Agenda item

PROVISIONAL OUTTURN 2017/18

Minutes:

Report FSD18057

 

The Portfolio Holder was asked to endorse the provisional 2017/18 outturn for the previous Environment Portfolio showing a £1.831m under-spend against a controllable budget of £38.5m (a 4.76% variation). Excluding £280k carry forward sums, the under-spend amounted to £1.551m. Details of variations were outlined in Report FSD18057. 

 

The Portfolio Holder was also asked to approve drawdown of the following  carry forward sums from Central Contingency:

 

In discussion, and in considering the variations for Waste Services, reference was made to a diversion of 16,540 tonnes from landfill to Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT). The treatment included recovery of as many recyclable materials as possible with remaining waste then stabilised and compressed for energy recovery. No guaranteed volume from L B Bromley was necessary for MBT and the plant used by the waste contractors had been affected by a fire issue. However, the aim would be to deliver as much to MBT as projected for 2017/18. The new contracts would also incentivise suppliers to provide innovative waste treatment solutions e.g. compacting waste into pellets for fuel at continental power plants. Trade waste income also increased more than previously expected in the remaining three months of 2017/18 resulting in additional income of £53k above budget.

 

Highlighting a reduction in emptying recycling banks (contributing to a £61k underspend on the waste collection contract), a Member stated that he had seen recycling banks overfull with material dumped alongside, a particular example being at the High Street Car Park in Chislehurst. With operatives unlikely to sort through bags, the Member was concerned that the material would be landfilled. However, reductions in material to recycling banks and fly-tipping resulted in a lower fee paid to Veolia. With Veolia paid according to price per tonne of material collected, Veolia had an incentive to collect recyclate. Some of the material might have been left outside due to the small window in the paper banks; these were designed to avoid non–recyclable packaging being left in cardboard boxes. The current waste contract was also near to expiry; vehicles were becoming old with those involved in recycling bank collections breaking down more regularly. However, with extra vehicles now acquired it was reasonable to expect a reduction in material left outside of recycling bins.

 

On Parking Services, a delay was highlighted in rolling out additional paid parking bays. They were still intended but it was a question of timing and matters related to consultation. In some cases traders can initially oppose schemes but subsequently welcome them on seeing a positive impact following installation. Pay and Display bays enable short period parking and prevent commuters parking at certain locations e.g. local shopping parades.

 

Although a year-end income deficit of £187k for on and off-street parking was partly due to early problems with the new parking contract, the deficit was mainly attributed to reduced usage. A Member enquired about any measures being taken to encourage further use of (Council-owned) car parks; introducing further reduced parking fees (for Bromley Town Centre) on a Thursday (evening) was suggested. However, store closures and encouragement for alternative transport modes contributed to a reduced use of car parks.  Motorists might also use the car parks for shorter periods and the Civic Centre Car Park was underused during evenings and weekends. Cllr Melanie Stevens (Biggin Hill) also suggested that a reduced level of enforcement contributed to less use of car parks. However, it was understood that APCOA (Parking Services contractor), is now enforcing well and should the contractor not be enforcing in Biggin Hill the Executive Director asked to be informed. It was possible to request parking enforcement via the Council’s website; additionally, the complement of Civil Enforcement Officers (CEOs) employed by the contractor was now at an appropriate level. 

 

Concerning the Green Garden Waste Collection Service, it was suggested that any second collection bin be provided at half of the cost of the first bin; currently, a second bin costs a resident £60 – the same as the cost of a first bin. Should a first bin be full, a second bin could receive remaining garden waste but a further £60 cost for the bin might be off-putting to some residents. However, provision of the bins was included and the service charge to the Council by the contractor was per bin; the waste services budget would therefore be charged twice for two containers. A discounted cost of a second bin would only provide marginal cost savings at best and a 50% discount would be too costly for the service’s business model. But it would be possible to review the model overall and look again at how charging is undertaken for the GGW service. There might be potential for some discount. But the Council also provided a chargeable collection service for bagged green garden waste. Using a sticker costing £1.60 from libraries or the Civic Centre on a standard refuse sack with garden refuse might be a preferred option for residents who only occasionally need a second bin. 

 

On street and gully cleansing, adverse weather in the previous quarter meant that it was not possible to spend part of the street cleansing and gully cleansing budgets. A Member was unable to see reference to carrying the underspend forward to 2018/19 and enquired of the aim for clearing gullies. However, at service level, it was understood that the programme for the year would have completed and officers will check that this is the case. 

 

In concluding, the Chairman highlighted delivery within budget last year for the Portfolio and less waste being sent to landfill. The Chairman hoped it would be possible to extend the use of Mechanical Biological Treatment.

 

RESOLVED that the Portfolio Holder be recommended to:

 

(1)  endorse the 2017/18 provisional outturn position for the previous Environment Portfolio; and

 

(2)  approve drawdown of the carry forward sum of £280k held in Central Contingency as set out at paragraph 5.23 of Report FSD18057.

 

Supporting documents: