Agenda item

Report of Corporate Director (Finance and Performance)

The Panel received the report of the Corporate Director (Finance and Performance) to update Members on progress in considering the development of a sustainable staff travel plan.

It was reported that there was an action under the Climate Change priority in the Council’s Corporate Plan to deliver the appropriate actions from the Energy Savings Trust (EST) Green/Grey Fleet Review.  Included in the Fleet Review were opportunities for reducing staff travel for business and other purposes. 

Members were advised that the Council did not have a specific staff travel plan but had been developing this area through other Council strategies and policies – for example, cycling demonstration town and access to services.

In order to deliver the Council’s corporate priorities for Climate Change, an officer working group had been established, comprising cross service representation from key services and chaired by the Corporate Director (Finance and Performance), supported by the Council’s Sustainability Co-ordinator. 

The working group reported into the Climate Change Cabinet Liaison Group, which was chaired by Councillor Barry, and any resource issues were referred up to Cabinet for decision.

The officer working group was progressing delivery of the agreed priorities set out in the 5-year Climate Change Strategy, which was being co-ordinated through a number of sub-groups that reported into the officer group, including the Green/Grey Fleet working group, which had met twice recently.

The Green/Grey Fleet working group had two main streams of work, these being green fleet issues that relate to the Council’s operational fleet of vehicles and grey fleet issues that relate to staff travel in employee-owned vehicles, both for work purposes and non-council business travel (i.e. travel to work and home).

Work in respect of the Grey Fleet issues had mainly been with regard to developing a policy in respect of staff business travel, using recommendations from the EST’s Fleet Review and the Council’s existing practices and guidance notes.

Members were advised that work in respect of staff travel for non-council business travel was scheduled for later in the year.   The sub-group had developed a framework for the draft policy for staff business travel, but this had still to be considered by the officer working group and management team before being referred to the cabinet liaison group.

The draft policy and proposals in respect of the recommendations from the EST Fleet Review would be considered at the next officer working group and reported to the September Cabinet Liaison Group, with any resource implications or changes to existing arrangements being referred to Cabinet for consideration as part of the annual budget process and JCC for staff consultation.

Councillor Whitelegg reported that as one of the biggest employers in the area, and with influence that extended from its own operations to the wider community, the Council should have in place a workplace travel plan in the two key areas of staff travel and council green and grey fleet.  

He advised that a workplace travel plan was a long-term management strategy that delivered transport objectives and a coherent approach to transport management, and defined, for example, what the Council had done, what it intended to do and the resource implications. 

The Department for Transport defined workplace travel plans as a package of measures produced by employers to encourage staff to use alternatives to single-occupancy car use.

The British Standards Institution (BSI) Publicly Available Specification (PAS) 500:2008 defined requirements for developing and implementing a workplace travel plan.  

By applying the PAS it would be possible to define objectives and compare the effectiveness of the workplace travel plan as part of an organisational policy to manage transport impacts for the benefit of staff, the environment, corporate responsibility, reduction of congestion, better management of parking and reduction of pollution from motor vehicles as part of an air quality strategy.  

Also reported at the meeting was a request received from Councillor Heath in connection with inviting the University’s Travel Plan Co-ordinator to a future meeting of the Panel in connection with consideration of travel plans.  Lancaster University had successfully implemented its own travel plans, but was reluctant to go further unless the City Council demonstrated its commitment to travel planning.

It was noted that whilst the officers of the Council have no mandate to develop a workplace travel plan, the work currently being undertaken by the Green/Grey Fleet sub-group in meeting the Council’s Corporate Plan actions would ensure that all the aspects of a workforce travel plan would be considered and brought before Members.

Resolved:

(1)        That Cabinet be requested to consider a workplace travel plan using the specifications contained in BSI PAS500:2008 and the definition of the Department of Transport, including identification of the budgetary implications of undertaking this work.

(2)        That progress in respect of staff travel for non-council business travel and progress in regard to resolution (1) be reported to the Panel’s meeting on 30^th November 2010.

(3)        That further updates and opportunities to comment on any proposed policies be built into the Panel’s work programme, including referral of any resource implications arising from consideration of the draft policy and proposals in respect of the recommendations from the EST Fleet Review.

(4)        That Councillor Heath’s request to consult with the travel co-ordinator from Lancaster University be referred to the officer working group.