• Parks & Countryside Services Procurement Exercise (PACSPE)
• Aldi Development in West Kirby
• Women’s Open Golf Championship 2012

The Director of Technical Services, David Green, gave verbal updates on the

issues:

4.1  Parks and Countryside Services Procurement Exercise [PACSPE]:  In June 2008, Wirral Cabinet commissioned a review of the arrangements for the maintenance of the Council’s parks, open spaces, cemeteries and crematoria, with the aim of delivering a cost-effective, more manageable service for less money.

The process began with a major consultation exercise, which included Area Forums.  Everyone who used the parks was given the opportunity to contribute to the specification and to inject imagination and innovation into future provision. 

The Council set a budget of £7.5 million for the project and in July 2010, the Cabinet made a decision that an in-house bid should not be submitted.  Seven contractors were invited to apply, the price quoted by six of the seven bidders was below the target figure of £7.5 million, and a preferred external provider was identified.  The timetable envisaged a contract being let to commence in January 2012.

A report was submitted to Cabinet on 22 September 2011.  At the same meeting, the Cabinet received a highly critical independent report on the Council’s Corporate Governance arrangements which, among other things, referred to Wirral Council ‘not being able to commission, manage, and where necessary, dismiss failing contractors and suppliers’.  The Cabinet made a decision NOT to award the PACSPE contract but had made a series of recommendations, extracts from which are quoted below:

The difference in cost between the current Council budget and that of the preferred tenderer is sufficiently marginal for the difference to be eroded over a period of three years by the contractual cost of inflation’

At these rates over the ten year life of the contract for every £1 million value in the contract, inflation would increase the £10 million cost to £11.46 million.  Over the following seven years the continued impact of the contractual inflation provision would be likely to work to the Council’s disadvantage at a time when the Council is being required substantially to reduce its annual expenditure.

In the current severe economic climate, local authorities are facing unprecedented levels of reduction in their funding and Wirral will face having to save in excess of £86 million over the next three years.

In the light of the above, the Cabinet does not believe that it would be in the Council’s best interests to let this contract to an external contactor and agrees to retain these services in house.

The Cabinet had stated that it has every confidence in the skills and abilities of its workforce and their commitment to the services they provide and is confident that with appropriate support and good management they will co-operate in delivering a high quality service for the people of Wirral in the future. Cabinet recognised however, that it is essential to improve the quality of the service provided in a sustainable way, within the budget provided, and that to do so will mean substantial improvements in the management and operation of the contact and some capital investment to assist in achieving efficiencies.

The Cabinet instructed the Director of Technical Services to report back in November with a detailed three-year business plan demonstrating how this will be achieved. 

Martin Harrison, Parks Steering Group and Secretary to Wirral Parks Friends’ Forum commented that members had been involved from the beginning when they were asked to identify the key problems.  After months of involvement, members came to be conclusion that Wirral Council had failed to grasp the issues over many years and therefore something had to change in the method of delivery of parks and open spaces services.  Despite some reservations, the steering group came to the conclusion that the only way to improve quality and save money would be to contract out the services. 

Martin Harrison continued that, collectively, contractors have spent vast sums of money preparing the bids, and Wirral Council has wasted staff time and wasted money paid to consultants, but none of this was mentioned in the Cabinet report.  He asked the Officers to tell the people of Wirral what amount of money and how much time has been wasted on this exercise and how can the required savings be achieved? He commented that this Cabinet decision was taken on the day of announcement of the Kronowski report criticising the Wirral Council organisation. Martin Harrison concluded by asking how services would now deliver the required improvements if delivered in house?

Councillor Green stated that he absolutely agreed with every point made by Martin Harrison.  He was not satisfied that there had been a fair discussion on the reasons at the Cabinet meeting; there was no evaluation of the risk, and crucially there was no discussion about the major investment that would be needed to replace worn out and obsolete plant, machinery and equipment.

Councillor Green explained the Council’s ‘call-in’ system, which means that a decision cannot be enacted until the ‘call in’ has been considered by Cabinet. As leader of his party, he was the first signatory on a motion to ‘call in’ the decision and the leader of the Lib Dems was the second signatory.  The Cabinet has executive powers and others can only make recommendations and in the circumstances he had requested that the ‘call in’ is referred to a Scrutiny Committee. 

Councillor Green and David Green responded to issues raised in the subsequent general discussion.

4.2 AKA Report

Q. Recently Wirral Council received a report by Anna Klonowski Associates that examined the way that Wirral Council is run with particular reference to the handling of the whistle-blowing allegations from former social services employee, Martin Morton. Many of us here tonight that have observed the way Wirral has been run and handled relationships with the public over the years believe this extends beyond this issue alone I feel that this is more an issue about the culture of the Council from top to bottom. Indeed Cllr Foulkes has accepted this in his response to the report. Martin Harrison asked thatthe Council outline how they will address this serious issue, seek the views of the public in defining the problem and engage with the public in communicating the plans to reform the culture of the Council." 

In response to this question, the Lead Officer, David Ball commented on the independent review on Wirral Council undertaken by AKA, the trading name of Anna Klonwoski and Associates by referring to the Cabinet report of September 22, 2011 which was in the public domain and accessible through the Council’s web site..  DB advised the meeting that the Leader of the Council and the Council’s Chief Executive have accepted the criticisms and recommendations in the report unreservedly.

On 22 September 2011, the Cabinet agreed a series of recommendations to begin to address the issues identified.  The Leader of the Council undertook to set up a specific Cabinet Committee to take forward the changes that need to be made within the Council.  The Committee will include the Leader and Deputy Leader of the Council and five Labour Councillors.  An external adviser will be appointed to support the work of the Committee.  The Chief Executive has been charged with the task of developing an action plan to address the issues in the AKA Report, the Director of Finance has been asked to look at the audit arrangements and the Director of Law has been asked to look at the legal issues..

One of key problems identified in the report is a breakdown of trust between the Council and the people of Wirral.  Work is already underway to rebuild that trust and to look at ways in which the Council, its Councillors and staff, can better work with the community.  The Chief Executive is working with a group of people on an action plan to address these issues.

In response to a question concerning whether or not the Martin Morton Report will be made public Councillor Green explained that AKA’s lawyers have advised that the report and the executive summary must not be published until those named in the report have had an opportunity to exercise their right to reply.  The right to reply process is under way.

4.3  ALDI Development:  Work is scheduled to start on site on 31 October, with a completion date of May 2012.  The Council granted a request for road closure  in August with a rider that a closure will not be granted on an alternative date if there is another delay.  The dates of the closure will be advertised.

4.4  Women’s Open Golf Championship 2012:  The Women’s Open Golf Championship will be coming to Wirral on Sunday, 9 September 2012. 

The Director of Technical Services gave an assurance that there will not be a repeat of the problems experienced in 2006 around parking and disruption to the bus service in 2006.  A management plan will be developed in consultation with agencies, partners, and members of the public, which will include contingency arrangements for diverting traffic and parking.  Residential streets will be protected and spectators will have a ‘park and walk’ arrangement.

The Open Golf Championship will be returning to Wirral in 2013.

A member of the public, speaking on behalf of businesses in Hoylake, commented that in 2006 the bars did well but businesses in general suffered greatly because the people who normally shop in Hoylake were unable to park. The focus was on making the Open a wonderful event but the people who are there all the time and rely on it for their ‘bread and butter’ were forgotten.

David Green gave an assurance that the issue would be addressed as part of the planning.  He responded to a query from the Secretary of Hoylake Rugby Club and confirmed that there would be an opportunity for everyone to engage with the plan.

On behalf of the Area Forum, a member of the public thanked David Green and his team and Emma Degg, Corporate Manager, for a really stunning job on what was a really successful event in 2006.