Agenda for Policy & Resources Committee (pre 2015) on Thursday, 6th September, 2012, 4.00pm
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Agenda, decisions and minutes
PDF 224 KBVenue: Council Chamber, Hove Town Hall
Contact: Mark Wall Head of Democratic Services
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Procedural Business (a) Declaration of Substitutes: Where Councillors are unable to attend a meeting, a substitute Member from the same Political Group may attend, speak and vote in their place for that meeting.
(b) Declarations of Interest:
(a) Disclosable pecuniary interests not registered on the register of interests; (b) Any other interests required to be registered under the local code; (c) Any other general interest as a result of which a decision on the matter might reasonably be regarded as affecting you or a partner more than a majority of other people or businesses in the ward/s affected by the decision.
In each case, you need to declare (i) the item on the agenda the interest relates to; (ii) the nature of the interest; and (iii) whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest or some other interest.
If unsure, Members should seek advice from the committee lawyer or administrator preferably before the meeting.
(d) Exclusion of Press and Public: To consider whether, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted, or the nature of the proceedings, the press and public should be excluded from the meeting when any of the following items are under consideration.
NOTE: Any item appearing in Part Two of the Agenda states in its heading the category under which the information disclosed in the report is exempt from disclosure and therefore not available to the public.
A list and description of the exempt categories is available for public inspection at Brighton and Hove Town Halls. Additional documents: Minutes: (a) Declarations of Substitutes
1.1 Councillors Jarrett and Mac Cafferty declared that they were attending as Substitutes for Councillors West and Littman respectively.
(b) Declarations of Interest
1.2 There were no declarations of interest.
(c) Exclusion of Press and Public
1.3 The Committee considered whether the press and public should be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the item listed on Part 2 of the agenda.
1.4 RESOLVED: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the item listed on Part 2 of the agenda. |
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Chair's Communications Additional documents: Minutes: 2.1 The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting which had been called in order to give consideration to the Acting Chief Executive’s proposals for interim changes to the senior officer structure of the council and further information in regard to supported bus routes. |
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Public Involvement To consider the following matters raised by members of the public:
(a) Petitions: to receive any petitions presented by members of the public in relation to the specific items listed on the agenda at the meeting itself; (b) Written Questions: to receive any questions submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 29th August 2012 that relate to the specific items listed on the agenda for the special meeting; (c) Deputations: to receive any deputations submitted by the due date of 12 noon on the 29th August 2012 that relate to the specific items listed on the agenda for the special meeting. Additional documents: Minutes: 3.1 The Chair noted that there were no items raised by the public in relation to the items listed on the agenda for the meeting. |
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Senior Officers Structure Report of the Acting Chief Executive (to be circulated separately). Additional documents: Decision: (1) That the departure of the Chief Executive and 3 Strategic Directors in the coming weeks and the appointment of Catherine Vaughan as Acting Chief Executive with effect from the 10th September, 2012 be noted;
(2) That the need to make changes to the officer structure be noted and the general approach set out in the report, which seeks to balance the need for making changes now, with the need not to unduly fetter the discretion of the incoming permanent Chief Executive, be agreed;
(3) That subject to (4) below, the proposed changes set out in Appendix 1 and the changes to the Scheme of Delegations set out in Appendix 2 to the report be agreed;
(4) That the proposed changes set out in Appendices 1 and 2 be agreed in principle, as they relate to the 5 proposed service areas under the Strategic Director; Place, (Housing; Transport; Planning and Public Protection; City Clean and City Parks; Economic Development, Regeneration, Major Projects and Sustainability); and that the Acting Chief Executive be authorised to implement the proposals, subject to any modifications as she considers necessary, following the completion of the consultation process;
(5) That the transitional arrangements regarding financial management, performance monitoring and budgetary process set out in the financial implications paragraph of the report be agreed;
(6) That the Acting Chief Executive be authorised to take all steps necessary or incidental to the implementation of the proposals as set out in the report, including the power to make any transitional arrangements she considers necessary;
(7) That the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make amendments to the relevant parts of the Constitution to reflect the changes resulting from the foregoing paragraphs and make any necessary consequential amendments;
(8) That it be agreed that the changes come into force on the 10th September, 2012, subject to any transitional arrangements and modifications referred to in paragraphs (5) and (6) above and subject to paragraph (9) below; and
(9) That to the extent that any proposals involve changes to functions currently carried out by the Strategic Director; People, they shall not come into effect until the new Interim Director of Children’s Services takes office and any changes relating to the proposed Place functions shall come into force on the 1st October, 2012 or after completion of the consultation process, whichever is later. Minutes: 4.1 The Acting Chief Executive introduced the report which outlined various changes to the senior officer structure of the council to take account of the fact that a new Chief Executive was being sought and the resignations of three Strategic Directors. She explained that it was necessary to put interim measures in place in order to enable the business of the authority to be managed effectively and allow for the recruitment process to be completed for the new Chief Executive. She also stated that she had been mindful of the budgetary position, the national situation and the need for the new Chief Executive to be able to formulate the operation of the organisation once they were in place. A consultation exercise with staff and the trade unions had been held and a further consultation process was to be undertaken in relation to the proposals affecting the service provision for Place.
4.2 The Chair welcomed the report and thanked the Acting Chief Executive for her work and also thanked those officers who were leaving for their services during their time with the Authority.
4.3 Councillor G. Theobald stated that the Conservative Group fully supported the proposals contained within the report and thanked the Acting Chief Executive for her work in this regard. He was also aware of the changes proposed in relation to Place and wished to thank the Strategic Director for his support, although he did have some concern in regard to the extensive remit that now came under the Strategic Director’s responsibilities. He also suggested that for any future re-organisation it would be worthwhile having consideration for the appointment of a Director of Property or their equivalent as this was an important remit for the organisation.
4.4 Councillor Mitchell thanked the Acting chief Executive for her report which was supported by the Labour & Co-operative Group, and also wished to thank the officers who were leaving for their support and work during their time with the council. She also felt that the proposals struck a good balance in terms of service provision and areas of responsibility and stated that she would be looking carefully at the future recruitment process in relation to the budgetary position that had been agreed. She also asked that further information on the recruitment process be provided to either the Audit & Standards Committee or this committee in due course.
4.5 Councillor Peltzer Dunn welcomed the report and stated that he hoped it would be used a model for all future reports.
4.6 Councillor A. Norman welcomed the report and stated that her only concern was the need to ensure that necessary support arrangements were available to those senior officers who would be taking on a wider level of responsibility in the interim period.
4.7 The Chair welcomed the comments and stated that he believed appropriate arrangements would be in place to support staff and ensure that service provision was maintained. He then moved that the recommendations be agreed.
4.1 RESOLVED:
(1) That the departure of the Chief Executive and 3 Strategic Directors in the coming weeks and the appointment of Catherine Vaughan as Acting Chief Executive with effect from the 10th September, 2012 be noted;
(2) That the need to make changes to the officer structure be noted and the general approach set out in the report, which seeks to balance the need for making changes now, with the need not to unduly fetter the discretion of the incoming permanent Chief Executive, be agreed;
(3) That subject to (4) below, the proposed changes set out in Appendix 1 and the changes to the Scheme of Delegations set out in Appendix 2 to the report be agreed;
(4) That the proposed changes set out in Appendices 1 and 2 be agreed in principle, as they relate to the 5 proposed service areas under the Strategic Director; Place, (Housing; Transport; Planning and Public Protection; City Clean and City Parks; Economic Development, Regeneration, Major Projects and Sustainability); and that the Acting Chief Executive be authorised to implement the proposals, subject to any modifications as she considers necessary, following the completion of the consultation process;
(5) That the transitional arrangements regarding financial management, performance monitoring and budgetary process set out in the financial implications paragraph of the report be agreed;
(6) That the Acting Chief Executive be authorised to take all steps necessary or incidental to the implementation of the proposals as set out in the report, including the power to make any transitional arrangements she considers necessary;
(7) That the Monitoring Officer be authorised to make amendments to the relevant parts of the Constitution to reflect the changes resulting from the foregoing paragraphs and make any necessary consequential amendments;
(8) That it be agreed that the changes come into force on the 10th September, 2012, subject to any transitional arrangements and modifications referred to in paragraphs (5) and (6) above and subject to paragraph (9) below; and
(9) That to the extent that any proposals involve changes to functions currently carried out by the Strategic Director; People, they shall not come into effect until the new Interim Director of Children’s Services takes office and any changes relating to the proposed Place functions shall come into force on the 1st October, 2012 or after completion of the consultation process, whichever is later. |
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Supported Bus Routes
Report of the Strategic Director; Place (copy attached). Additional documents: Decision: (1) That the action taken by officers as detailed in the report following the resolutions approved at the Full Council meeting on the 19th July 2012 be noted. Minutes: 5.1 The Strategic Director; Place introduced the report and stated that it outlined the various responses to the resolutions that were approved by the Full Council at its last meeting in July. He also noted that due to the sensitivity of some of the contractual information, a similar report had been produced which would need to be considered in part two of the meeting.
5.2 Councillor Mitchell noted the report and stated that it had been a long journey to reach the position that existed today. She noted that various routes had now been retained and that the two school routes, No’s 74 and 96 would continue for a further year. However, it appeared that the No.52 remained truncated and that the residents of Ovingdean remained without a direct service to meet their needs. She accepted that they could change at the Marina in order to pick up the Compass service, but questioned whether this would meet their needs and therefore could not support the resultant position as outlined in the report. She also referred to the paragraphs at the bottom of page 3 and queried how it would work and the top of page 4 and stated that it was a shame to find that the Government had chosen not to support mandatory operational cross-ticketing for bus services. She suggested that it was something that should be aimed for in view of the technological advances that were being made. She also queried why it was that parents were being asked to meet an extra £8.00 a week cost for the purchase of tickets on the No. 74 and 96 services to enable their children to get to and from school. They had previously been able to purchase Saver tickets which enabled their children to get into school early or from school having attended after-school clubs, as well as at the usual time, but now had to purchase a ticket from the council for the normal school-run service.
5.3 The Chair stated that having undertaken the procurement process, it had enabled both the council and the bus companies to identify those routes that the bus companies were able to continue to operate without a subsidy. In regard to the school bus services, it had been made clear in January that a review was required and that it could lead to services being provided in a different way. The charge of £8.00 per week was paid direct to the council for the cost of the service to enable children to get to and from school, rather than it being paid to the bus company. He agreed that operation cross-ticketing should be mandatory and noted that information held by the current ‘smart’ card operated by Brighton & Hove Bus Company could be made available to others but that the company chose not to do so.
5.4 Councillor Shanks noted that children could use their ID card to get cheaper fares and that they did not necessarily need to have a Saver ticket. She also noted that a number of children using the No. 74 and 96 services would be eligible for the scholar pass and therefore would not have to pay the additional £8.00 a week.
5.5 Councillor Mitchell queried whether the parents of the children who used either of the services had been consulted on the additional charge and suggested that they were effectively being charged twice.
5.6 Councillor G. Theobald stated that he felt parents been treated unreasonably in that they had been led to believe the two routes would continue for another year and yet they now found they were expected to meet an additional cost. He was also concerned about the No. 52 route and the fact that due to time-tabling changes, residents were unable to get to the station and commute to London. It appeared that there was no link-up at the Marina with other services and he asked if the situation could be reviewed or the time-table changed to ensure that the previous early services were re-introduced.
5.7 Councillor Mears stated that she believed the residents of Ovingdean had been disregarded and were now the only community to not have a direct route into the city or the station. She believed that they had been unfairly penalised and were being forced to take alternative transport in order to get to work, get their children to school and get into the city. She did not believe that people would want to have to change at the Marina and questioned why they would want to wait for a change especially in the winter months. She believed that there had not been sufficient consideration to the needs of residents in Ovingdean and hoped that something could be done to help.
5.8 Councillor A. Norman stated that she wished to thank the Strategic Director and the officers for their work and in bringing the report forward. However, she was concerned about the No. 96 route and noted that whilst viable options to support the route had been put forward previously they had not been accepted and the report lacked information on how this route would operate. She was concerned that most young people would already have a saver ticket to enable them to travel around the city and were now being asked to find an additional £8 a week to get to and from their school. She also noted that parents had been told the service would be kept as long as it was needed and yet they now faced an additional cost, which for some families would not be afforded and added further pressure on them. In view of the small amount of income that would be generated from the £8 a week charge she queried whether such a relatively small amount could not be covered by the council instead and asked for confirmation as to when parents were informed of the additional cost that was to be made.
5.9 The Lead Commissioner for City Regulation & Infrastructure stated that the through-ticketing agreement should provide for a wider choice and greater flexibility to enable travellers to get to their destinations. He stated that there was now an overlap between the No.47 and No.52 services and this provided more options. He suggested that officers could meet with Councillor Theobald to look at the time-tabling variations and identify how they could be utilised to meet the needs of commuters.
5.10 Councillor Hamilton noted that the annual saver ticket could still be used on some school routes and suggested that this should be explained as it was strange that only the No’s. 96 and 74 were singled out in this way. He also queried whether the consideration had been given to the nature of the No. 47 and 57 routes which covered East Saltdean and whether they could have been combined to save costs and enable a direct No.52 service to be maintained.
Note: The minute below was amended at the committee meeting on the 11th October 2012 to read as follows:
5.11 “Councillor Peltzer Dunn asked if the number of children affected on the two routes could be confirmed and what numbers would be regarded as a success or non-success in terms of maintaining the routes.”
5.12 The Chair noted that saver tickets could be used on other routes and that it was only the No. 74 and 96 where the additional charge was being made. However, it was necessary in order to ensure that the routes were retained and stated that he would provide a written answer in regard to when parents were informed of the intention to make the charge.
5.13 The Lead Commissioner for City Regulation & Infrastructure stated that the No. 47 and 57 routes had been listed as separate routes within the contract documents and therefore could not have been regarded as a single operating route as part of the tender process.
5.14 Councillor Shanks stated that she was not able to confirm the number of children affected on the two routes, but would do so in writing and noted that here had been around 35 last year using them. She also noted that the £8 a week was effectively only an extra cost if a saver ticket was also purchased.
5.15 Councillor Peltzer Dunn suggested that based on the information provided at the meeting the total cost to the council would be approximately £9,600 if the cost of all the children using the two routes was to be met by the council. He suggested that it should be possible for the Authority to find the necessary resources to meet the cost for a year.
5.16 Councillor Jarrett stated that he believed the procurement process had been effective and had enabled the authority to reduce its subsidies as routes had been indentified which the bus companies would continue to run even without a subsidy. The difficulty caused with the No.52 and for residents in Ovingdean was the outcome of the process and not through choice but rather based on a financial basis.
5.17 Councillor Shanks noted that the original intention had been not to run the No. 74 and 96 routes but having taken account of the views of residents and the petition, and in reviewing the process these had been included and parents had been informed that a charge may also be required to enable the routes to be maintained.
5.18 Councillor G. Theobald queried whether the time-tabling of routes could be looked at again or altered.
5.19 The Lead Commissioner for City Regulation & Infrastructure stated that it was not possible to revisit the time-tabling of routes as this had had to be submitted to the Traffic Commissioner and published. However, discussions could be held with the bus companies and any changes agreed and then raised with the Commissioner to see if a revised time table could be approved.
5.20 The Chair noted the comments and put the recommendation to note the report to the vote, which was carried with his casting vote.
5.21 RESOLVED: That the action taken by officers as detailed in the report following the resolutions approved at the Full Council meeting on the 19th July 2012 be noted. |
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Items Referred For Council To consider items to be submitted to the 25th October 2012 Council meeting for information.
In accordance with Procedure Rule 24.3a, the Committee may determine that any item is to be included in its report to Council. In addition, each Minority Group may specify one further item to be included by notifying the Chief Executive no later than 10.00am on 15th October 2012 (the eighth working day before the Council meeting to which the report is to be made), or if the Committee meeting takes place after this deadline, immediately at the conclusion of the Committee meeting. Additional documents: Decision: (1) Items 4, 5 and 8 were referred to the Council meeting on the 25th October, 2012 for information. Minutes: 6.1 RESOLVED: That Items 4, 5 and 7 be referred to the Council meeting on the 25th October, 2012 for information. |
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Part Two Summary Additional documents: |
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Supported Bus Routes – Exempt Category 3
Report of the Strategic Director; Place (circulated separately to Members only). Decision: (1) That the action taken by officers as detailed in the report following the resolutions approved at the Full Council meeting on the 19th July 2012 be noted. Minutes: 7.1 RESOLVED: That the action taken by officers as detailed in the report following the resolutions approved at the Full Council meeting on the 19th July 2012 be noted. |
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Part Two Proceedings To consider whether the item listed in Part Two of the agenda and decisions thereon should remain exempt from disclosure to the press and public. Additional documents: Decision: 8.1 The Committee considered whether Item 7 and the decision thereon should remain exempt from disclosure to the press and public.
8.2 RESOLVED: That Item 7 remain exempt from disclosure to the press and public. Minutes: 8.1 The Committee considered whether Item 7 and the decision thereon should remain exempt from disclosure to the press and public.
8.2 RESOLVED: That Item 7 remain exempt from disclosure to the press and public. |