Issue - meetings

The Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment along with the Head of Streetsmart submitted a joint report recommending that Swindon Borough Council (SBC) begin a process to terminate the Service Level Agreements with four Parish Councils, which provide for SBC to deliver certain StreetSmart Services to those Councils. In addition, it seeks authority to enter into agreements with those Parish Councils to TUPE transfer the SBC staff to the respective Parish Councils.

Councillor Penny introduced the joint report and summarised how there had been consultation with the parish councils affected. Councillor Penny stated that it was no longer possible to achieve economies of scale with the current delivery model.

Councillor Keith Williams, Corporate Services and Operational Excellence, declared a personal but non-prejudicial interest in the report in that he was chair of West Swindon parish council’s Leisure and Amenities Committee; however, he elected to remain in the meeting.

The Leader of the Council invited Mr Chris Watts, Chair of Central Swindon South Parish Council to speak. Mr Watts expressed the parish’s support for taking responsibility for the staff but noted that the title did not accurately reflect the fact that Borough had already devolved the responsibility for the work.

At the request of the Chief Executive, the Leader requested that the recommendations be amended to delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Finance and Assets, to which Members gave their consent.

Resolved – (1) That the Cabinet Member for Finance, Education, and Skills and the Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment, in consultation with the Corporate Director for Finance and Assets to be authorised confirm the cost implications of the future pension and redundancy costs set out in the body of the report and then trigger the four-month notice termination clause within the SLAs.

(2) That the Corporate Director for Finance and Assets be authorised in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Transport and the Environment along with Cabinet Member for Finance, Skills and Education:

(a) subject to 2 above, to terminate the service level agreements with Central Swindon South Parish, Central Swindon North Parish, West Parish and St. Andrews Parish Councils and

(b) Subject to (a) above, to commence the TUPE transfer process for all affected SBC staff to the respective Parish Councils in order for the Parish Councils to self-deliver these services.

The reasons for the decision and alternative options are as set out in the report to the meeting.