Agenda item

To pre-scrutinise a report going to the Executive Lead Member for Universal Services on the Savings Programme to 2025.

The Committee considered a report from the Director of Universal Services and Director of Corporate Operations (item 6 in the minute book), which detailed the £19,279 million of savings across 16 proposals for SP25.

The officers summarised the report confirming that £105 million had been saved since 2010, with the majority being saved through the highways, engineering and transport areas of the Directorate. It was also highlighted that the consultation undertaken earlier in the year had been widely promoted to residents and stakeholders, who had provided views on a range of high-level options that could help to address the shortfall, so that the County Council could take residents’ needs in to account when considering the way forward.

During questions on the report, Members learned the following:

·         HWRC’s were currently separate from the budget proposals, but this would be looked at again going forward. Savings around the new Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) had been included in the previous savings programmes.

·         The Council would continue to wait for further funding from central government towards highways maintenance.

·         Paragraph 31 in the report discussed the School Crossing Patrols (SCPs) and officers confirmed that the £1.1 million savings was a maximum, and would enable there to be a full review of where these services were still needed. The County Council would always look to provide a safe provision for school travel, but this could include various options as well as SCPs.

·         Energy contracts were being looked at, but energy had always been sourced in an economic way. Energy use was being looked at in terms of reduction and utilising solar panels and grants.

·         The highway network would be reassessed to help prioritise roads for winter maintenance, as an assessment hadn’t been done since 1999 and there were a lot of legacy roads from old bus routes and previously heavily used roads that were no longer considered a priority.

·         A pilot would take place looking at enforcement and patrol of highway signs in 2024, the results of which would likely go to a Member Briefing.

During debate, Councillor Stephen Reid proposed recommending that the allocated maximum of £1.1 million savings from the review of the SCP service be removed from the Executive Member report. It was felt that the amount quoted would cause residents to fear losing a significant number of SCP’s across the County and this proposal was seconded by Councillor Alex Crawford. Officers reassured Members that the amount stated was a maximum and meant that the service could be reviewed to see whether better alternatives (like automated pedestrian crossings or built-out kerbs) would be more suited in some areas. Other Members on the Committee acknowledged the concerns around the public perception of the proposed savings, but agreed that overall a review would be beneficial and the £1.1 million was a maximum saving subject to further review. The Committee voted on Councillor Reid’s proposal to remove the stated £1.1 million, but this was not supported.

Councillor Nick Adams-King thanked the Committee for looking at the proposals, accepting that no-one wanted to have to reduce services, but it was an opportunity to look at how some services were provided and see whether there was a better alternative.

RESOLVED

The Universal Services Select Committee supported the recommendations being proposed to the Executive Lead Member for Universal Services in paragraph 2 of the main report.