Issue - meetings

Shared Service Delivery- Public Realm

 

 

Meeting: 07/12/2010 - Cabinet (Item 80)

80 Shared Service Delivery- Public Realm pdf icon PDF 78 KB

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Barry and Langhorn)

 

Report of the Head of Environmental Services.

Minutes:

(Cabinet Members with Special Responsibility Councillors Barry and Langhorn)

 

(Councillor Langhorn declared a personal interest in this item in view of his role as Chairman of Caton-with-Littledale Parish Council.  Councillors Ashworth and Kerr declared personal interests in this item in view of their role as Morecambe Town Councillors.)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Head of Environmental Services which sought approval for the principle of the City Council directly delivering a range of public health services on behalf of the County Council.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

 

 

Option 1: To enter into  a public realm agreement with the County Council for direct delivery by the City Council of a range of services

Option 2: To not enter into a public realm agreement

Advantages

Joins up District and County public realm services

 

Improved customer service

 

Improved efficiency

 

Consistent service for rural settlements / Parishes

 

Improved consistency of service between rural and urban areas.

 

Disadvantages

Parish Councils that previously directly undertook work on behalf of the County Council may feel they have less control of service delivery.

 

Contrary to Corporate Plan and goes against agreed shared services programme.

Risks

The County Council decide to offer Parishes the option to deliver some of the services themselves- in which case the business case on which our agreement would be based would no longer be viable.

 

As a result of the comprehensive spending review the County Council reduces budgets available for this work.

 

 

Officer preferred option

Option1 is the officer preferred option for the reasons set out.

 

Councillor Barry proposed, seconded by Councillor Blamire:-

“(1)      That Cabinet approve the principle of the City Council directly delivering a range of public realm services on behalf of the County Council.

(2)        That the Head of Environmental Services is delegated to agree the details of the public realm agreement with County.

(3)        That, once details are agreed relevant general fund budgets are updated accordingly, subject to there being no costs falling to the City Council.”

Councillors then voted:-

 

Resolved unanimously:

(1)        That Cabinet approve the principle of the City Council directly delivering a range of public realm services on behalf of the County Council.

(2)        That the Head of Environmental Services is delegated to agree the details of the public realm agreement with County.

(3)        That, once details are agreed relevant general fund budgets are updated accordingly, subject to there being no costs falling to the City Council.

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Head of Environmental Services

Head of Financial Services

 

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The decision will enable closer working and shared delivery arrangements between Lancaster City and Lancashire County Councils and provide better value for money and improved service delivery standards for citizens of Lancashire.  A key action of the City Council’s corporate plan is ‘to implement the Council’s agreed programme for shared services and research other opportunities for working wherever possible.’