Agenda item

To consider an update on the 2019 Grass Cutting programme following the Task and Finish Group review in 2018.

The Committee considered a report, set out at Agenda pages 15 to 22, which gave details of the delivery of the grass cutting service in 2019. This related to the recommendations made by the Committee following the Scrutiny Review of the Grounds Maintenance service in 2018.

Peter Baveystock (Lead Specialist, Place Clienting) and Emma Pilgrim (Specialist, Place Clienting) attended the meeting to present the report and answer Member questions. Spencer Rock (Chief Operating Officer at Tivoli Group – the Council’s contractor) was also in attendance.

The report stated that the Scrutiny review had highlighted a number of useful issues which had been helpful in reviewing and strengthening the operation of the contract. The following lessons had been learned as a result:

·           The importance of early preparations with a full staffing/machinery resource;

·           Despite the output based contract it was helpful in managing expectations to set a guideline of a four weekly cut;

·           Early communication with stakeholders was essential in highlighting issues and preventing complaints;

·           More collaborative working with the contractor had led to more effective monitoring and creative solutions;

·           IT systems should be fit for purpose for the benefit of the Council and the contractor.

Building on the improved performance in 2019, the service aimed to adopt a similar approach with early preparation and a clear action plan in place. Furthermore, the lessons learned from this review would be used to assess the effectiveness of other contracts within Place Services.

Spencer Rock gave details of a number of initiatives being pursued by Tivoli, including the implementation of a new hand held operating system (TOPS), extra machines, annualised hours, greater use of social media and quarterly review meetings with WBC.

In the ensuing discussion, Members made the following points:

What was the distribution of work between the high season and low season? It was confirmed that the distribution was around 65% in spring/summer and 35% during the rest of the year. The contractor aimed to match the available resources to the client’s needs.

In relation to the clearance of footpaths, what was the protocol in situations where brambles, weeds, etc. were left behind? It was confirmed that brambles and weeds should be blown to the side of the footpath. Any specific issues would be addressed if reported.

In relation to wildflower areas, what was the process for ensuing that newly planted areas continued to flourish in subsequent years? It was agreed that this was an important issue. Work was ongoing to address this including an article in the upcoming Wokingham Borough News. It was important to have up-to-date intelligence on local needs.

Despite a number of requests, the central reservation of the A4 between Sonning and Charvil had not been cut. It was confirmed that the work would be carried out before the end of October 2019.

Which service was responsible for dealing with weeds/brambles in alleyways? It was confirmed that weeds/brambles on hard surfaces in alleyways were addressed through the street cleansing contract. Members felt that improved communications on this issue would help to reassure local residents.

In relation to the cutting of hedges, could more care be taken to avoid damage to tress growing out of the hedges? It was confirmed that discussions had been held with the Wokingham Veteran Trees Association to gain a better understanding of this issue. Tivoli would be using local knowledge and taking a more cautious approach in future years.

There were many examples of grass/brambles encroaching onto footpaths across the Borough. What action could be taken? It was confirmed that these issues were challenging. However, if reported they would be investigated and addressed.

In relation to the KPIs on complaints, did the data include complaints from sources outside the Dynamics system, such as the WBC complaints process? It was confirmed that details of complaints received from all sources would be collated and circulated to the Committee.

In relation to the inspections underpinning the KPI results, were there enough objective measures in association with subjective findings? It was confirmed that the new Locality Officers were now involved in the inspection process. These Officers had been briefed on the contract specification which would help to generate more objective reporting.

A number of the KPI results had not yet been reported. Would Members be updated on these KPIs? It was confirmed that further KPI data would be reported to Members as and when it was confirmed.

Did the contract contain any penalty clauses in relation to under performance? It was confirmed that the contract had moved to an incentive approach involving payments for the attainment of specific targets. £40k was available within the contract for incentive payments. Contract payments were divided into 12ths which reduced the amount of administration involved.

RESOLVED That:

1)     Peter Baveystock, Emma Pilgrim and Spencer Rock be thanked for attending the meeting to answer Member questions;

2)     the service improvements delivered as part of the 2019 grass cutting programme be noted;

3)     the Committee receive a further update at its meeting in March 2020, at the start of the 2020 grass cutting season.