Agenda item

This report outlines the partnership’s achievements and performance up to the end of the second quarter in its fourth year of trading.

Discussion:

The Managing Director, Medway Norse introduced a report which outlined the partnership’s achievements and performance up to the end of the second quarter in its fourth year of trading.

Members congratulated Medway Norse on achieving ISO 9001:2008

Management System standards and noted that approval to ISO 14001 Environmental Management standard was in progress.

·                     SEN transport - following a request for more information about the SEN taxi framework contract, the Committee was advised that the new arrangements provided better value for the Council and an improved service for children and young people. There were maximum journey time limits for children transported on mini buses and journeys were arranged so that children were taken to sites adjacent to each other to minimise travel times.

·                     Apprentices – Members were informed that Medway Norse plan had been to recruit 10 apprentices and had so far recruited 17. It was hoped that at least three would be employed in the horticultural area. Medway Norse was also working with the Youth Offending Team to employ ex offenders as apprentices. The new Apprentice Levy introduced by the Government was expected to cost the wider Norse business approximately £0.5m, which meant a pressure on Medway Norse of around £25,000 pa. A Member queried the latter and the Managing Director advised that Medway Norse would have the opportunity to draw down funds from the Levy and it may be possible to draw down more than was contributed.

·                     Villager Bus – in response to a request for an update, the Managing Director commented that, after some initial problems when the service was transferred, the service was now working very well. Medway Norse was looking for other projects the bus could be used for. One older vehicle had been replaced with a newer model, although it had not been cost effective to purchase a wheelchair accessible model. In terms of drivers from other organisations being allowed to use the vehicles, there were still significant issues preventing this around insurance although if a driver passed an awareness test then this would be possible.

·                Pest Control – the Managing Director advised that a proposal would be considered by Cabinet in December to transfer the pest control service to Medway Norse. The service was subsidised at present and Medway Norse would be looking to operate the service on a more commercial basis so that it ran at a profit and the subsidy was removed. Charges were low in comparison to other councils and there were a high number of aborted visits as customers did not have to pay up front and were often not at home when the pest control staff arrived. In response to a question about who would set the pricing policy, the Managing Director replied that this would be done by Medway Norse. Some Members expressed concern at this and felt it was indicative of wider issues regarding the respective responsibilities of the Council and Medway Norse in terms of blurred decision making and accountability that needed to be resolved. Whilst supportive of the principle of moving services to Medway Norse where appropriate, a Member commented that the Council still retained responsibility for the service and should not abdicate these responsibilities. It was important that Members were involved in discussions about resource allocation and prioritisation. Noting the intended move to provide services on a more commercial basis, the point was made that Members would look at this from a different perspective and would have wider issues such as social exclusion to consider when setting fees and charges. The Chief Legal Officer replied that the Council retained responsibility for services transferred to Medway Norse but acknowledged that more thought needed to be given to the concerns raised. The Assistant Director – Transformation assured Members that the Council was mindful of the wider issues in relation to the transfer of the service and the report to Cabinet would assess the impact of changing how the service was provided, together with actions to avoid or mitigate risks.

·                     Grounds Maintenance – a Member queried what was meant by the reference in the report  to “grounds maintenance budgets versus revenue”. The Managing Director replied that grass cutting specifications were higher than other areas and Medway Norse was subsidising the grounds maintenance service by £200,000. However, grounds maintenance would still be delivered without any reductions in specification and Medway Norse would not be asking for extra funding from the Council. A Member queried whether this position was sustainable in the long term. The Managing Director commented that he hoped to deliver an improved service with better trained staff and equipment.

·                     Future Strategy 2017/18 - referring to the changes in catering in 2016/17 which had caused some concern amongst service users and Members, a Member asked if there were any contentious service changes planned for 2017/18 which were likely to result in similar concerns. The Assistant Director – Transformation advise that she was not aware of any similar issues.

·                     External Business Target – in response to a question, the Managing Director advised that Medway Norse had a target for bringing in just under £1m of external business for 2017/18. This would be a combination of contracts Medway Norse would bid for and opportunities with partners.

·                     Refurbishment works – referring to the refurbishment of public toilets, a Member asked that, if there were plans to refurbish the public toilets in Gillingham (the busiest in Medway), the opportunity should be taken to work with relevant parties to relocate the memorial to the only holder of the Victoria Cross from Medway, which was currently located on the wall of the toilets.

·                     Household Waste Recycling Sites – a Member queried whether Medway Norse had discussed best practice with high performing councils. The Managing Director replied that discussions about best practice had taken place within the Norse organisation where recycling rates were much higher than Medway, although he was always willing to learn from other areas.

Decision:

The Committee agreed to note the report.