compliant re-procurement for 3 year contract).

- Green Waste Roll Out Project – sourcing of printing of all materials and letters etc to ensure all households have been communicated with.

- Washroom Services - Old contracts with PHS and Cathedral cost approx. £8.5k/year. New supplier (Cannon Hygiene procured via ESPO framework). £6.8k/year saving (4 year contract from April 2013).

- Cash in Transit Collection Services – New supplier put in place (Security Plus) after joint exercise with Scarborough and Selby using ESPO framework agreement. £13k/year saving (4 year contract from April 2013).

- NYBCP Electricity (Easingwold) - £1.2k/year saving by putting NYBCP onto Ryedale corporate contract with Npower via YPO energy framework.

- Ryedale Leisure Contract – full EU procurement started during 13/14 year – will deliver significant savings when supplier selected in July 2014. Current annual spend is approx. £340k.

- Photocopier Paper – change to Navigator Discovery 75gsm via Dartford Framework (Lyreco) saving £600/year

- Council Tax Billing project – full outsourcing of secure print and mailing – no financial saving but significant reduction in internal resource required to carry out the annual billing.

 

Selby DC Procurement Activity 2013/2014:

- Full tender exercise for rebuild of Abbey Leisure Centre - £6.3m build

- Compliant Sourcing of Project Mgt Company (Turner and Townsend) for building of new Leisure Centre

- Abbey Leisure Village - Running of Competitive Dialogue EU tender process for additional leisure facilities in Selby

- Selby Banking Services – tender exercise resulting in change of supplier to Barclays - £10k/year saving on £25k spend

- Roundabout Sponsorship Procurement – tender exercise leading to the engagement of Community Partners, to generate potential income of £25k/year for advertising/sponsorship on the districts roundabouts

- Tadcaster Car Park – running tender exercise via YORtender (using YORcivils framework), leading to appointment of MB Roche £310k to carry out the work

- Election Printing – quote exercise for all election printing requirements for next 2 years (approx. value £15k). Used SBC printing framework, appointed Print Image Ltd.

- Washroom services (sanitary bins for Market Cross) – saving £1.2k/year by moving onto ESPO framework rates with PHS.

- Photocopier Paper – change to Navigator Discovery 75gsm via Dartford Framework (Lyreco) saving £600/year

- Phone-line audit leading to cancellation of 8 connections – saving £1k/year

- Mobile Phones – cancellation of 13 unused data bundles saving £660/year

- Barlby Depot – change of tariff for unused gas supply – saving £500/year on standing charges- Cash in Transit Collection Services - £2.3k/year saving using ESPO framework with Security Plus as new supplier

- Advertising Services Contract – contract with TMP via ESPO framework”

 

The following questions were received on the Leader’s Statement:

 

1.    From Councillor Wainwright

 

“Could the Leader please explain the dry recycling situation because Palm Recyclates I assume are not our recycler anymore and Todds are - what's happening there please?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“We have gone out to tender for the dry recyclates and a decision will be made shortly.”

 

2.    From Councillor Ward

 

“Does the Leader see the green waste scheme as a profit making service given that her speech includes the words "will provide us with flexibility in our budget"?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“That will be a decision for the Council to make because the income from green waste has exceeded what was predicted then there will be a decision to be made about how we use that money. You can use it to reduce or keep the Council Tax at zero or you could put it into something else or you could reduce the cost of collecting green waste. It will be a decision for the Council to make not me.” 

 

Councillor Ward then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“So can you just confirm that, given that people are now having to pay out for that service, the option to reduce the cost is definitely one of the options that is going to be available to us?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“Almost certain to be one of the options. I can't see why it wouldn't be.”

 

3.    From Councillor Ward

 

“I got here a couple of minutes before 6.30 pm. I didn't have this electronically. I wonder whether the Chairman can in future make this available through Modern.gov a week beforehand, so we've time to go through all of this and also I appreciate the fact that you have endeavoured to provide links but they mean nothing on paper. I can't even see the website. Presumably you've embedded the link in the text, so I can't even see what the website is it's pointing at. So if you can put everything through Modern.gov and then those of us still wanting to use the electronic method can actually access things then that would be appreciated if that's possible please?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“I will try to make sure that we can do it like that. I can't guarantee that I will always have them for you a week beforehand. I do try to be organised but I seem to run out of time always.”

 

4.    From Councillor Richardson

 

“Are we still generating an income from dry recycling in this temporary phase of re-procurement? And can you just clarify how we can save money with Selby? I can see the summary of points there but I can't see how Ryedale Council saved money, it's not clear from what's written.”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“You're asking how we saved money with Selby. It's a partnership, all the savings are pooled and then allocated on a percentage basis. Don't ask me what the percentage basis is because I don't know off the top of my head but I could find that out for you. When the procurement exercise is completed and we've made a decision, then we'll be able to see whether we are still making profit or not and you will know then. It's inappropriate really to talk in the middle of the procurement exercise.”

 

5.    From Councillor Paul Andrews

 

“I'd like to join in congratulating Phil to his appointment as Corporate Director but I do have some questions to ask about the manner of this appointment.  First of all, who did the appointments, who were the members of the working party? Secondly, how will the functions of the S151 officer be discharged and thirdly I'm a little bit concerned because we now have ....because the Corporate Officer does not have professional financial qualifications and it would be useful if we could be told why it was decided not to proceed on that basis? If that can be done without breaking confidence?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“Let me see if I can remember who was on the working party? There was myself, Caroline Goodrick, John Clark, Peter Walker, Di Keal, Steve Arnold, Geoff Acomb - I think that's it. As regards the Section 151 function, we have several qualified Section 151 officers working within our finance dept so that's quite adequately covered. The decision to appoint someone who didn't carry those financial qualifications, who wasn't a certified accountant or whatever the name is - it was felt that the role of Corporate Director needed different skills this time and that was the basis that the appointment was made on.”

 

Councillor Paul Andrews then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Yes, you say that there are lots of officers who are Section 151 officers. This Council has, to a point a Section 151 officer, who has the Council appointed as its Section 151 officer and there can only be one person, not a lot of them? Does that mean that we're not going to Scarborough or County for a S151 officer?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“Peter Johnson…It does.”

 

6.    From Councillor Woodward

 

“Earlier in the year I asked the Leader how she would judge the success of the garden waste scheme and she declined to answer. She now tells us in the statement that it's been a success, so please could she tell us how she judges that it's been a success?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“I judge the garden waste scheme to have been successful because the public have responded positively and they have subscribed to a far greater extent than we expected them to and I think that means that the public are supportive of that scheme.”

Councillor Woodward then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“As both Cllr Cowling and myself - in fact it was Cllr Cowling that said I should have the same view - said that we cannot justify having wagons that go round at just 4 miles a gallon on environmental grounds, how can it be a success to have such a high take up?”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“I'm damned it I do and damned if I don't aren't I? Whatever I say was a success, you would say it wasn't, so we'll just leave it at that.”

 

7.    From Councillor Walker

 

“I don't expect you to answer this now Cllr Cowling because its a pretty complex question but perhaps you'll be able to answer it sometime in the future for me? What sort of take up have we had percentage wise on this garden waste scheme from higher Council Tax paying properties as opposed to the lower Council Tax paying properties? The question being, is it them that can afford it that take it up and them that's skint that can't and I'd like to have the answer to that sometime in the future please.”

 

The Leader stated that a written answer would be provided.

 

8.    From Councillor Paul Andrews

 

“In your statement you refer to the Leisure contract procurement - sorry you refer to the Council Plan and that in turn refers to the Leisure contract procurement - we all received a highly critical letter from the Chairman of Ryedale Leisure and what I would like to know is what steps are going to be taken to investigate that letter and to make a full report back to Council - if any? If no steps are to be taken, would you please explain why because it's a very serious critical letter and in my view it would be completely wrong if it's not properly explained to Members and properly answered?”

 

The Leader replied:

 

“I think when we have the results of the procurement exercise would be a good time to look at the criticisms that were contained in that letter and compare the things that were said in that letter to the actual outcomes. I think it would be premature to reply to that letter now.”

 

Councillor Paul Andrews then asked the following supplementary question:

 

“Could you explain why it would be premature to answer that letter now because it rather seems to me that if we leave it til after the contract is let. We're actually putting ourselves in the position of bolting the door after the horse has gone away.”

 

The Chairman stated:

 

“Sorry I just want a correction. You said in your answer that it would be premature to respond. I can confirm that officers have responded to that letter, that was done through delegation through the Head of Paid Service.”

 

The Leader then replied:

 

“A letter was also sent to me and my response would be premature when I don't have that information yet.”