Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interest they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.  No interests were declared.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following:

Annex 1 to Agenda Item 10 (Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride Development - Procurement Of  a Lead Design Consultant) on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons.  This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

RESOLVED: That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of Annex 1 to agenda item 10 (Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride Development – Procurement of a Lead Design Consultant), on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons, which is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

To approve and sign the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 15 December 2009.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 15 December 2009 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or a matter within the Executive’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5:00 pm on Monday 18 January 2010.

It was reported that there had been no registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

To receive details of those items that are listed on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings.  This information is based upon the latest available version of the Forward Plan, published on 24 December 2009.

Members received and noted details of those items that were listed on the Forward Plan for the next two Executive meetings at the time the agenda was published.  It was noted that a number of items had been added to the Plan since that date.

This report presents the minutes of a recent meeting of the Social Inclusion Working Group and asks Members to consider the advice given by the Group in its capacity as an advisory body to the Executive.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the Group’s recommendation that the Hate Incident Reporting Strategy be reviewed as a matter of urgency be endorsed, and that the Chief Executive be asked to write to the Chair of the Safer York Partnership to co-ordinate the City of York Council’s assistance with the ongoing review and assessment of positive outcomes from a new strategy.

                        (ii)        That the Group’s recommendation that the Council work with partner organisations to ensure that a Community Cohesion Strategy is put in place as soon as possible be endorsed, and that the Chief Executive be asked to report on updates to subsequent Executive meetings.

REASON:      In accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Constitution in relation to the role of Working Groups, and to reflect the work already being carried out in respect of the matters referred to in the recommendations of the Social Inclusion Working Group.

Members considered a report which presented the minutes of the meeting of the Social Inclusion Working Group held on 2 December 2009.

Members were invited to consider the advice of the Group in its capacity as an advisory body to the Executive, and in particular the following recommendations contained in Minute 24:

“(i)That the Group recommend that the Hate Incident Reporting Strategy be reviewed as a matter of urgency.

(ii)  That the Group recommend that the Council works with partner organisations to ensure that a Community Cohesion Strategy is put in place as soon as possible.”

RESOLVED: (i)         That the Group’s recommendation that the Hate Incident Reporting Strategy be reviewed as a matter of urgency be endorsed, and that the Chief Executive be asked to write to the Chair of the Safer York Partnership to co-ordinate the City of York Council’s assistance with the ongoing review and assessment of positive outcomes from a new strategy.¹

                        (ii)        That the Group’s recommendation that the Council work with partner organisations to ensure that a Community Cohesion Strategy is put in place as soon as possible, and that the Chief Executive be asked to report on updates to subsequent Executive meetings. ²

REASON:      In accordance with the requirements of the Council’s Constitution in relation to the role of Working Groups, and to reflect the work already being carried out in respect of the matters referred to in the recommendations of the Social Inclusion Working Group.

This report updates the Executive on the revisions to its Constitution recently agreed by Council, in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution.

RESOLVED: That the constitutional changes detailed in Annex A, which have been made as a result of the previous decisions of Council during 2009/10 to amend its scrutiny structure, as well as abolish EMAPS and the Shadow Executive, be formally noted.

REASON:      To meet constitutional requirements for reporting to the Executive details of actual changes to the Council’s Constitution.

Members considered a report which provided an update on the revisions to the Constitution recently agreed by Full Council, in accordance with Article 16 of the Constitution.

The revisions related to the formal abolition of the Shadow Executive, the removal of Executive Member Advisory Panels (EMAPs) and the introduction of revised scrutiny structures.  Full details were attached as Annex A to the report.

In considering the constitutional revisions, Members commented that it was not yet clear how the new decision-making and scrutiny system would achieve the necessary objectivity, transparency and clarity and that in their view the loss of the former Executive Member and Advisory Panels was regrettable.

RESOLVED: That the constitutional changes detailed in Annex A, which have been made as a result of the previous decisions of Council during 2009/10 to amend its scrutiny structure, as well as abolish EMAPS and the Shadow Executive, be formally noted.

REASON:      To meet constitutional requirements for reporting to the Executive details of actual changes to the Council’s Constitution.

This report presents recommendations for the future delivery of Business Engagement with major employers (often referred to as Key Account Management) and Inward Investment in York, to ensure a continued private sector focus and to provide support in a more streamlined and effective way.

RESOLVED: (i)         That Option 3 be approved as the most appropriate means of delivering Key Account Management and Inward Investment activity in York.

                        (ii)        That the Director of City Strategy be instructed to make the necessary arrangements regarding staffing in respect of Option 3, and to develop a new ‘York Enterprise’ team within the Council which responds to the objectives of the ‘Future York Report’ through engagement with the Economic Partnership Chair.

REASON:      In order to rationalise business support arrangements within the Council, provide a streamlined and more effective service and address the need for a strong private sector involvement in promoting York as an international ‘brand’.

Members considered a report which presented recommendations for the future delivery of Business Engagement with major employers (often referred to as Key Account Management, or KAM), and Inward Investment in York.

The recommendations had resulted from informal discussions between the founder members of york-england.com.  This was a limited company set up by City of York Council, North Yorkshire County Council and Yorkshire Forward to attract inward investment to York and North Yorkshire.  More recently, its focus had shifted towards undertaking a programme of KAM with major employers in the sub-region.

As a result of these discussions, the following options were presented for the future delivery of KAM and associated activities in York:

Option 1 – maintain the current arrangements through york-england.com.

Option 2 – develop a proposal in line with a suggestion from non-stakeholder members of the york-england.com board, as set out in Annex A to the report, involving a reconstituted york-england.com with representation from the York Economic Partnership and with City of York Council as the single stakeholder.

Option 3 – position KAM and associated activity within the mainstream economic development function of the Council, with a line of accountability to the York Economic Partnership.

Option 3 was recommended, on the basis that it would rationalise business support arrangements within the Council and provide a streamlined and more effective service.  It would also address the need for a strong private sector involvement by providing a stronger focus for the role of the York Economic Partnership.

RESOLVED: (i)         That Option 3 be approved as the most appropriate means of delivering Key Account Management and Inward Investment activity in York.

                        (ii)        That the Director of City Strategy be instructed to make the necessary arrangements regarding staffing in respect of Option 3, and to develop a new ‘York Enterprise’ team within the Council which responds to the objectives of the ‘Future York Report’ through engagement with the Economic Partnership Chair.¹

REASON:      In order to rationalise business support arrangements within the Council, provide a streamlined and more effective service and address the need for a strong private sector involvement in promoting York as an international ‘brand’.

This report reviews the results of an investigation into how other local authorities have encouraged the use of lower carbon emission vehicles in their residents’ parking (Respark) schemes and presents a number of options for improving existing schemes in York.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the review of the Council’s Residents’ Parking Scheme and the new schemes in Edinburgh and Richmond be noted.

                        (ii)        That the changes to the Residents’ Parking Scheme outlined in Option B in the report (including an additional premium of £18 to be paid for all passes issued to owners of vehicles in VED bands J-M, together with a freeze on the current price of low emission and standard car rate permits) be approved for introduction from the beginning of the new financial year, and that the impact of the changes be monitored.

                        (iii)       That Officers be requested to include vehicles over 5 metres long in the premium category for parking permits.

                        (iv)       That the collection of vehicle specific data for the scheme over the next twelve months be approved and that consultation be carried out on a potential Residents’ Parking low emissions scheme for York.

                        (v)        That a further report, which considers the implications of a low emission scheme, be prepared for the Executive .

REASON:      In order to enhance and increase the influence of an already comparatively favourable emission discount system and to make the best use of available resources whilst taking considerable steps towards achieving the Council’s own targets on improving air quality and tackling congestion, maintaining York’s position at the forefront of CO₂ emission reduction schemes and bringing the current discount policy further in line with Government aspirations on reduced vehicle emissions.

Members considered a report which reviewed the results of an investigation into how other local authorities had encouraged the use of lower carbon emission vehicles in their residents’ parking (Respark) schemes and presented a number of options for improving existing schemes in York.

The review, which had been identified as part of the Council Budget approved on 26 February 2009, had examined schemes operating in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and the City of Edinburgh (the Park Green scheme).  Both of these were based upon vehicle specific schemes, in contrast to the current York Scheme, which was predominantly non vehicle specific.  Comparative details of the three schemes were set out in paragraphs 4 to 31 of the report. 

Further research would be necessary to assess the financial and resource implications of significant changes to the current scheme.  At this stage, the following basic options were presented for consideration:

Option A – no change to the existing scheme.  Not recommended, as there was no evidence that the current scheme was influencing permit holders to switch to low emission vehicles.

Option B – make changes to the existing scheme. Recommended changes included: informing households of the benefits of changing to low emission vehicles, increasing the permit discount to include Band C vehicles, allowing all electric or LPG driven first household vehicles to qualify for a discount, and imposing a surcharge on vehicles in Bands K, L and M.   This was the recommended option.

Option C – develop a new vehicle specific scheme similar to that operating in Richmond. This would require wholesale changes to current working practices and it was not yet clear whether it would have a positive or detrimental effect in York.  It would take about a year to gather data on all the vehicles in the scheme and to carry out consultation.

Members noted that no adverse representations had been received to the proposed changes outlined in the report.  If approved, they would be included in the budget proposals for the 2010/11 financial year.

RESOLVED: (i)         That the review of the Council’s Residents’ Parking Scheme and the new schemes in Edinburgh and Richmond be noted.

                        (ii)        That the changes to the Residents’ Parking Scheme outlined in Option B in the report (including an additional premium of £18 to be paid for all passes issued to owners of vehicles in VED bands J-M, together with a freeze on the current price of low emission and standard car rate permits) be approved for introduction from the beginning of the new financial year, and that the impact of the changes be monitored.¹

                        (iii)       That Officers be requested to include vehicles over 5 metres long in the premium category for parking permits. ²

                        (iv)       That the collection of vehicle specific data for the scheme over the next twelve months be approved and that consultation be carried out on a potential Residents’ Parking low emissions scheme for York. ³

                        (v)        That a further report, which considers the implications of a low  ...  view the full minutes text for item 143.

This report summarises the evaluation of the tenders submitted for Lead Design Consultant for the Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride Project and recommends that Halcrow Group Ltd be nominated as the preferred bidder.

RESOLVED: That Halcrow Group Ltd. be nominated as the preferred bidder for the Leader Design Consultant for the Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride development, subject to the DfT decision on Programme Entry and subsequent funding agreements.

REASON:      To enable the Access York Phase 1 project to proceed as planned, by following the procurement process in the nomination of a preferred bidder for the Lead Design Consultant.

Members considered a report which summarised the evaluation of tenders submitted for Lead Design Consultant for the Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride Project and recommended that Halcrow Group Ltd be nominated as the preferred bidder.

The selection had been carried out in accordance with the OJEU restricted procedure.  Following the OJEU notification and Pre-Qualification process, a total of six consultants had been invited to tender.  Four tenders had been received on the due date and each had been individually assessed by the evaluation team.  Details of the evaluation were set out in (exempt) Annex 1 to the report.  The two highest scoring organisations had participated in a further evaluation stage, involving presentations and interviews.  This had resulted in the selection of Halcrow as the preferred bidder in terms of both cost effectiveness and ability to deliver the project to the right standard.

It was noted that the contractual appointment of the service was still subject to the DfT award of Programme Entry and further confirmation of funding arrangements at both Regional and City level.  Officers reported at the meeting that further progress had now been made on the award process following a successful meeting between the Council and the DfT last week.

RESOLVED: That Halcrow Group Ltd. be nominated as the preferred bidder for the Leader Design Consultant for the Access York Phase 1 Park & Ride development, subject to the DfT decision on Programme Entry and subsequent funding agreements. ¹

REASON:      To enable the Access York Phase 1 project to proceed as planned, by following the procurement process in the nomination of a preferred bidder for the Lead Design Consultant.

This report asks the Executive to consider the refreshed Local Area Agreement and to recommend it to Full Council for approval prior to its endorsement by Without Walls and submission to central government.

RECOMMENDED:That Council approve the refreshed Local Area Agreement presented at Annex A to the report, for endorsement by Without Walls on 11 February 2010 prior to submission to central government.

REASON:                  In order to meet the statutory requirement to refresh the LAA and meet central government guidelines.

Members considered a report which presented a refreshed version of the Council’s Local Area Agreement (LAA) for the period 2009/10.  The refreshed LAA was attached as Annex A to the report. 

The 2009/10 LAA refresh process applied only to the following designated indicators:

• NI 116 – Proportion of children in poverty
• NI 152 – Working age people on out of work benefits
• NI 155 – Number of affordable homes delivered (gross)
• NI 166 – Average earnings of employees in the area
• NI 171 – VAT registration rates.

The report set out the latest position on each of the above indicators, following discussions and negotiations with Government Office for Yorkshire & the Humber (GOYH).  Officers reported at the meeting that GOYH’s negotiating position on indicator NI 116 was currently unclear.  All Council Members would be informed of any change to this position before the Full Council meeting on 4 February.

Although the formal refresh process did not apply to York’s local LAA indicators, the following local indicators had also been updated where required for the final year of the LAA:

• NI 54 – Services for disabled children
• NI 57 – Children’s participation in sport
• LI 5 – Adult participation in physical activity.

RECOMMENDED:That Council approve the refreshed Local Area Agreement presented at Annex A to the report, for endorsement by Without Walls on 11 February 2010 prior to submission to central government.¹

REASON:                  In order to meet the statutory requirement to refresh the LAA and meet central government guidelines.