(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Smith)
Cabinet received a report from the Head of Environmental Services to outline options for the way the rota painting of Council houses is undertaken and request an ‘in principle’ decision.
The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:
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Option 1: Deliver rota painting via 3rd party – through a tendering exercise |
Option 2: Seek an ‘in principle decision’ to develop a business plan to deliver rota painting directly via expansion of the Council’s in-house team |
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Advantages |
· Once tendered requires less ongoing management input. |
· Increased flexibility · Increased control · Ability to align more with corporate objectives (eg apprenticeships) · Consistent with objectives of the RMS change programme · Will be delivered within existing budgets
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Disadvantages |
· Reduction in flexibility · Reduction in control
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· Requires more ongoing management input · Requires significant initial input from a number of Council services to ensure the transition goes as intended. |
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Risks |
· TUPE may apply · A tendering exercise may result in an increase in costs |
· Detailed business case may identify some unforeseen issues |
Changing the means of delivering the service would generate, at least initially, significant extra work. However, within the context of the change programme that was underway the effort involved would result in sustained improvements. Therefore, the officer preferred option was Option 2.
Councillor Smith proposed, seconded by Councillor Blamire:-
“(1) That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”
Councillors then voted:-
Resolved unanimously:
(1) That the rota painting contract for Council Housing is not retendered.
(2) That in order to deliver the service an in principle decision is taken to deliver in-house via expansion of the Council’s repairs and maintenance team.
(3) That in taking this decision the assumption is made that the service can be delivered at less than the amount currently budgeted and to a suitable level of service. Otherwise a further report will be brought back to Cabinet.
(4) That the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Environmental Services monitors the performance of the in-house service via the quarterly Performance Review Meetings for the service area.
Officers responsible for effecting the decision:
Head of Environmental Services
Reasons for making the decision:
The Council has its own Council Housing stock which it has a duty to maintain and provision of the service contributes to ensuring the Council’s housing stock is maintained to a suitable standard. The estimated cost of Option 2, exploring the delivery of rota painting internally by an expansion of the in-house team was significantly below the budgeted contribution resulting in savings which could be utilised elsewhere in the delivery of planned maintenance throughout the district.