Agenda and minutes

An apology for absence was received from Councillor H Davenport

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2015

Consideration was given to the minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2015.

RESOLVED

That the minutes be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman

To provide an opportunity for Members and Officers to declare any disclosable pecuniary and non-pecuniary interests in any item on the agenda.

There were no declarations of interest

To provide an opportunity for Members to declare the existence of a party whip in relation to any item on the agenda

There were no whipping declarations

A total period of 15 minutes is allocated for members of the public to make a statement(s) on any matter that falls within the remit of the Committee.

Individual members of the public may speak for up to 5 minutes, but the Chairman will decide how the period of time allocated for public speaking will be apportioned, where there are a number of speakers.

Note: In order for officers to undertake any background research, it would be helpful if members of the public contacted the Scrutiny officer listed at the foot of the agenda, at least one working day before the meeting to provide brief details of the matter to be covered.

Mr Jackson and Mr Palin attended the meeting to highlight the problem of fly tipping in Cheshire East. Mr Jackson suggested that there should be a dedicated enforcement officer to eliminate unauthorised dumping of waste by investigating incidents and identifying perpetrators through witness or CCTV evidence leading to warning or prosecution. The officer could also liaise with volunteer organisations, Ansa, clean teams, PCSOs and  be responsible for educating residents and schools.

To receive an update on Progress with the Council's major highway schemes - including Congleton Link Road, Sydney Road Bridge, Poynton Relief Road and Middlewich Bypass

Consideration was given to a presentation on the following major highway schemes:

Sydney Road Bridge Replacement

The replacement of a narrow, single lane signal controlled bridge to increase the capacity by taking 2 way traffic without signal control, which would support growth along the corridor and enhance access to key destinations. The estimated cost of the scheme was £10.5m and would be completed by July 2020. Councillors highlighted that a briefing in Crewe library had recently taken place, where they were informed that only side of the bridge was to be replaced and the other side may also need to be replaced in 5 years time. Members questioned why the works would not be completed at the same time. It was agreed that a written answer to the question would be provided.

Congleton Link Road

The scheme was required to gain easier access to the town centre, improve air quality, reduce travel times across Cheshire East, retain and attract new business and improve pedestrian and cycle routes. The estimated cost of the scheme was £80m, which would be made up of government funding and section 106 monies from 2200 new builds. The scheme would be completed by February 2020.

Middlewich Eastern Bypass

The sponsorship of the scheme had been taken over by the Council from private developers. As the current planning permission was due to expire in summer, it was proposed to conduct a fully justified route options assessment leading to a firm recommendation on a preferred route to be submitted to Cabinet in June 2016 with a subsequent planning application, if required.

Poynton Relief Road

A proposed 1.9 mile highway which would relieve congestion and improve links to Macclesfield and support economic, physical and social regeneration of the area. the estimated cost of the scheme was  £30m, £22m had been secured through the Governments Local Growth Fund and the remaining £8m would be funded by Cheshire East Council. The relief road would be completed by early 2019.

RESOLVED

That the update be received.

To receive an update presentation on the Environmental Services Hub

 The Committee received a presentation on the development of the Environmental Services Hub . The presentation informed the Committee that:

·         Planning approval had been granted on 23 September 2015

·         The demolition and asbestos removal from buildings had been completed.

·         Testing for Phosgene was currently taking place, which had delayed the scheme by 6 weeks.

·         Target costs were currently being finalised.

·         Construction was due to commence in April 2016 and be completed by Winter 2016.

RESOLVED

That the presentation be received

To receive the quarterly reports for Ansa and Orbitas

Consideration was given to the second quarter Ansa and Orbitas reports.

With regard to Ansa, the construction of the Environmental Hub had led to a re-profiling of the savings associated with the re-letting of the waste disposal contract that was to be delivered in 2015/16 through the existing Crewe Depot. The re-profiling of savings had been fully mitigated by improvements on the household waste recycling centre contract, including reducing the bonus element. Overall, Environmental Operations (including Bereavement) projected a potential budget pressure of £0.2m against a net budget of £27.4m

Approximately £0.1m of the potential pressure related to a forecast shortfall in Markets income. This continued the trend of a gradual decline in income over the last few years, specifically in Macclesfield, where low rents of vacant shops and a major trader leaving had contributed to the shortfall. Negotiations over the projected transfer of Crewe Markets to Crewe Town Council were continuing. Councillor Hardy suggested that officers should contact officers at the Grosvenor Centre regarding the market at Macclesfield.

It was noted that Ansa had achieved £527k efficiency savings in 2015/16 and the Council had achieved £235k though the household waste contract.

R Kemp agreed to provide a  written answer on the reasons for increased absenteeism and the number of back muscle strain injuries associated with collection staff and work that Ansa does in this area.

With regard to Orbitas, it was noted that it was reporting amber on its market share KPI, which they attributed to the ongoing refurbishment works at Crewe Crematorium. The Bereavement Services projected a potential budget pressure of £0.1m based on the mid-year income forecast against a net income budget of £1.3m. This related to a realignment of the original proposed income growth over a period of five years to gradually build market share. The core bereavement income budget, including first year growth was forecast to be achieved.

RESOLVED

1.    That the second quarter report be received.

2.    That a written answer be provided on the reason for increased absenteeism and the number of back muscle strain injuries associated with collection staff and work that Ansa does in this area.

To give consideration to the Cabinet report prior to a decision being made on 9 February 2016.

Consideration was given to a request by Ansa Environmental Services Ltd for an extension on its existing contract for the delivery of Waste and Environmental Services. The request had been made in order for them to enter into new procurement arrangements for waste processing and deliver future benefits to the Council.

In it first year of trading Ansa had delivered the contract efficiencies required by the Council whilst at the same time exceeding its performance indicators and delivering a profit from its operations. In order to deliver future benefits however, there was a need for Ansa to let new waste and recycling processing contracts that would require a 10-15 year service commitment.

Ansa Environmental Services Ltd had therefore proposed a 10 year extension to its existing contract due to expire on 1st April 2021 to give an unelapsed period of 15 years from 1st April 2016 (ending 1st April 2031)  with a rolling one year extension each year thereafter, assuming they had achieved the appropriate performance standards.         

RESOLVED

That Cabinet be recommended to approve delegated authority to the Portfolio Holder for Open Spaces in consultation with the Chief Operating Officer and Director of Legal Services to vary the Service Operating Contract of Ansa Environmental Services and associated agreements, subject to due diligence being undertaken by legal, procurement and finance.

To receive a presentation by the Commissioning Manager for Highways

Following negative reports in the press, the Committee had previously agreed to scrutinise the success of the street light switch off to ascertain whether or not it had caused an increase in accidents.

It was reported that since the switch off programme the council had moved forward with the street lighting strategy to upgrade to LED, which was more cost efficient and required less maintenance. This technological solution removed the need for any further switch off sites.

However 702 street lights had been switched off and would remain switched off. All the were rural lengths of road with little frontage development and no pedestrian or cyclist provision. All approaches to junctions had remained lit and the sites had low collision rates.

A safety evaluation had been carried out based on Police Stats19 data examined for before and after collision totals and rates which indicated that collisions had actually gone down since the switch off. It was also that crime had not increased since the switch off. However this had not been the case for other authorities.

RESOLVED

That no further action be taken.

To give consideration to the work programme

Consideration was given to the work programme. It was agreed that the following items would be added to the work programme:

·         Routes Review of Bus Services - TBA

·         Rail Franchise and Aqueducts – 11 February 2016

·         Thermal Energy including fracking and boring – 18 April 2016

RESOLVED

That the above items be added to the work programme