AGENDA ITEM 11
BOROUGH OF POOLE
CABINET
8TH DECEMBER 2009
GREEN SPACE MAINTENANCE REVIEW: REPORT OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
1.PURPOSE
1.1To note the Green Space Maintenance Review and report the recommendations of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
2.DECISIONS REQUIRED
2.1That Cabinet be recommended to accept and note the Green Space Maintenance Review and the recommended future service direction which should be to:
a)Maximise income via improvements in asset management
b)Increase efficiency and benefit from further economies of scale by investigating the expansion of the Green Space service to cover all Green Space maintenance activities for all Borough of Poole service units and establishments such as schools, therefore increasing the economies of scale
c)Explore joint provision of Green Space services with neighbouring Local Authorities to further maximise efficiencies and economies of scale
d)Proactively seek external funding for Green Space to tackle climate change and problems with public health and wellbeing in line with the corporate priorities.
e)Focus resources on core maintenance functions. The pressure of the corporate Medium Term Financial Plan is recognised. If further financial savings are required from the service then ‘added value’ areas such as floral displays and containers are an achievable option – though such savings would be modest and introduced as a last resort.
3.BACKGROUND/INFORMATION
3.1I Chaired the Meeting of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 26th November 2009, which considered the Report of the Head of Leisure Services on a Review, which was undertaken of the Green Space Maintenance Service. Leisure Services had been requested to undertake a Value for Money Review of the Green Space Maintenance Service by Corporate Management Team, which would contribute towards the development of the Council’s Medium Term Financial Plan.
3.2The Review was initially to concentrate on the Grounds Maintenance Contract with Continental Landscapes Limited but was extended to cover the entire Green Space Maintenance Service to ensure a holistic and informed Review was completed.
3.3Review Objectives
The objectives of the Review were identified as set out below:
a) To assess the need and legislative basis for the service;
b)To evaluate how the service was performing at present, to identify the areas that were performing well and those that might require improvement;
c)To conduct this review with due regard to the specific environmental factors and characteristics that were applicable to Green Space maintenance in Poole;
d)To inform the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee Report November 2009 – the service was last scrutinised in 2001 and a further scrutiny is due;
e)To respond to budgetary pressures (existing and anticipated);
f)To inform annual price review of the Continental Landscapes contract;
g)To ensure the service was able to respond to emerging issues and challenges; in the context of local needs set against a regional and national context;
h)To inform the annual budget setting process for 2010/11 and beyond in the Medium Term Financial Plan.
3.4Key findings of the Review
a)Very high profile frontline services
b)Management of 20% of borough land surface – 1295 hectares
c)The service is managing the decline of Council assets and basic site infrastructure – with the analogy of ‘painting rotten window frames’. This may prove to cost the Council more to correct in the long term than sustaining levels of funding.
d)15-27% per head of population financial saving in last decade
e)Greenspace (parks and open spaces) costs just 5.5 pence per head of population per day
f)Poole Opinion Panel 79% satisfaction with grounds maintenance 2008/9 – reduced from 83% since 2006/7
g)Place Survey (2008) placed parks as the fourth most important local priority by residents as ‘making somewhere a good place to live’. 37% stated parks as the most important factor.
h)12,500,000+ visits per annum to Green Space by local residents
i)Third fewer frontline staff than 20 years ago – approximate reduction of two posts per annum
j)Increasing number of enquiries, taking up 21% of staff time with an average cost per enquiry of £54.
k)43% of designated sites meet National Indicator 197 local biodiversity standards
l)2 Green Flag Awards (targeting 3 in 2010) – demonstrate good site management of key sites but are costly to obtain in terms of officer time.
m)81 key Green Spaces within audit programme
n)Grounds maintenance contract monitored against 118 key performance indicators with the external contractor providing excellent service for the contract sum set by the Council.
o)Independent Green Space expert described grounds maintenance contract – “The partnership between the two organisations [Leisure Services and Continental Landscapes Ltd] as one of the best and strongest seen”.
p)62% increase in grass cutting (additional 117 hectares) in last 20 years
q)The annual grass cutting season has grown by approximately eight weeks over the last 10-15 years
r)37% growth in outdoor play parks between 2000 and 2008;
3.5The Green Space Maintenance Services are a very high profile Frontline Service Area which has made substantial contributions to the Council Efficiency Programme during the last two decades. Modest further financial savings have been identified in the Review but these would have significant impact on Frontline Services, highly visible to and valued by the Public, and likely to generate therefore a high level of complaint. The Grounds Maintenance Contract with Continental Landscapes Limited has been independently reviewed with the finding that it is professional and robust.
3.6The Committee enquired about savings already made so far, particularly on the Grounds Maintenance Contract. The Review included details that real term savings of £736,000 were taken from the grounds maintenance budget between 1988 and 2000. A Scrutiny in 2001 led to £250,000 being added back in the budget as the significantly reduced resources were unable to deliver the services residents expected. Contract prices are adjusted annually and since 2007 a further £82,000 savings have been achieved. Therefore real-term savings of between £5.57 and £6.57 per head of population have been made in the last decade – equating to a 23-27% budget reduction.
3.7Due to sustained growth in assets and facilities during the last two decades the Service was now facing further pressures on a reducing revenue budget.
3.8However, the conclusions of the Review have shown that during a recent Poole Opinion Panel 79% where satisfied with Grounds Maintenance in 2008/09 and the Place Survey of 2008 placed parks as the fourth most important local priority by Residents as “making somewhere a good place to live”.
3.9The Review has highlighted that Green Space is not just for amenity recreation purposes but there are important roles in achieving social, economic and environmental benefits including Climate Change, a flood drainage role and reducing the Council’s Carbon Footprint and serves a vital role in improving the appearance of the town.
3.10Additionally there are many health benefits of Green Space and growing medical evidence shows that access to the natural environment improves both mental and physical health and well being, prevents disease and helps people recover from illness. Experiencing nature in the outdoors can help tackle obesity etc., and mental health problems.
3.11The Service has been challenged and evolved over the last decade plus, driven forward change and absorbed the cost associated with increased regulation. Service Standards have been continually redefined to meet strategic requirements, public demand and budget availability. Changing Service Standards in some core Service Areas will have a significant impact on public perception of the Service and the local area. If the need exists to identify further financial savings it is highly probable that this could only be achieved by reducing Service Standards, support costs and overhead costs.
3.12The Review is an important part of the Annual Budget Setting Process for 2010/11 and beyond in the Medium Term Financial Plan and Cabinet is asked to take account of the conclusions of the Review as contained in the Report of the Head of Leisure Services (attached).
3.13I would urge Cabinet to accept the recommendations of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee as set out above. It should be noted that in considering the recommended future Service Direction, Members of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee felt that whilst the pressure of the Corporate Medium Term Financial Plan is recognised, and that if further financial savings are required from “added value areas”, such as floral displays etc., then this particular saving could be introduced but as a last resort, and should be taken in preference to core functions
Councillor John Rampton, Chairman
Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
27 November 2009
1