Agenda item

A report by the Chief Executive.

30.1     The Director of CET introduced the report and described the corporate position. For CET, the savings required for 2018/19 mainly come from libraries, grass cutting and waste services. The Committee has established a Review Board to examine the opportunities to make savings through the waste contract and the operation of the household waste recycling sites (HWRS). There is also a ‘task and finish’ Review Board looking at proposals for savings in highway grass cutting. The Director noted the important role Scrutiny has in shaping the savings proposals and examining impacts.

Savings plan

30.2     The Committee commented there were some uncertainties around the savings targets, and that it was not altogether clear whether all the proposed savings will be achieved. For the Libraries Transformation Programme the projected savings are £653,000 against a target of £750,000 if the draft Libraries Strategic Commissioning Strategy is implemented.

30.3     The Waste service has a savings target of £800,000. Work so far suggests some of the savings could be achieved from the review of the contract, and the balance from charging for non-household waste. There is some uncertainty around the potential income from charging, and it may be necessary to examine other ways of achieving savings.

30.4     The Director of CET responded that some uncertainty is inherent in the savings process corporately, but there is a need to include savings targets for planning purposes. If there is a shortfall, the department will have to look at how to plug any savings gap across the rest of the department before looking at the shortfall corporately.

Parking

30.5     The Committee asked if the parking surplus is an area that could be looked at in order to support the savings targets.  The Director of CET outlined that the shortfall in funding for concessionary fares is already being met from the parking surplus. The Assistant Director, Operations added that the parking surplus will also have to pay for the replacement of parking meters. This work is out to tender at present and it is estimated that it will cost around £2 million over the next five years. The Committee requested further information of what is being proposed for the parking meter replacement programme. The Assistant Director, Operations agreed to provide the Committee with further details after the meeting.

30.6     The Committee asked if there is scope to review or increase parking charges. The Assistant Director, Operations provided some background to the current charging levels and reminded the Committee that ESCC could not set charges to make a profit. The County Council must use any surplus over and above operating costs for transport related schemes. He explained that ESCC was also discussing the introduction of civil parking enforcement schemes with Wealden and Rother District Councils.

Savings Requirements for Future Years

30.7     The Director of CET explained that the department may need to find a further £1 million to £1.5 million of savings in future years. It is becoming increasingly difficult to achieve further savings. The Committee discussed the potential savings requirement for 2019/20 and 2020/21 and other areas that could be considered for savings.

30.8     The corporate income generation group has examined areas where further income could be generated. The department currently generates income from planning fees, environmental advice and other fees or charges. Staff are being invited to make suggestions through the “My Bright Idea” campaign on how further income or savings can be achieved. One of the challenges is how ESCC commercialises opportunities. The Spaces programme has also looked at how the shared use of public buildings can be utilised to achieve savings (e.g. the Registration Service in Hastings re-locating to Hastings Town Hall).

30.9     The Committee noted that it may have to look at the level of service in the future, and it may not be possible to keep teams fully staffed. Therefore, it is important for the Committee to understand what services are delivered and the impact of reducing resources for particular teams (e.g. Emergency Planning has additional pressures from counter terrorism and other areas).

30.10   The Lead Member for Communities commented that Officers need to give realistic targets and that none of the solutions may be palatable. There is a need to consult and go through statutory processes when making changes to services. Wealden and Rother may join the civil parking enforcement scheme which may have an impact. He was confident that the department will achieve the savings for this year, but is not so confident about future years which will be more difficult.

Areas of Search

30.11   The Committee asked the Director of CET if there are further areas which the ET&E Scrutiny Committee should be considering for review. The Director of CET outlined the areas of expenditure where the Committee could examine the possibility for further savings in its future work.

·          Highways – are there other areas where spending could be reduced/stopped.

·          Concessionary fares – the Committee could look at eligibility.

·          Public Transport – still has subsidised services. It may be necessary to commercialise or reduce subsidised bus routes.

·          Road Safety – School Crossing Patrols are not statutory and there may be other areas of saving.

30.12   The Committee RESOLVED to note the report and the future areas of search for savings.