Issue - meetings

To considers a report of the Strategic Director Places.

The Committee considered a report of the Head of Environmental Services and Borough Treasurer and Head of Assets relating to the progress of phase 1 of the depot rationalisation project.

In December 2010, the Committee had received a report on the depot rationalisation project and at that time had been informed that:

·        The Council would be evaluating future options for all depots used for Cheshire East business, including Council owned sites used by external contractors;

·        Depots that did not meet current and future business needs would be decommissioned within a phased plan;

·        Opportunities for capital receipts and revenue reductions would be explored

·        The Council’s vision was to move towards its 2 super depots in Crewe and Macclesfield;

·        Assurances were being made that there was the capacity to meet all operational needs during the transition process;

·        Stock held at sites would be rationalised.

     The Depots review had been split into 3 phases:

·        Phase 1 – involved changes that could be made now to protect business continuity and to declare depots no longer required for operational purposes surplus to Environmental Services requirements

·        Phase 2 – would proceed after the letting of the Highways maintenance contract

·        Phase 3 – would tie in with longer term Council depot requirements linking with the long term waste and vehicle maintenance strategies.

The project, which was being led by an officer working group, had set the following objectives:

l      Identify changes needed to protect business continuity

l      Rationalise number of sites

l      Super depots

l      Make better use of the sites

l      Identify potential capital receipts/Revenue savings

l      Identify where we need to make investment to raise standards

l      Devolution process/Town and Parish Councils

To date, the project had identified the following issues:

l      That there too many sites and some were in the wrong locations

l      A significant amount of repairs required

l      Under-utilised space

l      Clutter

l      Poor staff facilities (E.g.Mess room/Showers)

l      Some sites were outside of Cheshire East  and there were issues such as excess travel/Carbon)

l      Still operating in silos

l      7 sites had Fuel bunkers (

On behalf of the Committee, the 4 Members of the Business Generation Task and Finish Group had visited depots at Lyme Green Macclesfield, Brunswick Wharf Congleton, Town yard Alsager and Pyms Lane Crewe on 11 April 2011 to witness at first hand the facilities at each of these locations.

The Committee then questioned David Upton, Organisational Change Manager about phase 1 of the proposals.

In response to a question concerning the suitability of the depot at Town Yard Alsager for an affordable housing scheme, David explained that the Council first needed to take a decision in principle as to whether the site was considered to be surplus to requirements.

Members raised concerns about the proposal to offer three sites to Poynton Parish Council under the devolution process banner, on the grounds that the future of the 3 sites had not been subject to the wider strategic asset challenge process and also because the financial  ...  view the full minutes text for item 104