Month: February 2011

Council Excellence Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 31/1/2011 Part 14 – Strategic Change Programme update (continued)

Dave Green replied that he did have a list of assets that were subject to Cabinet agreeing on their disposal. He could supply the list. Cllr Gilchrist requested that he email it to all members. Cllr Keeley mentioned the community centres. Cllr Davies mentioned Westminster House and asked about in Appendix B what the difference … Continue reading “Council Excellence Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 31/1/2011 Part 14 – Strategic Change Programme update (continued)”

Dave Green replied that he did have a list of assets that were subject to Cabinet agreeing on their disposal. He could supply the list. Cllr Gilchrist requested that he email it to all members. Cllr Keeley mentioned the community centres. Cllr Davies mentioned Westminster House and asked about in Appendix B what the difference between projects one and 44 was? Ian Coleman answered that one referred to savings on all contracts whereas the contract review was reviewing the fifty largest contracts.

Cllr Davies asked for the list of 50 largest contracts. Ian Coleman agreed to send it to him.

Cllr Davies said about street lighting (project 25) that he understood about the dimming, but often the request was for lighting in streets to be brighter and that it had community safety implications.

Mr. Green said it was a modest saving with a pilot of 216 lights in New Brighton. The results would be known about March/april and would form part of a report to Cabinet on the pilot. There was the possibility under invest to save to roll it out across the authority. It would depend on the wattage before it was started though. In the pilot areas some had been turned up as well as dimmed. Cllr Davies said they had to balance energy savings with community safety.

Council Excellence Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 31/1/2011 Part 13 – Strategic Change Programme update (continued)

Mr. Green continued by saying there was a mechanism for collecting ideas and passing on the information to a Project Manager to expand the program. He said they were happy to “pinch anybody’s ideas”. He said they would also look at what other local authorities were doing.

Cllr Brighouse thanked Mr. Green for his reply and said he felt they didn’t need consultants. With all the innovation and ideas he felt it was pointless to employ consultants.

Cllr Green said this was very true and that he had an anathema to consultants. However, where there isn’t the capacity or the pace he was not completely averse to them. They could deploy skilled people. One area of challenge was the top fifty contracts. He mentioned capacity as being a limiting factor. Mr. Green said that they really have an extra cautious approach. Cllr Green said originally it had just been the top 25 contracts, now since he intervened it was the top fifty. If a saving couldn’t be found here he would find it somewhat strange. He then went on to talk about administration processes, internal communication, petty cash and paper time sheets.

Cllr Davies referred to the appendices, specifically item 19 (Disposal of Assets). He asked what it referred to?

Council Excellence Overview and Scrutiny Committee – 31/1/2011 Part 12 – Strategic Change Programme update (continued)

Cllr Green continued with saying that any ideas that staff on higher education courses had got through their studies or wanted them to evaluate was part of the change programme. He said they were keen to reward people, but there had to be a balance between control and creativity. The creativity had to be to a purpose which was to drive forward and reduce costs. Whether officers challenge other officers was a question for them to answer.

The Strategic Change Board had looked into capacity and challenged projects that had no firm benefits. The gate system was in place with projects signed off by the Director of Finance, Chief Officers and programme officers who had done a first-rate job. Cllr Green said they had brought rigour to the system and support in areas that lack capacity. He then asked Mr. Green “Do we challenge you enough?”

Mr. Green said the analysts analyse all ideas and there were some emerging ideas. Some projects had been stretched to take on board staff. Young people and graduates had suggested nine potential projects. The most favourable one being a change in the approach to non-fixed assets such as bikes, tables, chairs etc. This had been though of by those studying and would come to the meeting on Friday. He said they mustn’t have a scattergun approach, much must give each idea careful consideration.

Merseytravel Tunnel Tolls meeting

Merseytravel Tunnel Tolls meeting

                                             

Yesterday I gave a brief account of what had happened at Merseytravel’s budget meeting. As we arrived early, I took some photos of the room in which the decision was made and of the hospitality.

Here is the first of the tea, coffee and 35 biscuits provided for councillors, officers, journalists and members of the public.

Tea, coffee and biscuits for Merseytravel meeting

Below is a quick video of the room the meeting was held in:-

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My wife comments that the way it’s set up resembles a court room.

Finally, here is a photo of the 5 Coats of Arms representing the councils on Merseyside that make up Merseytravel. Can you guess which one is which?

Merseyside council's coats of arms at Merseytravel HQ

Labour use casting vote to increase Mersey Tunnel tolls from April 2011

Labour use casting vote to increase Mersey Tunnel tolls from April 2011

                                              

Labour councillor and Merseytravel Chair Cllr Mark Dowd used his casting vote this afternoon after Merseytravel councillors were deadlocked in a 9:9 vote over whether to increase tunnel tolls.

A Liberal Democrat amendment proposed to have no increase in the Mersey Tunnel charges, but to still to ask for a further report as to whether the existing toll concessions for disabled users was “justified or appropriate”. Conservatives tabled two amendments. The first was to keep toll charges at 2010 level and reduce charges for Fast Tag users by 10p, keeping the existing concessions for disabled drivers. The second Conservative amendment also was to keep toll charges at 2010 levels and keep the existing concessions for disabled drivers.

During his amendment Lib Dem Cllr Millea commented on earlier “childish exchanges while members of the public were present” between Cllr Dowd and Cllr Blakeley during an earlier heated debate over taxis used to send reports to councillors and a spat over how criticism by Cllr Blakeley of a Merseytravel officer during a previous meeting was reported in the minutes.

Cllr Millea said in that for the past thirty years they had been asking government to scrap the tolls and the answer had been the same. He believed there was sufficient scope in the budget to keep the tolls at their current levels.

From April 1st 2011, the tolls will rise to the following. Figures in brackets are rise from 2010/2011:-

Vehicle Class 2011/12 Cash Toll 2011/2012 Fast Tag Toll
1 £1.50 (+10p) £1.30 (+10p)
2 £3.00 (+20p) £2.60 (+20p)
3 £4.50 (+30p) £3.90 (+30p)
4 £6.00 (+40p) £5.20 (+40p)

      

Class 1 M/cycle with sidecar, car up to 3.5 tonnes, light goods vehicles up to 3.5 tonnes, passenger carrying vehicle (less than 9 people)
Class 2 Private/light goods vehicle up to 3.5 tonnes with trailer, 2 axle HGV over 3.5 tonnes, 2 axle passenger carrying vehicle for more than 9 passengers
Class 3 3 axle HGV over 3.5 tonnes, 3 axle passenger carrying vehicle carrying more than 9 passengers
Class 4 HGV over 3.5 tonnes with four or more axles