Agenda item

To consider the progress made by the Working Group and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the recommendations set out in Paragraph 3 of the report, including that future monitoring of grounds maintenance be undertaken by the Depot Services Working Group, be approved.  

83.1          The report of the Grounds Maintenance Working Group, circulated at Pages No. 16-24, outlined progress made by the Working Group which had met on four occasions between September 2019 and January 2020.  Members were asked to consider the report and to recommend to the Executive Committee that the recommendations set out at Paragraph 3 of the report, including that future monitoring of grounds maintenance be undertaken by the Depot Services Working Group, be approved.

83.2          The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee indicated that he had also chaired the Working Group and he thanked Members and Officers for their participation in what he considered to be a very productive Working Group in terms of outcomes.  The Head of Community Services echoed these sentiments with regard to it being an effective piece of scrutiny which had really allowed monitoring of how grounds maintenance had been undertaken in the borough.  He was pleased to report that, of the 94 areas monitored over the summer, 68 had been maintained to grade A or B standard with only 26 areas classed as C or D.  The Working Group had considered a range of aspects of grounds maintenance and made a number of recommendations which were set out at Paragraph 3 of the report.  It was noted that there were two particular pieces of work which had not been completed due to time constraints – exploring potential for introducing a hire contract for equipment; and working with partners, including Parish Councils and housing associations, to look for opportunities to optimise efficiencies – both of which were significant undertakings.  As such, it was felt that there was a continuing role for Members to play in terms of monitoring grounds maintenance but it was recommended that this be subsumed into the work of the Depot Services Working Group which had a wider remit to look at the Ubico contract generally.

83.3          A Member pointed out that Page No. 19, Paragraph 2.8 - which stated that Members received an update on the pilot that had been undertaken at Brook Close in Winchcombe where a small discreet piece of highways land had only been cut twice during the growing season and had been closely monitored - did not make sense without reading Page No. 20, Paragraph 3.1.4 which provided a greater explanation of maintenance of land on behalf of Gloucestershire County Council and the trial that had been undertaken to reduce the number of cuts.  In addition, he was unclear about Page No. 21, Paragraph 3.1.5 which stated that areas of land that were rated as category D should be “eliminated”.  The Head of Community Services apologised that these sections had been confusing and, with regard to the latter, clarified that this meant that the quality of cuts should be raised from category D to category C or higher.  The Member also indicated that Page No. 21, Paragraph 3.1.6 in relation to the potential for a hire contact for equipment/sharing across Ubico partners did not specifically state that this would be a comparison between hire and purchase.

83.4           A Member noted the recommendation that the future monitoring of grounds maintenance be undertaken via the Depot Services Working Group and he queried whether any Members of the Grounds Maintenance Working Group also sat on the Depot Services Working Group, and how the wider membership would be kept informed of its work.  In response, the Chair confirmed there were three Members who sat on both Groups and the Depot Services Working Group was required to report back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on a biannual basis.  He stressed that the Committee received quarterly performance reports and, should any further issues be identified in respect of grounds maintenance, they could be picked up and dealt with accordingly at that time.

83.5           It was

RESOLVED          That the progress made by the Grounds Maintenance Working Group be NOTED and that it be RECOMMENDED TO THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE that the recommendations set out in Paragraph 3 of the report, including that future monitoring of grounds maintenance be undertaken by the Depot Services Working Group, be APPROVED.