Minutes:
The Committee considered a joint report of the
Director of Environment and Transport and the Director of Corporate Resources
which provided information on the proposed 2021/22 to 2024/25 Medium Term
Financial Strategy (MTFS) as it related to the Environment and Transport
Department. A copy of the report marked ‘Agenda Item 8’ is filed with these
minutes.
The Chairman welcomed the Deputy Leader, Mr B Pain
CC, the Cabinet Lead Member for Resources, Mr J B Rhodes CC, the Cabinet Lead
Member for Highways, Transport and Waste Mr T Pendleton CC and the Cabinet
Support Member Mr O O’Shea CC to the meeting for this item.
In introducing the report, the Director of
Environment and Transport advised members of the continuing financial
challenges facing the Council and that further savings were required to address
future challenges, notably Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND)
transport and continued waste tonnage increases.
Arising from the discussion the following points
were noted:-
Growth
i.G13 - SEN
Transport – Growth reflected the increased client
numbers and costs arising from increasingly complex needs presented by some
service users. Figures forecast expected 10% growth in the service (as per data
provided by the Children and Families Department). as well as a 3% increase in
transport costs. The Department continued to look at how growth may be contained
over the duration of the MTFS and were aware that colleagues nationally were
raising concerns about the overall cost of SEN provision and transport with
Government.
ii.Data on
previous growth in pupils identified with SEN and predicted growth would be circulated
to Members. A briefing would further be organised to help Members understand
the process of preparing Education, Health and Care plans for those children
with SEN needs.
iii.G14 –
Developing External Funding Bids – The report presented
the removal of the one-off growth for temporary capacity to support the
development of external funding bids in 2020/21. Members were advised the
Department would continue to have some capacity to prepare bids for funding and
was covered elsewhere in the budget. However, it was recognised that there was
a wider conversation that needed to be had with Government regarding efficiency
of the bidding process for authorities and the resource that it required.
iv.G15 -
Highways Maintenance – Funding for highway maintenance from the
Department for Transport had effectively been reduced by £10million a year over
the last decade. The County Council invested an additional £3.7million funding
in the previous year in recognition of the importance of this service and
underfunding it faced. As a result of Covid-19 Government had amalgamated a
number of funding streams, some of which would previously have been part of a
competitive bidding process, and allocated £9.5million to the County
Council to be spent by the end of the current financial year. While the
Authority welcomed the funding, assurance for long term funding was needed for
the Authority to plan most effectively and achieve the best value for
money.
v.There was
a concern that due to Government’s continual underfunding of Council services
residents were seeing a decline in the most visible services to them such as
highway maintenance. This was despite increasing council tax that was required
to support the financial pressures on the Council.
vi.Members
noted that in previous years the Department had reduced full width grass cuts
from six to five following an earlier budget consultation where residents had
rated it as a lower priority. However, the reduction had resulted in heavy
backlash, thus the six cuts were reinstated, which was welcomed by Members.
Members noted that twelve parish councils had signed up to the Wildflower Verge
Scheme, it was recognised that the Council still needed to manage such verges
to ensure that weeds did not dominate, allowing wildflowers to thrive and
encourage pollinators. It was pleasing that communities support and appreciated
the environmental commitment from the Authority.
vii.The
Department had to prioritise speeding measures such as the community speed enforcement
initiative. There were over 150 sites of resident’s concern, unfortunately
there was only funding for an additional seven average speed camera sites,
though sites would be moved over time and as appropriate.
viii.G16 – Waste Tonnage – The
Department typically assumes underlying growth of 1% per annum to accommodate
new housing being built in the county. However for 2021/22 3.2% was required to address the rise
in household waste during the pandemic, noting that the New Year had seen the
highest ever level of tonnage through the Recycling and Household Waste Sites
for a week in January and that the level of recyclates was also at its highest
point in part due to increasing online shopping.
Savings
ix.ET1 –
Revised Passenger Transport Policy – Due to
Covid-19 the Policy had been paused. There was a concern that the impact of the
pandemic would destabilise operators and require them to withdraw further
services, while the Council would need to continue to ensure residents could
access key amenities.
x.ET2 – Review of Social Care
and SEN Transport – Members noted that there
remained a delay in the delivery of savings from the post-16 SEN transport
proposals due to the judicial review and legal proceedings. The Court had found
the Authority legally compliant and the Council hoped to implement the proposal from September
2021, dependent on the outcome of the remaining appeal.
Savings under
Development/External Influences and Other Factors Influencing MTFS
Delivery
xi.The Director
assured Members that the Department had undertaken an initial review to manage
the level of SEN transport growth and were working with Newton Europe to look
at efficiency, journey optimisation and challenge the occupancy of vehicles.
Part of the work involved looking at bringing the most expensive SEN journeys
in-house to manage the costs associated.
xii.There was
a concern that Government’s proposal to remove the fuel duty discount for red
diesel from April 2022 would have a substantial financial effect
on costs given a proportion of the Council fleet, such as gritting vehicles and
other work vehicles, run on this fuel.
Capital Programme
xiii.The
Department would continue to use funding for Integrated Transport Schemes
(an assumed
£2.73million each year
from 2021/22 to 2024/25) to match fund grant bids such as into the Single Local
Growth Fund and National Productivity Investment Fund, as well as fund advanced
design and feasibility studies. Such match funding allowed the Department to
gain leverage from other funding streams that Government offer to enable access
to greater funding for bigger improvements on the network. Members were assured
that maintenance was considered separately as part of other funding
streams.
xiv.Early
estimates of the Melton Mowbray Distributor Road led to £49.5million being secured through
Government’s Large Local Majors funding pot, while the County Council would
forward fund £14million. Such forward funding would be claimed back through
developer contributions.
xv.Officers
would provide further detail regarding the Windrow Composting facility on
timing and proposed savings it would offer.
Members thanked officers for producing a budget
during such challenging times.
In closing the debate Mr Pendleton advised the
Committee that the Department would continue to look to support communities,
such as with the community speed enforcement initiatives, despite the pressure
to make further savings. It was evident that more needed to be done about
innovative thinking regarding the pressures on SEND transport and that work
would continue with colleagues in Children’s and Families.
RESOLVED:
a.
That the report and
information now provided be noted;
b.
That further information be
circulated to members on past growth in numbers and cost, and future forecast
demand for SEN transport and that a briefing be set up with Children and
Families on the ECHP process;
c.
That the comments now made
be forwarded to the Scrutiny Commission at its meeting on 25 January 2021.
Supporting documents: