Issue - meetings

Purpose of report

(1)   To inform the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport of the soft market testing exercise that has been undertaken in the first quarter of 2016 to identify the optimum delivery model to satisfy council objectives and whether the model is best delivered on a contracted out or in-house basis.

(2)This report further sets-out the in-house consideration on the basis of existing knowledge within the Property and Housing Management Team and the soft market testing process.

RECOMMENDED: That the Cabinet Member for Culture, Leisure and Sport decides which of the following options will deliver grounds maintenance services to parks and open spaces in the north, east and south of Portsmouth:

A.      An in-house team from 1 January 2017 delivered by Property and Housing Management Team

or

B.      A full tender process is undertaken to determine the preferred external service provider (subject to extension of existing contract arrangements as detailed in 10.5)

(TAKE IN REPORT)

The report was introduced by Colette Hill, Assistant Director of Property and Housing (Environment). 

The Cabinet member invited the spokespeople to ask questions on the report and as there was a question relating to the exempt appendix it was agreed to move into exempt session. 

RESOLVED that under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act, 1972 as amended by the Local Government Act (Access to Information) Act, 1985, the press and public be excluded for the consideration of the following item on the grounds that the appendix to the report contains information defined as exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972. 

An update was given by officers on the number of staff.

The meeting was then moved back into open session.

In response to questions from members the following points were clarified:

·         Officers had liaised with Havant, Gosport and Fareham councils regarding the running of their service as a comparison.

·         Officers are keen to ensure social value elements are included in any future model.

·         The TUPE transfer would bring the existing contract in house and officers do not anticipate there being a management capacity issue.

The opposition spokespeople were all very supportive of option A which would be for the grounds maintenance service to be delivered in house from 1 January 2017.  The Cabinet Member summed up and said that she supported option A.

DECISION

That an in house team, delivered by the Property and Housing Management Team, will deliver grounds maintenance services to parks and open spaces in the north, east and south of Portsmouth from 1 January 2017.