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Corporate Management Committee

Thursday 25 June 2020 at 7.30pm

This meeting will be held remotely via MS Teams with audio access to the public for the Part I items via registered dial-in only

Members of the Committee

Councillors N Prescot (Chairman), J Gracey (Vice-Chairman), A Alderson, D Cotty, L Gillham, M Heath, J Hulley, N King, R King, M Maddox, D Whyte and M Willingale.

In accordance with Standing Order 29.1, any Member of the Council may obtain remote access via MS Teams to the meeting of this Committee, but may speak only with the permission of the Chairman of the Committee, if they are not a member of this Committee.

AGENDA Notes:

1) Any report on the Agenda involving confidential information (as defined by section 100A(3) of the Local Government Act 1972) must be discussed in private. Any report involving exempt information (as defined by section 100I of the Local Government Act 1972), whether it appears in Part 1 or Part 2 below, may be discussed in private but only if the Committee so resolves.

2) The relevant 'background papers' are listed after each report in Part 1. Enquiries about any of the Agenda reports and background papers should be directed in the first instance to Mr J Gurmin, Democratic Services Section, Law and Governance Business Centre, Runnymede Civic Centre, Station Road, Addlestone (Tel: Direct Line: 01932 425624). (Email: [email protected]).

3) Agendas and Minutes are available on a subscription basis. For details, please ring Mr B A Fleckney on 01932 425620. Agendas and Minutes for all the Council's Committees may also be viewed on www.runnymede.gov.uk.

Continued……

4) You are only permitted to hear the debate on the items listed in Part I of this Agenda, which contains matters in respect of which reports have been made available for public inspection. You will not be able to hear the debate for the items in Part II of this Agenda, which contains matters involving Exempt or Confidential information in respect of which reports have not been made available for public inspection. If you wish to hear the debate for the Part I items on this Agenda by audio via MS Teams you must register by 10.00 am on the day of the meeting with the Democratic Services Team by emailing your name and contact number to be used to dial-in to [email protected]

5) Audio-Recording of Meeting

As this meeting will be held remotely via MS Teams, you may only record the audio of this meeting. The Council will not be recording any remote meetings.

2 LIST OF MATTERS FOR CONSIDERATION PART I Matters in respect of which reports have been made available for public inspection Page

1. NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP 4

2. MINUTES 4

3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE 19

4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 19

5. RUNNYMEDE TRAVEL INITIATIVE 19

6. CONSTITUTION REVIEW 2020 37

7. REVISED PROBATION PROCEDURE 40

8. DETERMINATION OF SEVERANCE PAYMENTS FOR CHIEF OFFICERS 51

9. GENDER PAY GAP 52

10. MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATEMENT 57

11. REQUEST TO CHANGE THE NAME OF AN ELECTORAL WARD – 70 PROPOSED TRIGGER CRITERION

12. APPOINTMENTS TO CHARITIES AND TRUSTS 74

13. URGENT ACTION – STANDING ORDER 42 77

14. EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC 91

PART II

Matters involving Exempt or Confidential Information in respect of which reports have not been made available for public inspection.

a) Exempt Information

15. QUARTER 4 2019/2020 PROJECT PORTFOLIO REPORTING AND THE 92 IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PROJECT DELIVERY

16. BUDGET MONITORING 2020/21 (TO FOLLOW) 109

17. COVID-19 UPDATE REPORT (TO FOLLOW) 109

18. WRITE-OFF 109

19. URGENT ACTION – STANDING ORDER 42 110

b) Confidential Information

(No reports to be considered under this heading)

1. NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

2. MINUTES

To confirm and sign the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23 March 2020 as attached at Appendix ‘A’ and on 27 May 2020 as attached at Appendix ‘B’. As this meeting is being held remotely, the Chairman will ask the Members of the Committee if they approve these two sets of Minutes which will then be signed when this is physically possible.

(To resolve)

Background papers

None

4 APPENDIX 'A'

Runnymede Borough Council

CORPORATE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

23 March 2020 at 7.00 p.m.

Members of the Councillors N Prescot (Chairman), J Gracey (Vice-Chairman), Committee present: E Gill, L Gillham, J Hulley, R King,S Lewis, M Maddox and M Willingale,

Members of the Councillors Miss M Heath , N King and D Whyte Committee absent;

Councillor J Olorenshaw also attended.

577 FIRE PRECAUTIONS

The Chairman read out the Fire Precautions.

578 NOTIFICATION OF CHANGES TO COMMITTEE MEMBERSHIP

The Groups mentioned below had notified the Chief Executive of their wish that the changes listed below be made to the membership of the Committee. The changes were for a fixed period ending on the day after the meeting and thereafter the Councillors removed would be reappointed.

Group Remove From Membership Appoint Instead

RIRG Councillor Alderson Councillor E Gill

Conservative Councillor D Cotty Councillor S Lewis

The Chief Executive had given effect to this request in accordance with Section 16(2) of the Local Government and Housing Act 1989.

579 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

Apologies were received from Councillor D Whyte

580 REVIEW OF RUNNYMEDE’S VERIFICATION FRAMEWORK POLICY

The Committee considered an amendment to the Verification Framework Policy to ensure the Council could help residents as quickly as possible during this outbreak of Corona virus.

By adding flexibility to the policy, unnecessary contact could be reduced, risk minimised to customers and Council staff of contracting the virus and hasten decisions in relation to Council Tax Support claims.

RESOLVED that

i) in accordance with paragraph 1.3 of the Scheme of Delegation, the decision on this matter be a delegated function for the purposes of this decision only, as a decision was required as a matter of urgency in order to help residents as quickly as possible, and could not be delayed until the next meeting of Full Council;

ii) the revised Verification Framework Policy, as circulated, be adopted for the period commencing 24 March 2020.

581 PROPERTY INVESTMENT STRATEGY - ACQUISITION OF A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

By resolution of the Committee, the press and public were excluded from the meeting during the consideration of this matter under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the discussion would be likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Part 1 of the Act.

The Committee considered the purchase of the freehold interest of Honeywell House, Arlington Square, Bracknell ,Berkshire.

Through an open market bidding process, Officers informed by benchmarking data had agreed in principle a purchase price. The offer was made subject to survey and Full Council approval. The vendors of the property had accepted the Council’s offer and proposals, but a key requirement was the ability to conclude the transaction on the 31st March 2020. Details of the building and its condition, tenants, rental arrangements, independent valuation were taken into account by the Committee.

Whilst there were some repairs and improvements which remained to be undertaken, these works were required to be undertaken by the tenant by legally binding contract (the lease) and so officers did not consider that any significant concern or impediment existed to proceeding with the purchase. The Assets and Regeneration Member Working Group unanimously agreed to support proceeding with the acquisition. The relatively high yield of the purchase and the very strong covenant, favourable unexpired term and the fact that the building was in good condition provided a strong purchasing opportunity that would add a further high quality asset to the Council’s portfolio. The purchase of the commercial property after allowing for the cost of acquisition provided an important revenue contribution that would assist funding regeneration projects being undertaken by the Council together with a reasonable prospect for growth in the revenue and capital value of the asset.

RESOLVED that

i) in accordance with paragraph 1.3 of the Scheme of Delegation, the decision on this matter be a delegated function for the purposes of this decision only, as a completion of the purchase was required as a matter of urgency, and could not be delayed until the next meeting of Full Council; and

ii) subject to no significant variation in terms, the freehold purchase of Honeywell House, Arlington Square, Bracknell RG12 1EB be approved and a capital estimate in the sum reported for the purchase and related disbursements of Honeywell House, Arlington Square, Bracknell to be taken from the provision for property purchases held within the Capital Programme, be approved.

(The meeting ended at 7.30pm) Chairman

RBC CM 27.5.20

Runnymede Borough Council APPENDIX 'B' CORPORATE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE

27 May 2020 at 7.30 p.m.

Members of the Councillors N Prescot (Chairman), J Gracey (Vice-Chairman), Committee present: A Alderson, D Cotty, L Gillham, M Heath, J Hulley, N King, R King, M Maddox, D Whyte and M Willingale.

Members absent: None

Councillors T Burton, E Gill, T Gracey, C Howorth, M Kusneraitis, S Lewis, I Mullens, J Olorenshaw, P Snow, J Sohi, S Whyte and J Wilson also attended.

MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2020 were confirmed as a correct record. As the meeting was being held remotely using MS Teams, the Chairman would sign the minutes when this was physically possible.

CORONAVIRUS – REVIEW OF DISCRETIONARY HOUSING PAYMENT POLICY AND COUNCIL TAX DISCRETIONARY HARDSHIP POLICY

The Committee considered a report setting out how the Council would provide additional financial assistance to customers who were in receipt of Housing Benefit or the Housing Cost element of Universal Credit by proposing a revised Discretionary Housing Payment Policy. This policy had last been reviewed in 2017 and it was appropriate to revisit it in view of the adverse effects of the coronavirus pandemic on the Council’s more vulnerable residents. The report also sought approval for an amended Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Policy which would reduce the financial burden of more vulnerable Council Tax payers at a time when there was an increased demand for financial assistance arising out of the coronavirus pandemic.

The main change to the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy was the inclusion of £30,000 which was to be ring fenced specifically for Runnymede Council tenants to be funded from the Housing Revenue Account. The Government had introduced a “new burdens fund” of £337,832 for Runnymede which was a hardship grant to address detrimental financial impacts on certain Council tax payers resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic. In accordance with Government guidance, the Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Policy had been amended so that all working age claimants currently in receipt of Council Tax support would be awarded an additional reduction of £150.

The Committee fully supported the revised policies which would provide assistance for residents experiencing increased hardship arising from the coronavirus pandemic. The Committee noted that the policies had been revised and brought before Members at the first Corporate Management Committee meeting held since the Government’s coronavirus lockdown measures had been introduced, so that they could be implemented as soon as possible. In view of the need to bring the policies into effect quickly, on this occasion the policy input of the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Housing Committee and of the Housing Member Working Group had not been obtained, but further Member consultation on the development of policies would take place going forward.

RESOLVED that –

the Discretionary Housing Payment Policy 2020-2021 (at Appendix ‘B’ to the agenda) and the Council Tax Discretionary Hardship Policy (at Appendix ‘C’ to the agenda) be approved and implemented as quickly as practicable.

7 RBC CM 27.5.20

REVIEW OF SPECIAL RESPONSIBILITY ALLOWANCES PAID TO SERVICE COMMITTEE CHAIRMEN

The Committee considered a proposal that the Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP) review and report back to Council on the level of the Special Responsibility Allowance paid to Chairmen of service committees, in addition to reviewing the level of certain Special Responsibility Allowances as agreed at Full Council on 5 March 2020.

Runnymede Members were paid a series of allowances to acknowledge their time commitment to their roles as elected Member which were set out in a Members Allowance Scheme. In addition to the Basic Allowance received by all elected Members, a further allowance called a Special Responsibility Allowance (SRA) could be paid where an elected Member undertook tasks set out in Regulation 5 of The Local Authorities (Members’ Allowances)(England) Regulations 2003.

In order to assist a local authority in deciding the level of allowances it would include in any Scheme of Members allowances, it was required to establish an Independent Remuneration Panel (IRP). If a local authority was considering any changes to its Scheme it was required to consult the IRP and have regard to any recommendations that the IRP made. At its meeting on 5 March 2020, Full Council had asked the IRP to review and report back to Council on the level of SRAs for the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Standards and Audit Committee, for the Deputy Leader of the Council and for the Group Leaders other than the Leader of the Council.

As in recent years the role of the Chairmen of service committees had become more complex and time consuming and more similar to the role of an executive Member in a Cabinet system of local authority governance, it was proposed that this would be an opportune time for the level of SRAs paid to service committee Chairmen to be added to the list of SRAs to be reviewed by the IRP. Runnymede operated a Committee system of governance where powers were delegated to a series of committees to oversee the various functions the Council discharged, rather than a Cabinet system of governance.

Some Members of the Committee considered that this proposal should be deferred and brought back for further consideration when the Council had a clearer picture of its budget position in the light of the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Other members of the Committee considered that the role of the Chairmen of service committees had not changed sufficiently to warrant a review of the levels of SRAs for those Members.

However, a majority of Members of the Committee were of the opinion that the IRP should undertake a wider review of the level of SRA paid to Members who had special responsibilities and should not just review the level of SRA paid to service Committee Chairmen, in addition to the other tasks allocated to the IRP by Full Council on 5 March 2020. In the light of this decision, it was agreed that the Corporate Head of Law and Governance would advise Members of what matters legally that the IRP could consider.

RESOLVED that –

the Independent Remuneration Panel review and report back to Council on the level of Special Responsibility Allowance paid to Members with special responsibilities, in addition to reviewing the level of the Special Responsibility Allowances as agreed at Full Council on 5 March 2020.

URGENT ACTION – STANDING ORDER 42

Proformas 961 and 962 detailing action taken after consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Committee were noted. The Committee also noted that, at the time of the despatch of the agenda, verbal approval had been given to both of these urgent actions

8 RBC CM 27.5.20 by the Vice-Chairman. Copies of the signed and dated proformas had now been forwarded to officers by the Vice-Chairman.

COVID-19 – RECOVERY PLANNING

The Committee noted a report setting out in general terms, the impact that the Covid-19 pandemic had had on the Council and the Borough. It was based on data collection and analysis at a very early stage of recovery and not all information, financial or otherwise, could be relied on at this stage.

The Covid-19 pandemic had had a world wide effect, In the UK, its impact had been felt at national and local level. As well as personal tragedies, the pandemic would have profound economic consequences. In term of the Council’s overall financial position, the Council would need to take measures to seek to prevent a shortfall in commercial income, Council Tax and business rates, as individuals came to terms with the current and future economic conditions. The reduced level of business activity caused by the Government’s social distancing measures had resulted in payments (e.g. rents and business rates) being deferred, thus increasing the Council’s cash flow risk. The Committee noted actions being taken by officers to protect the Council’s financial interests, including Urgent Action Standing Order 42 961 which was reported in another item on the Committee’s agenda, where the Counterparty Limits with Money Market Funds had been increased from £6m to £10m for each Fund in the Council’s Annual Investment Strategy so that enough money was available at short notice if it was needed. Council Finance officers were in regular contact with Finance officers at other Surrey local authorities on managing cash flow and were regularly monitoring deferred payments.

Over the last two months, the Council’s financial outlook had changed considerably, with the potential risk of a fall in the level of reserves by March 2023. A loss on income was expected in every service. However, some income levels would be restored gradually as the UK and Runnymede moved into recovery. The Committee noted a Council budget monitoring statement which suggested a possible worsening of the Council’s financial position by the end of the year, although some of the shortfalls might be recoverable. The Committee noted the possible financial implications of the pandemic for the Council based on initial data relating to April 2020 and agreed that Full Council should revisit the budget set in February 2020. In particular, it would be necessary for Members to review the element of the budget relating to the Council’s planned growth proposals totalling £1.2m.

During the pandemic, many staff had been attending the Civic Offices for part of the week or were working from home. It was now planned that staff should return to work on a staggered basis, working part time at home and part time in the office. Desks would be arranged to ensure social distancing. Other measures being taken to return to normality were noted. The pandemic had forced increased agile working for Council staff to be introduced earlier than originally planned. The Committee agreed that a report be submitted on a potential early introduction of agile working, with the report to be considered first by the Human Resources Member Working Group, so that the Group’s recommendation would then be considered by the Corporate Management Committee.

Regarding governance, technology had been used to enable remote Council meetings to take place, and Members noted a draft timetable of meetings to be held during June and July 2020. It was noted that one fortuitous but unintended consequence of the disruption of Council business was to align the new Corporate Business Plan with the Local Plan and an emerging Housing Business Plan.

9 RBC CM 27.5.20

The Committee considered proposals for the Council’s Member Working Parties, including a revised Working Party Structure diagram which had been circulated separately to all Members. Some Members of the Committee were of the view that these Working Party proposals should be deferred until more detail was provided, including terms of reference. Other Members considered that the new Working Party proposals did not contain a large enough role for Councillors that were not Members of the majority Group and questioned the need for a Service Chairmen Co-ordinating Group to meet to agree a list of topics for the Working Parties. This Co-ordinating Group would consist of the Service Committee Chairman, Working Party Chairman, Chief Executive and relevant Corporate Head of Service.

However, a majority of Members for the Committee approved the revised Working Party arrangements which would resume work in the revised format in September 2020. They considered that the current Member Working Groups were unwieldy and were not feeding efficiently into service committees. Under the new structure there would be fewer Working Parties meeting 4 or 5 times a year concentrating on three or four issues which the service committee would progress. Every Member would have an input to the new Working Parties. They considered that there was a need for the Service Chairmen Co-ordinating Group to regulate the process and agreed that each Working Party would be chaired by the Vice- Chairman of the appropriate service committee and that the Chairman of the relevant service committee would have a place on the relevant Working Party. It was noted that it was envisaged that the Assets and Regeneration Member Working Party would meet initially on an ad hoc basis but eventually be absorbed into the Service Chairmen Co- ordinating Group.

Before the coronavirus pandemic, the Chief Executive had announced a series of 11 service reviews designed either to save money or generate new income. The Committee agreed that this service review programme should be restarted as soon as possible. Officers had discussed the Council’s Digital Services transformation strategy and were of the view that this should be continued and the Committee confirmed its commitment to this strategy. The Committee noted the continuation of the agreement with Surrey Heath Borough Council to provide community services and agreed that a report be submitted in due course on further potential areas of collaboration, with a view to achieving further economies of scale and savings for both local authorities. It was noted that a report would be submitted to the Committee on future options for the Yellow Bus Service.

Social distancing was likely to continue for some time after lockdown was eased. Some members of the community, particularly those over 70 years of age with underlying illnesses would remain in isolation and this community would still require ongoing support with food and medicines. Proactive phone calling by officers of certain residents to establish whether those residents required assistance would end on 29 May, but a helpline would be available for any resident requiring support. The work of Members in supporting the community was also noted. The next 6 to 9 months would be very challenging for many residents and businesses. The Committee noted that the Council had been given resources to assist businesses in the borough by the Government but this whole allocation was likely to be dispensed in the near future. The Committee noted the ongoing support provided by the Council to the community which was expected to continue for some time.

It would be necessary to capture lessons learned from the Council’s response to the coronavirus pandemic for future planning and implementation and to consider the ongoing impact of the pandemic for Runnymede. A review would be undertaken by the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee starting on 2 July 2020. Officers were working on the terms of reference for the review for discussion with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee and that Committee would consider calling witnesses to provide evidence for its review.

The possible loss of commercial income that may result from the pandemic could have a detrimental impact on the Council’s ambitions. This would mean that the Council would

10 RBC CM 27.5.20 need to reconsider its regeneration plans and the planned growth from this financial year, including investment in Planning staff. The Local Plan was on course for consideration by Full Council in July. The impact to the Council of a loss of commercial income would be reported initially to the Assets and Regeneration Member Working Group and then on to the Corporate Management Committee. That Group would make recommendations on the future approach to be taken to regeneration and on whether any future commercial property purchases should be made in the light of the changed economic conditions arising from the pandemic. The Committee noted the challenges faced by the Council’s Housing Services and the issues for resolution by the Housing Committee.

The Committee noted the revised arrangements for the production of a Climate Change Strategy for Runnymede with the aim of finalising the strategy by the end of the calendar year. Officers would be clarifying with the Environment Agency various matters in relation to the delivery of the River Thames Scheme and would continue to work through the Heathrow Strategic Planning Group on clarification of the plans of Heathrow Airport Limited for Heathrow Airport, in the light of the state of flux for the airline/aviation industry resulting from the coronavirus pandemic. The Committee noted the actions taken by officers to address the Council’s challenges around leisure centres and that a consultant’s report would be submitted in due course on the short and medium term options open to the Council. The Committee noted that as further information came to light, a detailed and long term recovery plan would be submitted for its approval.

RESOLVED that -

i) the actions taken to protect the Council’s financial interests be noted and Full Council revisits the budget set in February 2020;

ii) the revised Working Party structure and working arrangements be approved;

iii) the Council’s service review programme be resurrected as soon as possible;

iv) a report be submitted to the Corporate Management Committee on a potential early introduction of agile working;

v) the Corporate Management Committee’s commitment to the Council’s Digital Services transformation strategy be confirmed;

vi) the continuation of the agreement with Surrey Heath Borough Council to provide community services be noted and a report be submitted in due course on further potential areas of collaboration;

vii) the following matters be noted: -

a) the possible financial implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for the Council based on initial data relating to April 2020;

b) the ongoing support to the community which is expected to continue for some time;

c) the measures being taken to return to normality including the Council’s staff returning to work;

d) the arrangements being made to return to a full system of governance including remote meetings;

11 RBC CM 27.5.20

e) the arrangements for review of lessons learned in response to the pandemic by investigating a review of the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee, starting on 2 July 2020 and that the review will also consider the ongoing impact for Runnymede;

f) the challenges for the Housing Services and the issues for resolution by the Housing Committee;

g) the actions taken to address the Council’s challenges around leisure centres and that a consultant’s report will be submitted in due course on the short and medium term options open to the Council;

h) the impact to the Council of a loss of commercial income which will be reported initially to the Assets and Regeneration Member Working Group and then on to the Corporate Management Committee;

i) the implications for the Planning Service;

j) the revised arrangements for the production of a Climate Change Strategy for Runnymede;

k) the latest information available on the River Thames Scheme and Heathrow; and

l) as further information comes to light, the Corporate Management Committee will agree the production of a detailed and long term recovery plan.

COMMUNITY SERVICES PARTNERSHIP

The Committee noted information on the progress of the Council’s Community Services Partnership with Surrey Heath Borough Council and considered a report on the future direction of the Partnership and the proposal for a fully integrated, lead authority partnership model, with Runnymede Borough Council as the lead authority.

Runnymede Borough Council (RBC) had been working in partnership with Surrey Heath Borough Council (SHBC) since 2015 under the umbrella of a Community Services Partnership. Under the current partnership arrangements, services were delivered separately by each Council with the partnership arrangements being mainly in the management of the service an in moving to a consistent way of delivering services across both boroughs. The partnership was led by Runnymede’s Corporate Head of Community Services, with SHBC making a financial contribution to some posts employed by RBC and RBC making a financial contribution to one post employed by SHBC. Resources to provide services including software systems and administrative support were shared between the two local authorities. The Committee noted the various achievements of the partnership.

The success of the partnership within current arrangements and limited resources had resulted in it now reaching a crossroads. Officers had considered whether the partnership should remain in its current form of whether the time was now right to further develop into a full integrated partnership with a lead authority arrangement with staff, vehicles and

12 RBC CM 27.5.20 equipment utilised more flexibly, whilst retaining local services to residents. A number of areas had been identified for change within a lead authority model, which would immediately strengthen the partnership whilst having a more lean approach. These were all staff working on the same ICT and finance systems, ability to have a conversation once to avoid duplication, flexible deployment of resources and staff across the partnership, joint governance, a more robust staffing structure with increased resources and a visible partnership with a new brand and identity.

It was therefore proposed that the partnership developed further into a lead authority model, with all employees, budgets and support services provided by the lead authority. Given the relative size for each partners’ Community Services departments, expertise with teams, the number of fleet vehicles and other assets available to be used by the partnership, it was proposed that RBC would be the lead authority for the Partnership. The integrated partnership would have its own support team which would be separate from RBC Customer Services.

The Committee noted a summary of the lead authority model proposals. 30 SHBC Community Services employees would TUPE transfer to RBC, services across the partnership would be supported through one set of support services provided by RBC, existing budgets would be transferred to RBC for the service to be delivered and SHBC would pay a contribution to RBC’s support and management costs for hosting the partnership. A local identity would be retained in the partnership, by keeping staff teams in each borough area, with the flexibility to work more widely across the partnership. The identity of being an equal partnership between two boroughs who were committed to delivering discretionary community services locally would be retained, but the partnership would be branded so it had a clear identity. Resources would be used more flexibly across the partnership area, creating efficiency savings and achieving greater resilience and a Community Services Partnership Board business plan would be written annually.

Both partner boroughs would benefit equally whilst also accepting an equal share of any financial risk. If, for example, a transport service was to be delivered travelling to both boroughs, both partners would invest jointly in the resources required to deliver the opportunity and would accept 50% of the risk and reward. New projects could also be funded solely by one partner with the agreement of the partnership if they only affected one of the boroughs, with that Council accepting 100% of the risk and reward.

A joint governance arrangement would be set up for the partnership. On a day to day basis, the Corporate Head of Community Services (CHCS) would manage the partnership and be responsible for all aspects of operations and strategic development. The CHCS would report to a Community Services Partnership Board (CSPB) whose membership would include a senior management representative of both boroughs and at least one elected member from both boroughs. The CSPB would consider reports on various matters including performance management, human resources, financial, health and safety and potential service growth issues and would agree the annual partnership business plan. CSPB meetings would be held on a cycle that mirrored that of RBC’s Community Services Committee. The CSPB would not have any formal decision making powers and approval for projects, services and expenditure would still be required from RBC Committees and reports would also need to be considered and approval given within SHBC’s formal meeting structures.

There would be a financial benefit to RBC as a result of entering into the integrated partnership as the lead authority. Costs associated with delivering the integrated partnership had been agreed as part of the budget and Medium Term Financial Strategy approved by Full Council in February 2020, with the exception of any harmonisation costs. The Committee’s approval of the integrated partnership including the transfer of 30 SHBC employees into RBC, would be subject to consultation with employees and Unison. The arrangements for staff consultation were noted. As a possible consequence of entering into the lead authority model, there was a potential financial impact of needing to harmonise pay

13 RBC CM 27.5.20 between current RBC employees and SHBC employees transferring to Runnymede. In the event of a move to harmonise pay the financial impact would fall to RBC, but even allowing for this, it was still envisaged that there would be a financial benefit to RBC arising from the integrated partnership. The legal and environmental implications of the integrated partnership were noted.

The provision of services to vulnerable residents of the borough who wanted to continue to live independently within their own homes and remain active within their local communities remained a key priority for RBC. Pressures across both Adult Social Care and the NHS meant that preventative services played a key role in the reduction of the need for social care and health services but these services faced a number of challenges. RBC had responded in a number of ways, including having a commercial approach to delivery to complement its subsidised and social value focussed services and by addressing the challenges faced by working in partnership with SHBC. The Committee was pleased to note that SHBC had recently approved the proposals for an integrated partnership and the Committee fully supported these changes as an effective way to continue to provide community services in a challenging environment.

RESOLVED that -

i) approval to be given to entering into a further integrated Community Services Partnership model with Surrey Heath Borough Council subject to consultation with employees and Unison;

ii) approval be given for Runnymede Borough Council to become the lead authority for the partnership;

iii) approval be given for the TUPE transfer of 30 Surrey Heath Borough Council employees into Runnymede Borough Council, subject to consultation with employees and Unison;

iv) approval be given to enter into a shared financial risk and reward model with Surrey Heath Borough Council; and

v) approval be given for the set up of a partnership board to oversee the management, delivery and development of the partnership.

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS - PROCUREMENT

The Committee considered a proposal, as part of the Council’s Digital Transformation Programme, to procure a combined Customer Relationship Management System (CRM) and Content Management System (CMS) which would improve the Council’s digital services.

Officers had reviewed the Council’s existing IT systems to establish whether they were fit for purpose. The Council had engaged in soft market testing. A formal procurement exercise could now be undertaken and those companies that took part in the soft market testing could participate in that exercise. The soft market testing exercise had also shown that there were products in the market place which provided a wider range of self service functions than the Council’s current CRM system and also an Open Source suite of applications that provided increased flexibility and adaptability, avoided lock-in to a specific piece of technology and enabled the sharing of data between services and systems.

14 RBC CM 27.5.20

Introducing a combined CRM and CMS (i.e. the Council’s website) would provide the Council with a single view of its customers and enable customers to track service requests and check for updates without the need to visit or telephone the Council. A new CMS would allow the Council to transform the way residents accessed information and services, allowing customers to access services at a time and place that suited them quickly and easily. Re-tendering for a combined CRM and CMS would significantly improve the digital self-service and assisted service provided by the Council.

Officers had considered whether to procure the combined CRM and CMS using a Framework and had concluded that in order to ensure common co-termination dates, the best solution would be to create a new, compliant 5 year contract with optional extensions of up to 2 years which would be procured under a formal OJEU compliant tender process. The contract would be awarded, provided it was within the agreed budgetary envelope, following full and comprehensive evaluation of the tender responses. The contractual arrangements for the current CRM and CMS contracts would be extended to co-terminate the end date to September 2021, which was the maximum allowed. The Committee noted the proposed mitigations to various risks identified in the soft market testing exercise, the equality implications for the procurement and noted that a Data Protection Impact Assessment would be completed. It was noted that the combined CRM and CMS solution could be adapted to any new working environments that might emerge from any possible future local government reorganisation.

The estimated cost of the capital outlay for the new software and website, implementation and testing was within the provision set aside in the Capital Programme for the retendering of the CRM and CMS systems. Ongoing revenue costs for the combined CRM and CMS solution were anticipated to increase when compared to the current revenue costs of the Council’s CRM and CMS systems. This increase in revenue costs would be offset by savings made in other system procurements, but those savings would not come on board until such time as the additional modules had been fully implemented allowing other systems to be discarded. There would therefore be a time lag before the savings to offset the costs were generated and therefore a provisional supplementary revenue estimate would be required in the current year of up to the sum reported to cover any increased costs.

The Committee supported these proposals. By improving the digital self service and assisted service offering that the Council provided to its residents, the Council would be able to analyse its customers needs, shape its services accordingly and comply with its Digital Services Strategy.

RESOLVED that -

i) the contractual arrangements for current CRM and CMS solutions be extended to co-terminate the end date to September 2021, the maximum allowed;

ii) the formal procurement of a combined CRM/CRS solution using an OJEU compliant competitive tender including the drafting of a detailed approved requirements specification be commenced with intention of issuing the tender notice during June 2020;

iii) a 5 year contract plus optional extensions of up to two years be entered into with the successful supplier for the provision of a combined CRM/CMS solution up to a capital value in the sum reported to be taken from the provision for retendering systems in the Capital Programme; and

15 RBC CM 27.5.20

iv) a provisional supplementary revenue estimate be approved of up to the sum reported in 2020/21 to cover the potential increase in annual maintenance fees should the offsetting savings from the other system implementations be not forthcoming in the current financial year.

ENHANCED WEEKLY HOUSEHOLD FOOD WASTE COLLECTION SERVICE – STAFFING COSTS

The Committee considered whether to approve the release of the sum provided for in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to fund the expansion of the Runnymede weekly food waste collection service and make the required staffing changes for this expansion. In order to expedite matters and allow the proposed new service to proceed as soon as possible, the Chairman of the Environment and Sustainability Committee had agreed that this item be considered by the Corporate Management Committee without being considered initially by the Environment and Sustainability Committee.

The Council had procured replacement food waste collection vehicles which had greater capacity and lower carbon dioxide emissions. As a result of the increased payload capacity, drivers of those vehicles were required to have class 2 LGV training and they could not be driven by drivers with a licence category up to 7.5 tonnes. The aim of the Council’s Waste Management Team was to increase the collection of food waste in the borough to improve recycling rates. Provision had been made in the MTFS to allow an increase in crew numbers per round by employing three additional loaders, to regrade existing drivers’ salaries to reflect that they would now be Class 2 LGV drivers and to include resources for Bank Holidays, annual leave, and total operating costs. Additional costs to those provided for in the MTFS had been identified and this shortfall would be offset by savings from the disestablishment of the Assistant DSO Manager post, with the remaining salary allocation of that post used to recruit a new full time Commercial Waste Officer.

The Committee approved this expenditure noting that it was cost neutral and would provide environmental benefits. The Committee commended the work of the Waste Management operations members of staff who had continued to run collections during the Covid-19 lockdown.

RESOLVED that -

i) the release of the sum provided for in the Medium Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) to fund the expansion of the Runnymede weekly food waste collection service be approved; and

ii) the increase in three existing drivers salaries from grade 6 to grade 7/8, the disestablishment of the present Assistant DSO Manager post, the establishment of a new Commercial Waste Officer post (scale 10) and the establishment of three new additional loader posts at grade 4 be approved, the costs of which are covered in the MTFS provision and the existing salary provision of the operations manager post.

16 RBC CM 27.5.20

CONSIDERATION OF MATTERS RAISED BY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY SELECT COMMITTEE CONCERNING CALL-IN OF DECISIONS – PROPOSED ACQUISITION OF PROPERTY

The Committee considered matters raised by the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee which at its meeting on 18 March 2020 had considered a call-in of decisions made by the Corporate Management Committee at its meeting on 27 February 2020 regarding the proposed acquisition of a property.

Call-in of a decision was a procedure available to the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee which prevented the implementation of decisions of a policy Committee until the matter had been considered further. The Committee noted the terms of the call-in, the original agenda report on this matter to the Corporate Management Committee and a draft Part II confidential minute of the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee meeting on 18 March 2020.

The original decision of the Corporate Management Committee on 27 February 2020 had been to approve the freehold purchase of the property and to agree that the capital spend approval required for the purchase be taken from the existing provision for future property investment strategy purchases held within the Capital Programme. At its meeting on 18 March 2020, the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee had recommended that the freehold purchase of the property be approved on the basis of place shaping and subject to clarity on the funding of the purchase and consideration of various alternative funding options for the purchase.

In considering the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee’s recommendation, the Committee noted that there had been a fundamental change since the Overview and Scrutiny Select Committee had considered this matter at its meeting on 18 March 2020. The Covid-19 pandemic had brought huge uncertainty to the world economies and this included the housing market. The validity of the independent valuation of the market value of the property and the independent development appraisal undertaken in February 2020 would have to be revisited taking into account the effect of the pandemic and the extent of the harm that the Covid-19 pandemic would cause to the construction industry and property prices would only become apparent with the passage of time. There was therefore great uncertainty on whether the purchase price proposed for the property was appropriate given the Covid-19 pandemic and on whether the figures for the development appraisal previously provided were still valid. If the Committee decided to purchase the site and develop it, full planning permission would be required and this could prove to be challenging given the constraints of the site. If the Committee decided to purchase the site and sell it at a later date rather than developing it, there would be great uncertainty over the level of the capital receipt that it would obtain for the property. Having considered these factors, the Committee agreed that the Head of Assets and Regeneration inform the owner of the property that the Council did not wish to make the freehold purchase of the property.

RESOLVED that -

the Head of Assets and Regeneration informs the owner of the property that the Council does not wish to make the freehold purchase of the property.

URGENT ACTION – STANDING ORDER 42

By resolution of the Committee, the press and public were excluded from the meeting during the consideration of this matter under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972

17 RBC CM 27.5.20 on the grounds that the discussion would be likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Schedule 12A to Part 1 of the Act.

Proformas 960 and 963 detailing action taken after consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Committee were noted. The Committee also noted that, at the time of the despatch of the agenda, verbal approval had been given to urgent action 963 by the Vice-Chairman. A copy of the signed and dated proforma 963 had now been forwarded to officers by the Vice-Chairman.

PROPOSED LETTING OF A COMMERCIAL PROPERTY

By resolution of the Committee the press and public were excluded from the meeting during the consideration of this matter under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the discussion would be likely to involve the disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraph 3 of schedule 12A to Part 1 of the Act. The Chairman had agreed that this item be admitted to the Agenda as an item of urgent business for the special circumstances and urgency as set out below:-

Special Circumstances

The report was not able to be completed until after the despatch of the main agenda.

Urgency

Urgent action was required to progress the completion of a letting of one of the Council’s commercial properties.

The Committee considered a report on a proposal to proceed with a new letting of a vacant retail shop unit. The proposed tenant had agreed to fit out the premises at their cost. The terms of the proposed letting set out in section 2 of the report and the resource implications of the proposed letting were noted by the Committee. The Committee approved the letting on the terms set out in the report which would include a rolling break provision to provide the Council with flexibility should the premises be required for redevelopment.

RESOLVED that -

Officers proceed with a new letting of the retail shop unit reported to the company reported on the following basis:

i) a full repairing and insuring lease for the period reported (excluded from Landlord and Tenant security of tenure provisions) be granted which will include a rolling break provision exercisable from the date reported with the notice period reported, to provide the Council with flexibility should the premises be required for redevelopment; and

ii) an initial rental in the sum reported, increasing in years 2, 3, 4 and 5 to the sums reported, will be payable.

(The meeting ended at 10.35 p.m.) Chairman

18 3. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE

4. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

If Members have an interest in an item, please record the interest on the form circulated with this Agenda and e-mail it to the Legal Representative or Democratic Services Officer by 5.00 p.m. on the day of the meeting. Members are advised to contact the Council’s Legal section prior to the meeting if they wish to seek advice on a potential interest.

Members are reminded that a non-pecuniary interest includes their appointment by the Council as the Council’s representative to an outside body and that this should be declared. Membership of an outside body in their private capacity as a director, trustee, committee member or in another position of influence thereon should be regarded as a disclosable pecuniary interest, as should an appointment to an outside body by the Council as a trustee.

Members who have previously declared interests which are recorded in the Minutes to be considered at this meeting need not repeat the declaration when obtaining remote access to the meeting. Members need take no further action unless the item in which they have an interest becomes the subject of debate, in which event the Member must withdraw from the meeting if the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or if the interest could reasonably be regarded as so significant as to prejudice the Member’s judgement of the public interest.

5. RUNNYMEDE TRAVEL INITATIVE (COMMUNITY SERVICES - DARREN WILLLIAMS)

Synopsis of report:

The Runnymede Travel Initiative (Yellow Bus Service) is a discretionary service provided by Runnymede at a cost to the Council of approximately £300,000 a year. With the current contract with an external company to deliver the service ending at the end of July 2020, this report sets out options for re-providing the service in a different format to reduce the ongoing subsidy paid by the Council.

Recommendations:

The Committee considers the information provided in the report regarding the Runnymede Travel Initiative (Yellow Bus Service) currently operated along with the proposal of an in-house service option as a replacement for the current Runnymede Travel Initiative (Yellow Bus Service).

The Committee considers the financial implications of committing to an in- house service against the current financial position of the Council and the impact of Covid-19 on this financial position.

EITHER

The Committee confirms that it wishes to proceed with the in-house service model proposed and recommends to Full Council on 16 July 2020 that

1. A capital estimate in the sum of £450,000 be approved for the purchase of the additional 10 buses; and

2. The commencement date for the new service will be January 2020, subject to the fleet and employees required to deliver the service being available and subject to the ability to provide the service to comply with any relevant Government requirements in respect of the Covid-19 pandemic that may apply at that time. (To recommend to Full Council on 16 July 2020) 19

The Committee confirms that it wishes to discontinue the school transport service.

(To resolve)

1. Context of report

1.1 The conclusion of the current contract for the Runnymede Travel Initiative (which has come to be known as the Yellow Bus Service), school transport service at the end of the 2019/2020 academic year has resulted in a report being requested by Corporate Management Committee.

1.2 The service, provided in Runnymede for almost twenty years, is a legacy of the Runnymede Business Partnership who initiated the service and who contributed significant sponsorship to the service.

1.3 This, together with Section 106 funding received via approved planning applications in the borough, funded the service in the main for the majority of its existence.

1.4 However, more recently, with the sponsorship funding reduced to zero and changes in legislation meaning that Section 106 money will no longer be available to fund the service, the Council has been left with a subsidy of approximately £300,000 per year. The Council committed to the service on the assumption that new s106 monies would be forthcoming. This source of income has not materialised however and the subsidy has, for the past few years been a growth item in the Medium Term Financial Strategy.

1.5 Given the current financial climate and the financial position of the Council, the need to undertake a review of the service and if possible find a more cost effective and therefore sustainable solution has been identified as required.

1.6 Now, with the necessary decision taken to inform schools of the cessation of the current service at the end of this academic year, there is a more pressing need to consider alternative solutions which it is hoped will enable future service provision.

1.7 This report provides full detail of the current service provided, of the role schools play in the delivery of the service and the current demand and finances related to the service. The report also attempts to address some of the misunderstandings outside the Council, given that the service provided is completely discretionary and now at a significant cost to the Council.

1.8 The report also sets out what is considered the most cost effective option available to Members for the delivery of a future service and in addition outlines how an in house transport solution would not only provide replacement transport, but also look to improve the quality whilst reducing the overall subsidy. It should however be noted that there have been a lot of assumptions made as to pricing and demand based on the existing service, rather than predicting the financial impact of the current coronavirus pandemic on households and their ability to continue to access the service.

1.9 The level of detail in the report is intended to provide Members with the fullest information possible, so an informed decision can be made in regard to any future service provision. Any such decision should be made with the understanding of the Council’s current financial situation as set out in a report elsewhere on this agenda.

20 2 Report

Background

2.1 The Yellow Bus Service is a discretionary service started by the Council as an initiative led by the then Runnymede Business Partnership. The service was heralded as a new approach to the delivery of home to school transport, filling a void left by the County Council, modelling the service on American style school transport services.

2.2 The primary reason at the time for launching such a service in Runnymede was to contribute to a reduction in congestion during peak traffic periods, an issue that affected many businesses within the Runnymede area.

2.3 The Yellow Bus Service was initially set up without the requirement for the Council to subsidise the service, such were the levels of sponsorship income from those within the Runnymede Business Partnership, together with the availability of Section 106 monies from planning applications used to fund the service. The service was not set up with the intention of being heavily subsidised by the Council, the position the Council finds itself in today.

2.4 Since its inception the service has been delivered on behalf of the Runnymede Business Partnership, and more latterly the Council, as the business partnership has retreated from this initiative, by First Beeline (“First”), who provide a range of transport services nationwide.

About the Current Contract

2.5 The current service is contracted to First following a tender process and subsequent contract award, that took place in 2017. The current contract is for a fixed period of three years, commencing on September 4th 2017 and does not contain the opportunity to extend the current contract beyond the end of the 2019/2020 academic year.

2.6 When the service was tendered in 2017, the decision was taken to provide bidders with the opportunity to bid for one or more of the schools that were to receive the service, these being Fulbrook School, Jubilee High School, The Magna Carta School and Salesian School. Bidders wanting to bid for one or more of the available “lots”, were given the opportunity to offer a discount for multiple lots.

2.7 The contract was tendered in 2017 and awarded to First. Whilst quality scores as part of the tender process were largely consistent between bidders, the fact that First Beeline already had the fleet resources in place is likely to have contributed to the significant difference in prices submitted. This resulted in a cost of £468,000 (the next closest being in the region of £750k followed by a bid of £1.5 million).

2.8 The most cost effective bid in revenue terms was to bring the service in house but was rejected because of the capital costs of procuring a new fleet of vehicles.

2.9 The decision was taken to specify within the tender the capacity requirements for each of the schools, based on an average number of passengers over the three years previous plus 10% to allow for growth. As a result, the current service capacities per school are as follows:

Table 2: Service Capacities by School

Fulbrook 250 Jubilee High 40 Magna Carta 125 Salesian 50

21 2.10 The contract is for the provision of transport to arrive at the beginning of the school day and leave at the end of the school day. In addition, some provision for after school club provision was included in the contract.

Current Service Overview

2.11 The service operates using previously agreed service routes, which due to the size of the vehicles used, vary only slightly year on year due to the restriction of the kinds of roads the vehicles can navigate.

2.12 Whilst the contract states that the service is coordinated by the Council, the reality is that for a number of years the service has been coordinated locally between the provider and the schools directly. This is particularly the case regarding slight variations to routes, pupil behaviour discussions, discussions relating to unforeseen service delays etc.

2.13 For a number of years, the four schools have played an important role in the coordination of the service. This support has been in-kind support assisting the coordination of the service. The role of the schools involves promoting the service to existing, prospective and new school pupils, receiving bookings and payments for the service and consolidating payments against the service providing and transferring the fare income to the Council. The schools liaise directly with First on operational matters also.

2.14 The main point of contact within each school have always been accessible to requests for information, subject to data protection rules, to answer questions and discuss elements of the service and have been very supportive of the delivery of the service.

2.15 With the largely static routes that are in place, First will coordinate the pickup points/information for parents that is then relayed to them via the school. The intention of the service is to ensure that so far as is possible, no pupil must walk any further than 300 metres to their nearest bus stop.

2.16 The fleet is no longer made up exclusively of the American style school buses and is now a mixture of the original vehicles and other older school buses within the First fleet. Each vehicle has a seated capacity of 60.

2.17 The current charge per pupil per day is set at £3.50, with a discounted charge of £5.00 for two siblings travelling and a further discounted price of £6.50 for three siblings travelling. There is no additional charge for pupils who require transport from after school clubs, which whilst ensuring the service remains affordable for parents, has placed an additional subsidy and cost pressure with the Council.

2.18 Fares are paid either termly or half termly in advance by cash or cheque to the schools. There is currently no provision for regular invoicing or payments by direct debit to support parents making payments over the course of an academic, or school year.

2.19 Details on pupil usage are limited given the way in which the service is currently coordinated. However, in October 2019, as one of the first pieces of work undertaken in reviewing the current service, a request was made by the Council to First to record the number of passengers boarding at each stop, each morning of the week and also the number alighting at each stop in the afternoon.

2.20 The results of this weeklong evaluation were as follows:

Table 3: Passenger Usage: Full Week – October 2019

School Lowest Highest Total Total Seats Percentage Combination Combination Passengers Available Uptake Total Users per Total Users per Travel Over per Week to Against Day Day Week Pupils as Total per Available Contract Capacity Fulbrook 80 95 430 1250 35% School Jubilee High 2 4 14 200 7% School Magna Carta 82 108 493 625 79% School Salesian 52 78 341 250 137% School (See para 2.25 below) 216 285 1,278

2.21 It is important to note that with limited processes in place for the collation of Key Performance Indicators relating to the service, it is accepted that given this information was collated by drivers during the course of their work, there is the potential for a degree of inaccuracy. However, what can confidently be taken from the above table is that the service delivered in the 2019/2020 academic year, in its totality is under-utilised against the contract specification.

2.22 It is recognised that the schools where there is a greater percentage uptake on a day by day basis are currently Magna Carta School and Salesian School, although it is important to note that this is an ever-changing statistic dependent on school admissions numbers year on year.

2.23 Salesian School was able to be provided with additional transport this year, due to the reduction in service uptake at Fulbrook and Jubilee schools. However, this would not necessarily be possible when Salesian change their school hours for the 2020/2021 academic year or if it was another school that required the additional resource instead.

Current Cost of Service

2.24 The table on the next page outlines the costs of providing the Yellow Bus Service over the last few years.

Table 3: Cost of Yellow Bus Service to Council

2016/2017 2017/2018 2018/2019 2019/2020 £ £ £ £ Expenditure School Bus Contract 447,287 459,790 462,185 469,370 Printing 361 346 315 375

Total Expenditure 447,648 460,136 462,500 469,745

Income Fares 171,414 174,328 176,700 196,137 S106 Payments 40,655 - 19,872 134,979 Sponsorship 12,500 5,000 12,500 - Planning Tariff - 300

Total Income 224,569 179,328 209,072 331,416

Net Service Cost 223,079 280,808 253,428 138,329

Subsidy per child (based on 285 pupils from table 3) £783 £985 £889 £485

2.25 Looking at the table above, it shows that the service operates at a significant subsidy to the Council. The net service cost includes income streams from some remaining Section 106 agreements as well as ad-hoc sponsorship payments, the former of which will shortly not be available to offset the costs of future services.

2.26 A common question asked regarding the service is the level of “interpeak” work that is undertaken by the vehicles, supporting the activities of the four schools supported as well as other schools in the area. Such work has not been included as part of the contract and therefore any arrangements are directly between schools and First, with any associated income going directly to First .

2.27 Given the last tender was in 2017, the current subsidy paid by the Council would most likely increase significantly in the event of the service being re-tendered. Reasons for this include likely changes in requirements relating to vehicles, in procurement etc., the change in service delivery arrangements as a result of the change of school hours at Salesian School and the need to incorporate Chertsey High within any future service provision and the inflationary increase in costs since the previous tender exercise.

2.28 On this basis, it would not be unrealistic to expect the service to be at best closer to the gross cost of £750k from the 2017 tender exercise.

Positives and Identified Weakness with The Current Service

2.30 It is important to highlight the positives within the service that is currently provided. These include:

• The service is reliable and punctual • The service is provided by a team of reliable, committed staff working on behalf of First • The schools are supportive of the service, communicate well and play an important role in the coordination of bookings and payments • The service is highly valued by the schools it supports • The service is highly valued by the parents who access the service for their children

24 2.31 However, in undertaking this review some weaknesses or areas where potential improvement could be made have been identified.

• There is a need for improved management of the service • There is a requirement for greater monitoring information linked to the service • The age of vehicles, non-compliance with equalities legislation and lack of identifiable brand • The need to review pupil numbers ongoing and flexibly deploy resources to where there is demand • A need for dynamic review of routes to accommodate pupils requiring the service • A lack of technology in delivering the service, both regarding parent/pupil/school communication and user safety • A lack of alternative payment options to make service more affordable to families • The need for greater promotion • The reduced take up of service at Jubilee and Fulbrook schools

Considering future service provision

2.32 Members have asked that consideration of future service provision be given, focussing on the potential for an inhouse transport solution. In considering a future service provision four key areas of focus have been identified:

• Reduced cost • The Need to Serve All Secondary Schools • Enhanced Coordination and Service Quality • Environmentally Friendly

3 Service Proposal – Overview

3.1 Operating a school transport service in house is possible, but doing so in a cost-effective way, maximising the use of current assets is a challenge.

3.2 As a result, it is felt the best way to achieve maximum cost savings has been to review the requirements of the whole current community transport service, given it is intended that the school transport service will be integrated within it. This covers all areas of the service, the deployment of fleet, office and coordination resources, the use of and development of existing software, services provided and staff requirements.

3.3 The current Community Transport service has seen significant growth and diversification, however, increase in resources has been limited. As a result, shortage of drivers is a regular occurrence, with work covered by a combination of over reliance on casual staff and the use of office staff/managers.

3.4 Therefore, the service proposal for a replacement in house school transport service is more than just this; it is now about how we incorporate it within our Community Transport service whilst adequately resourcing operational aspects of all services delivered by the transport team.

Service Capacity

3.5 The service proposed is based on the current usage figures of the service, as outlined in Table 3. This is to ensure that the service requirements and therefore the cost reflect the current demand, given that the Council will have to continue to subsidise the service.

3.6 In addition, the service proposal includes provision of transport to Chertsey High School, with the required capacity based on the current uptake at Salesian School.

3.7 The proposed service will therefore offer the following capacity initially to each school:

25 Table 4: New Service Capacity by School

School Number of Number of Total Capacity Vehicles to be Routes Deployed Chertsey High 2 4 56 Fulbrook 4 8 112 Jubilee High 1 2 (if required) 28 Magna Carta 4 8 112 Salesian 2 4 56

Total 12 26 364

3.8 Each vehicle will operate two routes in the morning and afternoon to either the same school or two different schools, dependent on timetabling, routes and pick up/drop off locations in relation to other schools. It is not proposed at present that pupils from different schools will travel on the same vehicles, something that may be considered given the spread of pupils attending schools right across the borough.

3.9 The way the current service operates means that some schools already receive two groups of pupils on different routes from the same vehicle, with some arriving earlier than others. Given the size of the vehicles and their capacity, it is thought that each route will be relatively short, meaning that pick up times will not need to be overly early.

3.10 For the return journeys, for most pupils this will be a change in arrangements. Whereas normally vehicles are available for pupils to board at the end of the school day, in order to make the service as cost effective as possible two routes will also be undertaken in the afternoon. The intention would be to provide transport initially to those who live closest, before returning to provide transport to those living furthest away from the school. Again, given the capacity of the vehicles and the intention to provide transport as locally as possible first, it is hoped that the second group of pupils’ departure time will not be too long following the end of the school day. This may prove a disincentive to take up and will be monitored closely.

3.11 Regarding pick up and drop off locations, the current service works as far as possible to the principle of no pupil having to walk further than 300 metres to and from the bus stop to their home. Given the smaller capacity on vehicles, it is felt that this arrangement can where possible continue, although this would need be flexible dependent on the location of pupils booked on the service and when considering time implications in undertaking two routes per vehicle. Picking up from safe locations is imperative, however this does not necessarily have to mean bus stops and instead could be landmarks within local communities.

Vehicles to be Used

3.12 The service will operate through a fleet of smaller vehicles, of no greater than 16 passenger seats. All vehicles will be fully accessible and able to provide transport to pupils with mobility problems or who are wheelchair users. The service has been modelled based on each vehicle having a maximum capacity of 14 passengers at any one time, to reflect the current fleet that would be used in part to deliver this service.

3.13 The current Community Transport service has a fleet of fifteen vehicles. Given the commitments currently in place in providing a range of other transport services, whilst it is possible to use some of the existing vehicles, in order to deliver the service in the way proposed, ten additional vehicles would need to be purchased for which additional money will need to be found.

3.14 As an alternative, consideration has been given to leasing vehicles. However, experience has shown that leasing generally works out considerably more expensive than purchasing, from experience possibly more than double the cost of purchasing a vehicle.

26 3.15 Whilst maintenance would be included in the lease agreement, this would probably reduce on average the cost of operating a purchased vehicle by £3,000. Previous experience has also highlighted the difficulty in arranging maintenance and fleet repairs, with inevitable delays and vehicles being out of service for longer than necessary.

3.16 The ultimate preference would be for Ultra Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV) (most likely electric vehicles), working to the Council’s priority of reducing its environmental impact. However, currently it is felt that considering the financial position of the Council, this approach would be cost prohibitive. To give some indication of this, an electric vehicle would be close to at least double the price of a diesel vehicle with the added cost of the installation of charging points at any given overnight storage point.

3.17 It is therefore proposed that vehicles with diesel engines are procured, specified to have Euro 6.2 engines.

3.18 It is though important to note that against the size and age of the existing vehicles delivering the service, the use of smaller vehicles with the latest technology in diesel engines is likely to still have a positive environmental impact.

Employee Recruitment

3.19 With the proposed school transport service being incorporated into the wider Community Transport service, when considering the human resources required to deliver the service, it has been necessary to consider the requirements of the service in its totality.

3.20 The growth of the Community Transport service in recent years has been achieved with little change to the employee establishment. However, in order to meet new service demands there is a requirement for regular overtime to be undertaken by permanent employees and an over reliance on casual employees.

3.21 Therefore the proposed budget enables adequate resourcing of all aspects of the Community Transport service, including cover for annual leave and sickness.

Service Coordination

3.22 It is proposed that all aspects of the coordination of the service are undertaken by the Community Transport office team, based at Chertsey Depot. Their responsibilities will include the following functions:

• Day to day management of the operations of the service • Management of vehicles and employees • Receipt of bookings for the service • Parent enquiries • Receipt of compliments and complaints relating to the service • Receipt of lost property etc. • First point of contact for schools • Dynamic review of routes based on geography of booked pupils at the start of an academic year and ongoing throughout academic year • Processing of payments from parents etc. • School liaison

3.23 Given the growth that would take place within the Community Transport service as a result of incorporating a school transport service, it is felt there is a need for additional supervisory and coordination support within the service. This support would also be of assistance to colleagues within the DSO, regarding the coordination of fleet maintenance and reactive repairs.

3.24 It is therefore proposed that should these proposals be accepted, the current Community Transport Scheduler is regraded from grade 6 to grade 7 and takes on responsibility as the lead coordinator for the school service on a day to day basis. In doing so, it is intended to 27 offer training and in role support to develop skills in staff supervision etc. to provide more support for the increased driving team.

3.25 Secondly, it is proposed that as a priority an Apprentice is appointed, funded by the Council’s apprenticeship scheme budget. Whilst the appropriate apprenticeship has not been identified at present, it is felt that an apprenticeship in logistics coordination, passenger transport or fleet management would be appropriate. At the end of the apprenticeship a decision would need to be taken as to whether a permanent post is created, which would require a further growth bid at an additional cost to the scheme and Council subsidy.

4 Service Enhancements

4.1 Whilst the core principles of how the service is delivered would remain the same, there are enhancements that are intended for the new service model which it is hoped will improve the service for parents and pupils as well as make the coordination and management of the service smoother.

Use of Software

4.2 Use of technology is seen as a way of enhancing the coordination of the service. However, whilst the supplier has detailed a number of options available, further work would be needed to ascertain whether additional software would provide significant benefit and would also be subject to affordability. Therefore new technology may not be in place at the commencement of any future service, if at all, although a budget for this has been included.

Installation of CCTV

4.3 The installation of CCTV on vehicles provides reassurance to both parents, pupils and employees regarding the safety and wellbeing of both pupils and staff. Therefore, it is intended that CCTV would be included in the vehicle specification and dependent on cost would be installed on all new vehicles. Retrospective fitting of CCTV on existing fleet vehicles would be undertaken on a gradual basis, as service budgets allow. The intention at this stage would be to fund this through existing budgets.

Alternative Payment Methods

4.4 Currently parents are required to pay half termly or termly in advance for the service, which to some families is a challenge financially. Should an in-house model be provided, the Council would be able to offer the option of payment being made by direct debit, either annually, quarterly or monthly. The monthly option reducing the requirement to find a larger amount of money up front each half term or term and therefore making use of the service more affordable. It should however be noted that this will come at a cost of increased administration time in managing both the payments and payment rejections.

Change in Approach to Bookings and Route Design

4.5 Currently, as a result of a combination of a lack of service review year on year and also the size of the vehicles used to deliver the service, one of the determining factors in parents deciding whether to book the service is how close they live to what are largely static bus routes.

4.6 Therefore, through a combination of the use of smaller vehicles and the service being coordinated in house, the intention would be for bookings to be taken first, and then routes developed to service the bookings that have been made. Simply put, the bookings will determine the routes as opposed to the routes determining the bookings.

28 Branding and marketing

4.7 The current service has over several years lost its identity from the original American school bus design which is still the focus of marketing literature produced. This is primarily as a result of the gradual replacement of the American style vehicles with other, normal style coaches of varying ages.

4.8 Considering the above, a new branding and a marketing strategy will be required for the school transport service. Marketing will still primarily focus on parents and pupils of the schools served but will have both a paper based and digital approach. The wider branding and marketing of the service via social media and the borough magazine should provide a platform to more widely promote a discretionary service that the Council has remained committed to providing.

4.9 For the fleet, branding is important to remove any stigma related to “traditional” community transport services. Currently, due to the mixed age of the fleet most vehicles are yellow in colour with a standard text and Council logo. Newer vehicles are white and have been branded to reflect the branding used across Community Services in Runnymede and Surrey Heath. Therefore a review of vehicle branding is seen as an important step to making the scheme as success.

Sponsorship Opportunities

4.10 Sponsorship will be sought once more from both large companies and small/medium enterprises for any new service provision. To attract sponsors, packages will need to be produced, offering reciprocal benefits to companies.

Vehicle storage options (In-kind Sponsorship)

4.11 Currently, through in-kind sponsorship, the existing fleet of vehicles used to deliver the service is stored outside of operational hours at Thorpe Park. Given the current arrangements at the Council’s depot in Chertsey and the limited space currently available for additional vehicles, it is hoped that a relationship between the Council and Thorpe Park can be continued to enable storage of vehicles in the future.

5 Requirements of schools

5.1 The success of any new service is in part dependent on having a positive partnership relationship between the schools and the Council. The way in which the service is proposed to be delivered means that the requirements of schools will be different from at present.

5.2 Given the changes to the way in which the service will be coordinated, most notably bookings and payments, there will not be the requirement for schools to oversee the administration of these aspects of the service. Discussion with Headteachers on this have been met favourably, with the potential release of resources within schools being met positively.

5.3 However, there are other ways in which schools are required to support the service including:

Support Around Pupil Arrival and Departure

5.4 The proposed service operates on the basis that each vehicle deployed will operate two routes both in the morning and in the afternoon. As a result, at each of the schools there will be some pupils who arrive earlier than others in the morning and who leave later than the end of school time in the afternoon.

5.5 As a result, one of the requirements of the schools will be to provide a safe and secure place for pupils to access upon arrival and prior to leaving. It is felt that this is a key 29 measure that needs to be agreed, given that the Council would only be able to commit to delivering a service that promoted the safety and wellbeing of pupils using it in all areas relating to the arrangements.

Support with Complaints etc.

5.6 Whilst it is hoped that the number of complaints made and concerns raised in relation to the service will be few and far between, the Council will require the support of the schools in investigating complaints or concerns raised regarding pupil conduct etc.

5.7 It is intended that terms and conditions of service will formally be set out, whilst a service charter will be produced which will clearly set out the expectations of parents and pupils and what they can expect of the Council in relation to the service.

Potential Support with Vehicle Storage

5.8 Should it not be possible to continue to base vehicles at Thorpe Park, consideration of other storage locations would be required, including a potential request of the schools to provide overnight and school holiday parking.

6 Consultation held with Headteachers

6.1 At the time of writing this report and since the letter outlining the ending of the current arrangements was sent to schools, meetings have been held with the Headteachers at Fulbrook, Magna Carta and Salesian schools. At the time of writing, we are still awaiting contact with Jubilee High.

6.2 Currently, the Executive Head as Salesian is also supporting Chertsey High until the end of this academic year and therefore discussions on a possible service extension have also been held. In addition, ongoing dialogue via email in regard to supporting schools until the end of the academic year and in relation to this report has taken place.

6.3 It is intended that in the week prior to Corporate Management Committee, a meeting with the Headteachers and Corporate Head of Community Services will take place, to give an opportunity for the content of this report to be discussed, to receive any questions and also to gain feedback on the proposals for future service provision. It is intended that feedback on this meeting will be provided at the Corporate Management Committee meeting.

Correspondence with Parents

6.4 Since letters were sent to schools in May 2020, emails and telephone calls have been received from parents detailing their displeasure at the decision to end the service.

6.5 In addition, recently a petition has been set up titled “Petition to: Reverse the decision to abandon the Yellow School Buses serving Fulbrook, Magna Carta, Salesian and Jubilee High”, via the Council website. The closing date for people to sign this petition is 12 September 2020.

The petition prayer says “Without consultation with schools, parents or the wider community RBC has withdrawn funding for the Yellow School Buses. As such parents, schoolchildren and the wider community will be impacted by an increase in peak time car journeys for pupils that will now need alternative means of attending school. This petition calls upon RBC to reverse their decision with immediate effect and to engage in consultation looking at continued provision or alternative travel arrangements that retains the safety of our schoolchildren and encourages the most environmentally friendly approach to school attendance.”

As at 15 June 2020, the petition had been signed by 241 people, with a further 57 ‘signatures’ to be confirmed.

7 Benefits and Impacts of School service on wider Community Transport offer

7.1 The fact that the review of the school transport service has been completed with a view to integrating the service within the wider Community Transport offer has resulted in other potential benefits to be realised. These include:

• Permanent staff covering all areas • Spare driver resources in place for annual leave and sickness • Opportunity to relaunch traditional Dial-a-Ride service • Capacity for further growth and development • Opportunity to extend Day Centre Services

8 Timescale for implementation

8.1 Whilst the conclusion of the current contract results in a requirement for a service from September 2020 (the new academic year), achieving such a start date will not be possible nor practical and will also depend on the Council’s financial situation coming out of the Covid-19 pandemic.

8.2 Given the volume of work that would be undertaken in implementing the new service offer, the impact of Covid-19 on the procurement of vehicles and the recruitment of employees it is felt that the earliest this could be achieved is January 2020.

8.3 To evidence the impact, the current service provision which is available to pupils returning to school until the end of this academic year, as part of its risk assessment has reduced the capacity of its vehicles from 60 passengers to just 12. Therefore, based on operating with vehicles of 14 passengers, the amount of transport required to service the likely demand will be both resource and cost prohibitive.

8.4 Therefore, it is proposed that the implementation of any new service is planned for a January 2020 commencement, but is subject to both having the fleet and employees to deliver the service and subject to the ability to provide the service in relation to Covid-19.

8.5 Should Members decide to continue to provide a school transport service, given the gap in services outlined above, it may be possible to consider interim solutions to support schools and specific cohorts of pupils.

9 Human Resource Implications

9.1 There are a number of HR implications as a result of this report and proposal including:

Current Employees

9.2 Current employees would need to be consulted with regarding possible changes to hours and work patterns as a result of the proposed changes.

9.3 One post, the Senior Driver, will no longer be required within the structure. However, with Driver roles now at the same grade as this post following previous agreement by members to regrade Driver posts, there will be a number of roles available which with a range of work patterns etc. should mean that the affected employee will be retained in their employment with the Council.

9.4 For those who undertake regular overtime or who work on a casual basis, there is the opportunity to become permanent for some or all those hours.

9.5 Once the situation of all permanent employees and then casual employees has been resolved, it is intended that all vacant posts will be advertised both internally and externally. The number of available posts will also be dependent on any TUPE requirements with existing First employees. 31

Salary Regrade within the Office Team

9.6 It is proposed that the current Community Transport Scheduler post is regraded from grade 6 to grade 7 to reflect the additional responsibility that they will have in coordinating the school service. The current officer in post has performed consistently well over several years, developing into a reliable and knowledgeable member of staff with high levels of performance and customer service.

9.7 In doing so, it is intended that through in role training and other training opportunities, support is provided to enable further development, particularly around operational staff and service management.

Additional Office Employee Requirements

9.8 It is proposed that an apprentice post is made available within the Community Transport office team, funded through the corporate apprenticeship budget.

9.9 This apprenticeship could focus on one of a few areas including logistics, passenger transport, fleet management etc., although currently a suitable apprenticeship has not been identified.

9.10 If approved, the apprenticeship role will provide what will be much needed capacity within the Community Transport office team. At the end of the apprenticeship a review of the future requirement for the role will need to be undertaken and if still required, will be made permanent subject to an approved growth bid as part of the budget setting a business planning processes.

Recruitment of 2nd CT Manager

9.11 As part of the Community Services growth bid for 2020/2021, approved by Members in February 2020 and which as a result of the ongoing work with Surrey Heath is still to be taken forward, there is provision for a 2nd Community Transport Manager who will become the senior manager for the service.

9.12 This additional resource will be required to support the successful implementation and delivery of the service.

TUPE

9.13 At the time of writing this report, Legal Services were seeking Counsel’s advice as to whether TUPE would apply for employees of First delivering this service given that there is currently no confirmation of a replacement service or a commencement if approved. The term TUPE is a shorthand way of describing the provisions of the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulation 2006. In summary these provisions protect employees if the business in which they are employed changes hands. Its effect is to move employees and any liabilities associated with them from the old employer to the new employer by operation of law. In order to operate it has to established that a group of employees are dedicated to the delivery of certain task and that task is transferred from one business to another. There are complex rules governing the operation of these provisions and the Council is seeking expert external legal advice on their possible operation in this case. If the rules do apply the costs of taking on these employees will have to be factored into the costs of the delivery of the service. One of the major points to note about the operation of TUPE is that employees will transfer on their existing terms and conditions of employment e.g. salary, annual leave and pensions. There is extremely limited scope for changes to such terms and conditions.

32 10 Financial Implications

10.1 As set out elsewhere on this agenda, at this moment in time, the Council is currently in the enviable position of having enough reserves to see it through the current and next financial year. However, this is at the expense of all our earmarked reserves and is based on two months of the financial year before the June quarter rent payments are due for the Council’s investment properties. In order to maintain this position, savings, efficiencies and transformation is needed to reverse the trend. Given the Council’s current reduced level of resources and the uncertainty surrounding future government funding for districts and boroughs, the re-introduction of a revised service at this time, no matter how much is saved, needs to be thought through very carefully.

10.2 In drafting these proposals a lot of assumptions have been made. It is assumed for instance, that the demand for this service will still be there post Covid19 and that Chertsey High (a new addition) will have similar take up in numbers to the other schools. As seen in table 3 above the high and low points have seen a variance of between 216 & 285 pupils. Estimating the demand at the current time is fraught with danger and the demand for a service now, may be very different in six months time.

10.3 In coming up with the figures below, consideration has been given to the fares that would need to be charged in order to make the service both financially viable to the Council as well as affordable for parents. Members, through the Community Development/Service Member Working Group, have previously expressed a keenness to ensure that fares are not set too high so as to price families out of being able to take advantage of the service.

10.4 Therefore, the proposed service budget has been based on a return fare of £4 per day, a 50 pence increase on the current fare. However, due to the uncertainty in being able to forecast income and set budgets, it is proposed that sibling discounts are removed with just one flat rate per day per pupil.

10.5 Whilst the removal of the sibling discount will prove a challenge financially for some, it is hoped that by offering alternative payment methods such as the ability to pay over a year by direct debit, will mean that if approved the decision would not result in families being left unable to use the service due to cost.

10.6 These proposals are based on a journey set at £4 a day. For comparative purposes, Falcon Buses who carry out the local Staines to Woking bus service, charge £3.50 for all day travel anywhere on their network with weekly and monthly passes working out at £3 and £2.50 respectively. A monthly pass using public transport would therefore save residents nearly £300 a year per child over these proposals. However, it is appreciated that not all schools are serviced by suitable public transport routes.

10.7 Given the response to the letter communicating the cessation of the current service at the end of its contract, by both schools and parents alike, and given that the number of seats within the service has been reduced to what is considered a more accurate figure, the budget has been based on full uptake in the service.

10.8 Whilst normally launching a new service would mean a build up in customer base over a period of time, the fact that there is an existing demand for the service should mean that any build up will not take as long to achieve. However, a break in the service and the effects on personal household income post Covid19 may have an adverse effect.

10.9 The need to purchase vehicles is a key resource implication to enable the service to be implemented. It is proposed that ten additional vehicles will need to be purchased in addition to the fleet currently in place at an additional cost of up to £450,000. There is nothing in the Capital Programme for this scheme.

33 10.10 As reported elsewhere on this agenda, officers have already curtailed/deferred certain elements of the Capital Programme due to a lack of capital receipts and the need to revisit the use of earmarked reserves to finance some other schemes (due to those reserves being used to support the General Fund revenue position). Adding a new commitment to the Programme will mean further prioritisation of existing schemes will need to be undertaken. It may be possible to borrow the money for the purchase or lease the vehicles, however this will clearly add to the costs of providing the service. The figures below assume that, as a best case, the Council reprioritises other schemes to allow the purchase of vehicles using capital receipts earmarked for schemes reprioritised.

10.11 The table below compares the costs of the proposed combined community service provision as set out in this report against the existing service costs for a variety of scenarios in relation to take up and cost:

10.12 As can be seen the £4.00 a journey option is the only one that produces savings to the Council and hence the subsidy per user. The existing costs in the above table do not include Chertsey High, whereas the new proposals do. For comparative purposes, excluding Chertsey High would have produced additional savings of £52,700 (£79,170 in total).

10.13 It should also be pointed out that the above figures, in line with Council policy, have been based on all new staffing appointments set at the top of scale to ensure that the Council’s maximum exposure to costs are covered. Reducing these costs to the midway point on the assumption that this would be the average salary of all drivers within Community Transport would see the £4.00 option reduce costs by a further £34,300 as follows:

100% take up 75% take up Proposed Charge £3.50 £3.75 £4.00 £3.50 £3.75 £4.00 £ £ £ £ £ £ New net costs of service 569,408 551,663 533,918 631,515 618,207 604,898 Existing net costs 594,693 594,693 594,693 594,693 594,693 594,693 (Saving)/Increase (25,285) (43,030) (60,775) 36,822 23,514 10,205

Subsidy per Child £746 £698 £649 £1,223 £1,174 £1,125

10.14 As with the previous table, excluding Chertsey High for comparative purposes would show savings in total of £113,500 on a like for like basis with the existing service. Unfortunately, though, only those savings in the table will be realisable if these proposals proceed.

Funding discussions with Surrey County Council

10.15 The current service is a discretionary service provided by Runnymede. Contribution requests have been made to Surrey County Council over the years to help mitigate the costs but to no avail. Recently, conversations have been held with Surrey County Council in regards to the long term future of the service. It is recognised that the impact of there being no school service in Runnymede could be a number of families, eligible for support from SCC, where they meet the eligibility criteria for home to school transport.

34 10.16 As a result, SCC are now considerate of working in partnership with RBC on the delivery of a school transport service, that would be able to pick up the need for home to school transport for those eligible under SCC’s criteria.

10.17 In doing so, one potential option is that SCC will pay a contribution to the service subsidy for each pupil accessing the service who is eligible for home to school transport, as well as potentially paying the fare for the pupil.

10.18 Further discussion on this remains ongoing, but it is important to note that whilst on the face of it, this is a positive for both families who could benefit from free travel and also the Council who would receive a contribution towards the overall subsidy, it could result in an increase in the service from families eligible for free home to school transport, which as a result reduces capacity for families who are not eligible to access the service.

10.19 As a result of this, the creation of a waiting list would likely add to pressure for the Council to increase the capacity of the service to accommodate additional pupils, which would in doing so would only increase the level of subsidy the Council would have to fund. By way of an example, each new bus would cost £45,000 to purchase along with ongoing running costs of at least £30,000.

10.20 It may also add pressure to the model, given that if more pupils living further away sign up to the service, the journey times when undertaking double runs in the morning and afternoons are likely to be longer and therefore impact the second routes to be completed.

10.21 Changes to the booking process may be required also, with priority booking made available to those who are eligible, to ensure that the needs of SCC are met because of this partnership approach.

10.22 The Council may decide that the capacity proposed is the maximum available and therefore if such a demand was realised, look to create its own policy for booking priority, with a number of possible options available. Alternatively, the Council may decline to partner with SCC on this.

10.23 As a result, until agreement on this aspect is reached with SCC, no income via SCC has been included in the proposed budget.

11. Policy Framework Implications

11.1 The Community Services Business Unit Plan for 2020/2021 includes the requirement for a review of the Yellow Bus Service.

12. Legal Implications

12.1 Organisations that provide transport on a ‘not-for-profit’ basis can apply for permits under Section 19 or Section 22 of the Transport Act 1985. These permits allow the holder to operate transport services for hire or reward without the need for a full public service vehicle operator’s (PSV ‘O’) licence.

12.2 The service will be able to be delivered under a Section 19 permit given that all of the requirements of operating under a Section 19 permit will be satisfied in the design of the service.

13 Equality implications

None

35 14 Environmental/Sustainability/Biodiversity implications

14.1 Any future service would continue to have a positive impact on the environment, as a result of reducing the number of vehicles completing “school runs” in the morning and the afternoon. However, it should be acknowledged that a reduction in journeys to and from schools does not necessarily mean a reduction in vehicles on the roads.

14.2 The purchase of a further ten Community Transport vehicles with Diesel engines has an environmental impact, an impact that would be removed if a decision was taken to purchase ULEV vehicles. However this is felt cost prohibitive at this time.

14.3 To minimise the environmental impact, the intention is to specify in the vehicle specification a Euro 6.2 Diesel engine. With a stated fuel economy of between 30 and 35 miles per gallon, the new vehicles implemented would be a far more efficient option than the larger vehicles currently used and also emit significantly less emissions.

14.4 Members are asked to consider the benefit of purchasing a bio-diesel fuel tank for the depot, replacing the current diesel tank.

14.5 Biofuels are fuels produced from renewable organic materials, in the case of Biodiesel, waste products such as vegetable oils and animal fats. Biofuels are a good medium-term alternative to traditional fuels, because they are produced from more sustainable energy sources. In addition, biofuels produce significantly fewer pollutant emissions and toxins than fossil fuels.

14.6 Bioenergy Australia estimates that biodiesel could cut emissions by over 85% compared to diesel (RAC, 2019). However, it is important to note that the scale of the environmental benefit is dependent on how biofuels are produced and used and therefore slightly more conservative calculations should be applied

14.7 The use of Biodiesel would not only reduce emissions significantly in relation to a future school and the wider Community Transport service but would also be able to be utilised by the Council’s DSO and used to fuel the new refuse and recycling fleet that has been procured. Such an investment would therefore have much more significant environmental benefits.

14.8 The installation of a Biodiesel tank at the Council’s Depot site has been included within the future plans for the delivery of direct services, at an approximate cost of £79,500. However, given the benefit biodiesel would have on the environmental impact of providing an in-house school transport service, Members may wish to work with colleagues in Environmental Services in prioritising this, should the finances of the Council allow.

15 Conclusion

15.1 This report and the service proposal contained within, has been an ongoing piece of work, the expediency of which has escalated in recent weeks due to the need to advise schools and parents of the ending of the current contract arrangements and also the request from Members to have an option for an alternative service presented at this Committee.

15.2 The challenges faced in considering an alternative service are detailed, but the financial position both prior to the pandemic, but even more so since, has meant the need to reduce the overall subsidy of the service.

15.3 The report has set out an inhouse service proposal, detailing the operational considerations as well as potential future improvements to the service.

15.4 The proposed service ensures that the school service continues and also that the wider Community Transport service is strengthened significantly, a requirement given its growth and success in recent years.

36 15.5 By bringing all aspects of the service inhouse, a greater understanding of the demand for such a service will be able possible, allowing members and officers the opportunity to review the service in the future and if appropriate redeploy resources to other transport opportunities or services, or reduce the overall size of the service.

15.6 Members are asked to consider the report and potential service option presented and together with consideration of the many priorities and financial pressures the council now has, determine whether a future school service is something that they would like to deliver. The options open to Members are set out in the recommendations at the beginning of this report.

Background papers

None stated.

6. CONSTITUTION REVIEW 2020 (LAW AND GOVERNANCE-MARIO LEO/BERNARD FLECKNEY)

Synopsis of report:

To ask the Committee to consider changes to the Constitution resulting from periodic updating and recommendations from the Constitution Member Working Group (MWG).

Recommendations:

The Committee is asked to recommend to Full Council on 16 July 2020 that:

i) the changes to the Council's Constitution be approved;

ii) the revised Constitution be effective from 16 July 2020; and

iii) the Corporate Head of Law and Governance be authorised to settle the final form of the revised Constitution for adoption in accordance with the above decisions, and the Corporate Head of Law and Governance be authorised to incorporate any delegations to officers subsequently authorised by Committee(s) after 25 June 2020 and prior to printing, and make any minor editing changes necessary to correct errors or omissions discussed after 16 July 2020.

1. Context of report

1.1 The Council reviews the Constitution every year. The current Constitution is that approved in April 2019.

1.2 Prior to 2000, local authorities had a variety of constitutional documents, which governed the way in which the authorities operated, but did not have a Constitution. These documents included standing orders, contract standing orders, schemes of delegation, various codes of conduct and a scheme for Members’ Allowances. Section 37 of the Local Government Act 2000 requires authorities to adopt and keep up to date Constitutions containing their standing orders, code of conduct for Members, any other information they considered appropriate and ‘such information as the Secretary of State may direct’. In order to comply with these requirements, the Council undertakes an annual review of its Constitution.

37 2. Report

2.1 Every review of the Constitution throws up a number of changes that are needed to reflect new legislation, the need for clarity or emphasis etc.

2.2 As it is a large item, the full draft Constitution document is not reproduced with this Agenda, but a copy showing changes in red was sent to the Chairman of the Constitution Member Working Group for verification and is available from the Democratic Services Manager. Some of the changes made are to incorporate changes which have already been previously authorised during the current Municipal Year by respective Full Council/ Committees and these are also specified in the summary below for completeness.

2.3 Many of the changes proposed have emanated from the Constitution Member Working Group which has met regularly and again made a valuable contribution to this review of the Constitution

3. Summary of changes to Constitution for 2020

3.1 The changes are as follows. The page numbers shown which are not in brackets indicate where the relevant matter appears in the current Constitution which is on the Council’s website and the page numbers in brackets indicate where it appears in the proposed new Constitution, a copy of which is available in the Members’ Room. Formatting and some indices of the proposed Constitution will be tidied up prior to final printing.

General

• Minor updates, corrections and clarification of wording – dates, spellings, post titles, formatting, changes to reflect current practices, etc. throughout document.

Part 2 –Articles of Constitution

• Article 4, page 11 (page 11) –Full Council-Under the remit of Full Council, a reference is included regarding recommending the change of name of an electoral ward.

Part 3 – Responsibility for Functions

Page 28 - 39 Committee Responsibilities

• Page 30, section 3 (page 30-32) – Member Working Groups – inclusion of a protocol on Member Working Groups which reflects the new structure approved at the Corporate Management Committee in May;

• Page 34, (page 36-37) – Disabled Facilities Grants – transfer of this function from Housing Committee to Community Services Committee as recommended by Corporate Management Committee on 7 November 2019 as it sits with the Home Improvement Agency function;

• A Forward Plan of Committee reports is now published and circulated monthly to all Councillors as requested by the Constitution Member Working Group including Group Leaders. This Forward Plan will keep Members informed of forthcoming business as far as possible.

38 Page 58-64 Matters reserved to Committee or Full Council

• Page 61 (page 63) – Elections- To include a reference to recommendation to Full Council (as denoted by asterisk) of the change of name of an electoral ward.

• Page 63 (page 66).(para 23.14) – Planning – Following the management restructure which took place last year, the Planning function now fell within two departments, one focussing on Development Control and the other on Policy Development. Accordingly, the Planning Committee at its meeting on 13 May 2020 approved extending existing powers to determine certain planning decisions in relation to Local Plan, EIA and NSIP matters to the appropriate officers in those departments. This delegation is within the powers of Planning Committee to make and will be incorporated in the Constitution accordingly.

Functions delegated to specific Officers

• Page 71 (page 73) – Communications – In order to improve speed and efficiency of service to external organisations, delegation to Communications and Marketing Manager or in his absence, the Senior Marketing and Communications Officer to sign location agreements for news filming only on Council land or locations after consultation with the relevant service area, and to sign a booking form to confirm individual advertisements in Council publications such as ‘Runnymede Talks’.

• Page 73 (page 76) – Priority Right to Enforce Right To Buy discounts- as agreed by Corporate Management Committee on 18 December 2019,the delegation to the CHLG of the authority to deal with requests to postpone the Council’s priority right to enforce right to buy discounts where they are for approved purposes (as defined by section 156 of the Housing Act 1985) and providing that sufficient equity exists in the property at the time that the requests is received. Any request for any other purpose (i.e. that does not meet this criteria) will continue to be considered by Corporate Management Committee.

Standing Orders for Contracts

Page 202-227 (page 231) – as recommended by MWG, changes to reflect changes to contract threshold values for one quote from £3,000 to £5,000 which dictate the tender process to be followed. The Council’s Procurement Manager, in conjunction with the Corporate Head of Finance, will in due course produce a documented internal procedure for purchases under £5,000 including spot checks on low value spend transactions.

Standing Orders for Acquisition and Disposal of Property (pages 228-233 (pages 259)

• SO L3, L5, L8 (i) and vi), L9(i) and L10-where appropriate, inclusion of title ‘Corporate Head of Assets and Regeneration’ as the responsible Officer for certain matters to reflect current working practices and responsibilities.

Part 6 –Scheme of Members’ Allowances

• Page 402 (page 433) – The new scheme of Members’ Allowances was approved at Full Council on 5 March 2020 and will replace the existing scheme contained in the Constitution.

39 Part 7 – Management Structure

• Page 407 (page 438.) - updated structure diagram will be included to reflect changes made since the Constitution was last adopted.

4. Implementation

4.1 The Committee’s recommendation will be reported to Full Council on 16 July 2020. The changes to the Constitution will come into effect on 16 July 2020.

5 Biodiversity/environmental/sustainability implications

5.1 Due to the bulk of the document, large numbers of printed copies will not be produced in order to reduce use of paper. As previously and in accordance with Article 15.03 (a) of the Constitution, it is proposed that a hard copy be provided for the Mayor, the Leaders of the political groups on the Council, each Committee Chairman, each Chief Officer and for Legal and Democratic Services Officers, with a few spares to meet the occasional request from members of the public. Otherwise this document will be freely available in downloadable form from the Council’s website and a hard copy will be available for public inspection at the Civic Centre reception.

(To recommend to Full Council on 16 July 2020)

Background papers

Notes of Constitution Member Working Group Meetings Internal emails relating to updates / changes to the Constitution held by Democratic Services Manager.

7. REVISED PROBATION PROCEDURE (HUMAN RESOURCES – FIONA SKENE)

Synopsis of report:

Attached at Appendix ‘C’ is a new Probation Procedure for consideration by the Committee.

Recommendation:

that the revised procedure be approved subject to consultation with UNISON.

1. Context of report

1.1 Two of the key themes of the work of the Human Resources (HR) Member Working Group were work on Recruitment and Retention and a Learning and Development Strategy. A new set of Leadership and Staff Competencies and a new Performance Review process were approved by the Corporate Management Committee. Following this they were rolled out through a series of management and staff briefings. This was followed by a set of training courses for all managers on the best techniques for motivating staff and managing performance referencing in the new Competencies and Performance Review process. Following on from this, a new induction process and probationary procedure have been devised. The new Probation Procedure is attached at Appendix ‘C’. It was considered by the HR Member Working Group on 29 January 2020. A New Employee Probation Review Form is attached at Appendix ‘D’.

40 2. Report

2.1 All new staff have a probation of 6 months during which time their suitability for confirmation of appointment is assessed. If it is clear that they are not suited to the role, the line manager needs to consult the Corporate Head of Service and HR with a view to terminating the employee’s contract of employment. If the employee is borderline but it is believed they may be able to meet the standards required they can have their probation extended by 3 months in order to determine if they are able to meet the required standards.

2.2 A 6 month probation period also applies where a member of staff is promoted. In this case, if there are issues the Capability Procedure is used. The new procedure sets out how to handle the key elements within probation and the notice period which applies if an employee does not prove suitable.

(To resolve)

Background Papers

None stated

41 APPENDIX 'C'

Probation Procedure Introduction

It is the Council's policy to operate probationary periods for all new employees, and in respect of employees who have been transferred or promoted into different posts.

A probationary period is intended to allow both the employee and line manager to assess objectively whether or not the employee is suitable for the role. The organisation believes that the use of probationary periods increases the likelihood that new employees will perform effectively in their employment.

The line manager is responsible under this policy for ensuring that all new employees are properly monitored during their probationary period. If any problems arise, the line manager should address these promptly. This will ensure that the employee is aware that some aspect of his/her performance or conduct is unsatisfactory and prevent the problem from escalating.

Length of probation

The Council's standard period of probation is six months. This applies for new employees as well as for existing employees who transferred or were promoted into a new role. This is to give the employee a full opportunity to achieve the required standards.

New Employee

If there is clear evidence prior to the end of the period of probation that suggests the new employee is unsuitable for the role, the line manager should consult the Corporate Head of Service and HR with a view to terminating the employee's contract prior to the end of the probation period.

Existing Employee

If there is clear evidence prior to the end of the period of probation that suggests an employee who has been transferred or promoted is unsuitable for the role, the line manager should consult Corporate Head and HR with a view to follow the Council’s Capability Procedure.

Line managers' responsibilities

Under this policy, the line manager has responsibility for monitoring a new employee's performance and progress during the probationary period. The line manager must ensure that the employee is properly informed at the start of his/her employment/role about what is expected of him/her during probation, for example the required job outputs or standards of performance and behaviour and identify any relevant training needs.

Reviews during probation

The line manager should review and assess the employee's performance, capability and suitability for the role on at least a monthly basis during the employee's probation, and again at the end of the probationary period. A clear record should be made of each review meeting. A copy of the record should be passed to the employee and the original forwarded to HR.

During an employee's probation, the line manager should provide regular feedback to the employee about his/her performance and progress, and, should there be any problem areas, raise these with the employee as soon as possible with a view to resolving them. The line manager is also responsible for providing guidance and support and for identifying and arranging any necessary training or coaching.

The final probation review meeting should be held no less than two weeks before the end of probation to allow notice to be given, if the employee is not going to be retained at the end of probation. If the employee’s employment continues beyond the 6 month period, the employee is deemed to have passed their probation period.

Extending probationary periods

The Council reserves the right to extend an employee's period of probation at its discretion. This will be limited to one extension of 3 months. The maximum period of probation will therefore be no longer than 9 months.

An extension may be implemented in circumstances where the employee's performance and/or behaviour during probation has not been entirely satisfactory but it is thought likely that an extension to the probationary period may lead to an improvement which may be sufficient to meet the required standards for the role., Alternatively, where the employee or the line manager has been absent from the workplace for an extended period during probation, it may be wise to extend the probationary period to allow a proper assessment of the employee’s performance/suitability for the role to occur. This will give the manager sufficient time to ascertain whether the employee is likely to be confirmed in the post.

Before extending an employee's probationary period, the line manager must consult with HR. If an extension to the probationary period is agreed, the Council will confirm the terms of the extension in writing to the employee, including:

• the length of the extension and the date on which the extended period of probation will end;

• the reason for the extension. If the reason is unsatisfactory performance or behavioural issues, details of how and why these have fallen short of the required standards;

• the performance standards or objectives that the employee is required to achieve by the end of the extended period of probation;

• any support such as further training, that will be provided during the extended period of probation; and

• a statement that, if the employee does not meet fully the required standards for the role by the end of the extended period of probation, his/her employment will be terminated.

Irregularities discovered during the probationary period

If, during an employee's probation, it is suspected or established that the employee does not have the qualifications, experience or knowledge that he/she claimed to have at the time of recruitment, the matter will be discussed with the employee to establish the facts. If the evidence suggests that the employee misrepresented his/her abilities in any way, the organisation will terminate the employment giving one week's pay in lieu of notice.

End of probation

At the end of the probationary period, the line manager should conduct a final review of the employee's performance and suitability for the job. This will involve a meeting with the employee to discuss his/her performance and progress throughout the period of probation.

The review must be conducted at least two weeks before the date on which the employee's probationary period is due to come to an end. Failure to complete the probationary review by the six months anniversary date of appointment, means that it is deemed that the employee has passed their probation.

If the employee's performance is satisfactory, the line manager should notify HR to issue a letter of confirmation of appointment to the employee.

In the case of an individual passing their probation period, the manager has the opportunity to review the salary. Where there is sufficient headroom within their scale the manager can make a recommendation of up to a 3% salary increase. All increases must have the express prior agreement from the Head of Human Resources and Chief Executive.

If the new employee has not met the standards required by the organisation, line manager should discuss the matter with the Corporate Head and HR before any decision is made to terminate the employee's employment.

If an existing employee, who has been promoted or transferred, has not met the standards required by the organisation, the line manager should discuss the matter with the Corporate Head and HR before a decision is made to follow the Council’s normal Capability Procedure.

Termination of employment

If new employee's performance while on probation or at the end of the probation period, has been unsatisfactory (despite support from the line manager), and it is thought unlikely that further training or support would lead to a satisfactory level of improvement, the employment will be terminated at the end of the period of probation.

Where a decision is taken to terminate the new employee's employment, the employee must be interviewed and informed of the reason for the termination. The organisation will write to the employee confirming the termination and the reason for it.

If an employee's employment is terminated after the expiry of the probationary period, or if the employee is an existing employee who has been transferred or promoted into a different role, the organisation's normal Capability Procedure must be followed in full.

44 Notice Period

During the probationary period, employees will be subject to all the terms and conditions of their contracts of employment with the exception of those terms noted below.

New Employees

During the probation period either party may terminate the contract of employment by giving one week's notice. In the event that the organisation decides to terminate the employee's employment, his/her employment will come to an end immediately and the employee will receive pay in lieu of the one week's notice, together with any outstanding holiday pay.

Once the probationary period has been completed, the notice periods will increase to level as defined in the employee's contract of employment.

Existing Employees

If an existing employee, who has transferred or been promoted into a new post, wishes to resign during the probation period, they will be obliged to give the organisation the notice defined in the Notice Period provision clause in the employees contract of employment.

Review

This procedure will be reviewed as necessary.

45 APPENDIX 'D'

New Employee Probation Review Form

Name: Job Title & Service Area:

Line Manager: Start Date:

This form should be completed after each Line Manager and employee reviews at one month, three months and six months and signed by both parties.

Discuss each of the areas in the form with the new employee to monitor progress and make appropriate notes.

Areas for Discussion Month One Month Three Month Six Objective Progress Probation Review & Outcome Objective setting Performance Objectives Progress & Performance Learning & Development needs Learning & Development needs Learning & Development needs What has gone well?

What has not gone so well?

(Please address any performance issues here)

What knowledge, skills does the employee still need to develop?

Outstanding mandatory e-learning to be completed: • Data Protection Essentials • Diversity, Equality & Discrimination, • Freedom of Information • Manual Handling • Safeguarding Children & Adults • Stress Awareness 46 Key Objectives for the Probation Period

Insert Key Objectives Progress at Three Months Tick box Progress at six months Tick box

1. ☐ Exceeded ☐ Exceeded ☐ Achieved ☐ Achieved ☐ Not Achieved ☐ Not Achieved

2. ☐ Exceeded ☐ Exceeded ☐ Achieved ☐ Achieved ☐ Not Achieved ☐ Not Achieved

3. ☐ Exceeded ☐ Exceeded ☐ Achieved ☐ Achieved ☐ Not Achieved ☐ Not Achieved

4. ☐ Exceeded ☐ Exceeded ☐ Achieved ☐ Achieved ☐ Not Achieved ☐ Not Achieved

5. ☐ Exceeded ☐ Exceeded ☐ Achieved ☐ Achieved ☐ Not Achieved ☐ Not Achieved

Staff and Managers Competencies

Tick required level for each competency. Use the Staff and Managers Competency Framework to determine observed level for each competency. Tick observed box and add supporting comments.

For Managers only include comments on effectiveness in reducing sickness absence under Managing & Developing Performance.

Competency Level 1 2 3 4 Comments at Three Months Comments at Six Months

Unacceptable

MANAGERS ONLY Required Decision Making Observed

MANAGERS ONLY Required Managing and Developing Performance Observed

MANAGERS ONLY Required Strategic Vision

Observed

Competency Level 1 2 3 4 Comments at Three Months Comments at Six Months

Unacceptable

ALL STAFF Required Building Relationships Observed

ALL STAFF Required Business Development Observed

ALL STAFF Required Customer Focus

Observed

ALL STAFF Required Organisation

Awareness Observed

ALL STAFF Required Planning and

Organising Observed

Overall Performance

Performance at Three Months Performance at Six Months

Needs Meets Exceeds Needs Meets Exceeds Unacceptable Outstanding Unacceptable Outstanding Development Expectations Expectations Development Expectations Expectations

1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4 5

Performance Comments Performance Comments

Probation Progress Progress at three months Confirm in Post at Six months

Is the employee on track to successfully complete their probation Yes ☐ Yes ☐ period? Is employment confirmed? No ☐ (Please discuss with HR if ticking ‘No’ or ‘Extended’) No ☐ Extended ☐

Signatures One Month Three Months Six Months

Employee’s signature

Lone Manager’s signature

Please send a copy of this form to HR at each stage and attach a copy of the completed Individual Development Plan Statement of Understanding Form to the copy of the One Month Review. 50

8. DETERMINATION OF SEVERANCE PAYMENTS FOR CHIEF OFFICERS (HUMAN RESOURCES – FIONA SKENE)

Synopsis of report: To consider amending the current policy relating to the level of severance payment which needs the authorisation of Full Council relating to Chief Officers in efficiency cases.

Human Resources Member Working Group Recommendation:

To recommend to Full Council on 16 July 2020 that the Council’s policy be amended so that in the case of termination on efficiency grounds, any severance payment to any Chief Officer with a net cost to the Council of less than £50,000 will be determined by the Corporate Management Committee and any severance payment to any Chief Officer with a net cost to the Council of more than £50,000 will be determined by Full Council.

1. Context of report

1.1 As Members may recall, the Annual Pay Policy Statement for the Council for the period 2020/2021 was considered by the Corporate Management Committee (CMC) on 27 February 2020 and was approved by Full Council on 5 March 2020.

1.2 At the CMC meeting on 27 February 2020, it was noted that paragraph 4.6 of the Statement sets out the Council’s policy on termination of Chief Officers on efficiency grounds and that any further future amendments to the Council’s pay policy would be considered by the Council’s Human Resources (HR) Member Working Group who could make such recommendations to the CMC as they saw fit.

2. Report

2.1 The Annual Pay Policy Statement, which is a position statement on certain aspects of existing pay arrangements in each Council, is submitted to CMC each year and then must be approved by Full Council and placed on the Council’s external website. On 3 March 2020 at the HR Member Working Group, there was a discussion on whether to amend the policy referred to in paragraph 4.6 of the Pay Policy Statement. The current policy provides that in the case of termination on efficiency ground of the employment of a Chief Officer, any proposed terms of compensation with a net cost to the Council of up to £100,000 will be determined by the CMC while any severance payment of this kind over £100,000 will be considered by Full Council.

2.2 The HR Member Working Group asked that a report be made to a future meeting of this Committee recommending a reduction of the threshold for approval by Full Council of those severance payments referred to in paragraph 2.1 above from over £100,000 to over £50,000.

2.3 The Committee is accordingly requested to consider the HR Member Working Group’s recommendation.

(To recommend to Full Council on 16 July 2020)

Background Papers

None

51 9. GENDER PAY GAP 2019/20 (HUMAN RESOURCES – FIONA SKENE)

Synopsis of report:

Attached at Appendix ‘E’ is the gender pay gap data for 2019/20.

Recommendation:

That the gender pay gap data for 2019/20 be noted.

1. Context of report

1.1. The Gender Pay Gap regulations applied to all public sector organisations from 31 March 2017. They require that the gender pay gap figures for each relevant organisation are published by 30 March each year based on a snapshot date of 5 April of the previous year.

1.2. The purpose of this legislation is to encourage employers to take new and faster action to close the pay gap between the genders by requiring employers to publish their gender pay gap on their own external websites and on a Government website. An employer must comply with the legislation if they have a headcount of 250 employees or above. Runnymede has approximately 420 employees at present. The figures for 2019/20 are attached at Appendix ‘E’.

2. Report

2.1. There are a number of statistics required by the Gender Pay Gap regulations. These include the following: -

• The mean gender pay gap • The median gender pay gap • The mean bonus gender pay gap • The median bonus gender pay gap • The proportion of males and females receiving a bonus payment • The proportion of males and females in each quartile pay band

2.2. There is considerable guidance from ACAS on what types of pay should be included in the calculations. For example, the regulations only cover those receiving their full pay during the relevant period. Shift payments are included but not overtime. Expenses are excluded as are termination payments. Car allowances are in but not cars.

2.3 Pay is counted as the pay level before deductions such as NI, tax or pension contributions are made. The employees counted include those in organisations on zero-hour contracts, apprentices and some consultants. Agency workers are counted by their actual employer.

2.4 The Council does not pay bonus payments, so we do not report on the two elements relating to bonus payments. The median gender pay gap is determined by ranking all posts and it represents the middle-paid woman and man within the pay structure. In this respect for 2019 the female median hourly rate is higher than the male median rate for 2019. These are as follows: -

Male median 13.4

Female median 13.81 Median pay gap: -3.06%

However, the mean between men and women represents a gap of 10.22%. The difference in mean hourly rates between women and men are as follows: - 52 Male mean 17.13

Female mean 15.38

In 2019, the estimated pay gap for all employees is 17.3%.

2.5 What are the main reasons for the size of this gap?

2.5.1 A very noticeable feature of the workforce composition is that the percentage of women in the two middling quartiles of the workforce has substantially reduced in numbers. The number of women in the higher quartile has increased by 6.11%. There is also a higher percentage of women in the lower quartile.

2.5.2 What are the reasons for these changes? The biggest factor is the consequences of the Council Tax and Housing Benefit (HB) reviews at the snapshot date (5th April). Both these reviews which were partly designed to make savings and partly to improve customer service and performance, resulted in a number of women leaving the organisation in the two middling quartiles on voluntary redundancy. The new structures were subsequently populated after this date and will show through in next year’s figures.

2.5.3 In addition, there were a small number of redundancies in Housing; some Planners left due to market factors, along with a small number of other skilled, well-paid women from different areas to progress their careers in larger organisations. There were also 2 well-paid female contract staff in Commercial Services implementing the Estates Management ICT system who left when this work was completed. In addition, the DSO review resulted in the regrading of all HGV and 7.5 tonne drivers, and a group of Street Cleansing Operatives who were male employees. All of these factors resulted in a worsening of the equal pay gap.

2.6 Breakdown of the Workforce by Gender

2.6.1 The breakdown of the workforce by gender in 2019 is set out below: -

Quartile Women Men

Top Quartile 57.41% 42.59%

Upper Middle 36.11% 63.89%

Lower Middle 29.63% 70.37%

Lower 51.85% 48.15%

2.6.2 This compares with the figures for 2018 which were as follows: -

Quartile Women Men

Top Quartile 51.3% 48.7%

Upper Middle 72.1% 27.9%

Lower Middle 74.8% 25.2%

Lower 40.2% 59.8%

2.6.3 This illustrates gender composition in the workforce has altered as follows: - 53

Top Quartile Percentage of women has increased by 6.11%

Upper Middle Percentage of women has decreased by 35.99%

Lower Middle Percentage of women has decreased by 45.17%

Lower Percentage of women has increased by 11.65%

2.6.4 These changes in the composition of the workforce have undeniably influenced the size of the gender pay gap this year. This is reflected in an increase in the gender pay gap of 2.62% in relation to mean hourly rate since 2018. The figures are illustrated in the table below.

Year Median Mean

2017/18 0.3% higher for women 6.6% lower than men’s pay 2018/19 5.2% higher for women 7.6% lower than men’s pay 2019/20 0.3% higher for women 10.22% lower than men’s pay

3. How to address gender pay gaps

3.1. The action necessary to reduce gender pay gaps varies and depends partially on what the drivers are for the pay gap in the organisation concerned. In relation to Runnymede, the following actions are recommended: -

• Analyse whether there were any other factors affecting the pay gap • Analyse the impact of the populating of the Council Tax and HB structures • Analyse the impact of the ICT review on the pay gap • Analyse the impact of the senior management review on the pay gap • Encourage leavers to fill out their exit questionnaire

3.2 In terms of general actions which can be taken to reduce a gender pay gap the key ones are as follows: -

• Include more women in shortlists for recruitment and promotion subject to remaining within the law • Use skills- based assessment tasks to a greater degree in selection processes, ensuring a consistent scoring approach is used • Used structured interviews for recruitment and promotion and grade responses against standardised criteria • Where salary negotiation is possible, ensure this is communicated to candidates • Ensure there is transparency in relation to promotion, pay and reward processes • Ensure there is a senior manager responsible for diversity in the Council who can monitor talent management and ensure they are empowered to implement diversity strategy and policies • Ensure there is good workforce flexibility in terms of working arrangements, and this is publicised to candidates and workforce • Encourage uptake of shared parental leave to both genders • Try to recruit female returners to the workforce • Offer mentoring and encourage networking • Set internal targets with timescales for their achievement • Ensure both sexes have a fair opportunity for Leadership training • Ensure selection panels are of mixed gender wherever possible 54 • Ensure we are providing support to those with caring responsibilities

3.3 In terms of recruitment and selection, this forms part of the new Management Development programme for all managers which is currently being tendered for. HR have been encouraging managers to utilise more assessment techniques. We do offer a considerable range of flexible working options. At Runnymede, the Corporate Head of Law and Governance is responsible for Corporate Equalities, and we have a lawyer who is also our Equalities Officer. However, at present we do not have a target reduction to our gender pay gap so perhaps this is something we could consider. In addition it may be wise to create an action plan to work towards reducing our gender pay gap say over the next 3 years.

(To resolve)

Background Papers

None stated

55 APPENDIX 'E' Male Mean hourly rate 17.13 Male Median hourly rate 13.4 Female Mean hourly rate 15.38 Female Median hourly rate 13.81

Mean Gender Pay Gap 10.22%

Median Gender Pay Gap -3.06%

Proportion of Males and Females in each quartile pay band Quartile Pay Band Male Female Q1 57.41% 42.59% 100.00% Q2 36.11% 63.89% 100.00% Q3 29.63% 70.37% 100.00% Q4 51.85% 48.15% 100.00%

56 10. MODERN SLAVERY AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING STATEMENT (CHIEF EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE – SARAH WALSH)

Synopsis of report:

The proposed statement outlines how the Council meets its duties under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

Recommendation:

The Committee approves the publication of the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement attached at Appendix ‘F’.

1. Context of report

1.1 The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was implemented to combat slavery and human trafficking.

1.2 ‘Modern slavery’ is an umbrella term that encompasses offences relating to slavery and human trafficking. The most common forms of exploitation that victims are subjected to are:

• Sexual exploitation: victims may be forced into prostitution, pornography or lap dancing for little or no pay. They may be deprived of their freedom of movement and subjected to threats and violence. • Labour exploitation: a victim is made to work with little or no pay and may face violence or threats. If they are foreign nationals, their passports may be confiscated by their exploiters and they may be made to live in terrible conditions and under constant threat. Two key business types identified as being higher risk by Surrey Police are nail bars and car washes. • Forced criminality: victims can be forced to participate in a range of illegal activities including pick pocketing, shop lifting, cannabis cultivation, county lines exploitation and other activities. The Modern Slavery Act provides for a defence for victims who have been forced into criminality. • Organ harvesting: victims are trafficked in order for their internal organs (typically kidneys or the liver) to be harvested for transplant. • Domestic servitude: victims work in a household where they may be ill- treated, humiliated, subjected to exhausting hours, forced to work and live under unbearable conditions or forced to work for little or no pay. In some cases, forced marriage can lead to domestic servitude.

1.3 In 2019, 10,627 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) which was a 52% increase from 2018. Of the potential victims referred in 2019, two-thirds claimed that the exploitation occurred in the UK only, whilst 26% claimed that the exploitation took place overseas only.

1.4 Just over half (5,866) of the referrals were for individuals who were potentially exploited as adults, whilst 43% (4, 550) were for potential victims who were exploited as minors. These proportions remain similar to 2018.

1.5 Of the potential victims referred in 2019, one third (3,391) were female; two thirds (7,224) were male; one individual was transgender; and the gender of 11 potential victims was not known. Compare to 2018, males have slightly increased as a proportion of all NRM referrals.

1.6 Overall, female potential victims were most commonly referred for sexual exploitation, whilst males were most often referred for labour and criminal exploitation.

57 1.7 As was the case in the previous year, the most common nationality of all referrals to the NRM in 2019 was UK nationals, accounting for 27% (2, 836) of all potential victims. The second most commonly referred nationality was Albanian (1,705 referrals) followed by Vietnamese nationals (887 referrals).

1.8 Officers are still trying to access statistics specifically related to Runnymede and so these may follow as an addendum.

1.9 Modern slavery frequently involves multiple victims, offenders and places; it is often hidden and may take place alongside a wide range of abuses and other criminal offences.

1.10 Human traffickers can use a variety of means to recruit, transport, receive and hide their victims such as threats or force, abduction, deception or false promises. Any consent victims have given to their treatment will be irrelevant where they have been coerced, deceived or provided with payment or benefit to achieve that consent.

1.11 Children (those aged under 18) are considered victims of trafficking, whether or not they have been coerced, deceived or paid to secure their compliance. They need only have been recruited, transported, received or harboured for the purpose of exploitation.

2. Report

2.1 Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires commercial organisations carrying out business in the UK, with a turnover of at least £36 million, to prepare and publish a slavery and human trafficking statement each year.

2.2 The Council undertakes a range of activities to prevent exploitation related to modern slavery and human trafficking. The Corporate Head of Community Development is the Council’s safeguarding lead.

2.3 The Council’s proposed Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement can be found in Appendix ‘F’ attached. The Statement includes the role of councils, the steps the Council has taken to prevent exploitation, the related policies and plans, and a new procurement policy to ensure the Council is committed to ethical purchasing and ensuring our supply chain operates in an ethical and sustainable way.

3. Policy framework implications

3.1 The statement supports the corporate theme of Supporting Local People and also meets the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

4. Equality Implications

4.1 The Council has a public sector equality under the Equality Act 2010. Section 149 of the Act provides that we must have due regard to the need to

a) eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and other conduct prohibited by the Act; b) advance equality of opportunity; and c) foster good relations between persons who share a relevant characteristic and persons who do not share protected characteristics.

4.2 An Equality Impact Screening has been completed (attached at Appendix ‘G’) and it has been deemed that a full assessment is not considered necessary.

58 5. Conclusions

5.1 Training is provided to key staff to understand this exploitation and to report any concerns; in partnership with the Community Safety Partnership we would share information with key partners if concerns were identified in order to deliver a coordinated approach; and the proposed procurement policy includes the requirement for Council contractors to also fully comply with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

5.2 Officers recommend Members approve the statement for publication.

(To resolve)

Background Papers

None stated

59 APPENDIX 'F'

Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement

60 1.0 Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement is to demonstrate how the Council meets its duties under the Modern Slavery Act 2015.

2.0 Introduction

2.1 The Modern Slavery Act 2015 was implemented to combat slavery and human trafficking. 2.2 ‘Modern slavery’ is an umbrella term that encompasses offences relating to slavery and human trafficking. The most common forms of exploitation that victims are subjected to are: • Sexual exploitation: victims may be forced into prostitution, pornography or lap dancing for little or no pay. They may be deprived of their freedom of movement and subjected to threats and violence. • Labour exploitation: a victim is made to work with little or no pay, and may face violence or threats. If they are foreign nationals, their passports may be confiscated by their exploiters and they may be made to live in terrible conditions and under constant threat. Two key business types identified as being higher risk by Surrey Police are nail bars and car washes. • Forced criminality: victims can be forced to participate in a range of illegal activities including pick pocketing, shop lifting, cannabis cultivation, county lines exploitation and other activities. The Modern Slavery Act provides for a defence for victims who have been forced into criminality. • Organ harvesting: victims are trafficked in order for their internal organs (typically kidneys or the liver) to be harvested for transplant. • Domestic servitude: victims work in a household where they may be ill-treated, humiliated, subjected to exhausting hours, forced to work and live under unbearable conditions or forced to work for little or no pay. In some cases forced marriage can lead to domestic servitude.

2.3 In 2019, 10,627 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM); a 52% increase from 2018. Of the potential victims referred in 2019, two- thirds claimed that the exploitation occurred in the UK only, whilst 26% claimed that the exploitation took place overseas only.

2.4 Just over half (5,866) of the referrals were for individuals who were potentially exploited as adults, whilst 43% (4,550) were for potential victims who were exploited as minors. These proportions remain similar to 2018.

2.5 Of the potential victims referred in 2019, one-third (3,391) were female; two-thirds (7,224) were male; one individual was transgender; and the gender of 11 potential victims was not known. Compared to 2018, males have slightly increased as a proportion of all NRM referrals.

61 2.6 Overall, female potential victims were most commonly referred for sexual exploitation, whilst males were most often referred for labour and criminal exploitation. 2.7 As was the case in the previous year, the most common nationality of all referrals to the NRM in 2019 was UK nationals, accounting for 27% (2,836) of all potential victims. The second most commonly referred nationality was Albanian (1,705 referrals) followed by Vietnamese nationals (887 referrals). 2.8 Modern slavery frequently involves multiple victims, offenders and places; it is often hidden and may take place alongside a wide range of abuses and other criminal offences. 2.9 Human traffickers can use a variety of means to recruit, transport, receive and hide their victims such as threats or force, abduction, deception or false promises. Any consent victims have given to their treatment will be irrelevant where they have been coerced, deceived or provided with payment or benefit to achieve that consent. 2.10 Children (those aged under 18) are considered victims of trafficking, whether or not they have been coerced, deceived or paid to secure their compliance. They need only have been recruited, transported, received or harboured for the purpose of exploitation.

3.0 The role of councils 3.1 Councils have a key role to play in tackling this exploitation, which can be separated into four distinct areas:

• Identification and referral of victims - For children this means referring them into the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) through children’s services. For adults, a NRM referral can also be made if they consent to the referral. If an adult doesn’t consent to enter the NRM, councils are still under a duty to notify and should refer them to the Home Office by submitting the MS1 form. • Supporting victims - This can be through safeguarding children and adults with care and support needs and through housing/homelessness services. During the five days where the competent authority (a unit in the Home Office) aims to make a reasonable grounds decision, if the victim is destitute, support can be provided through the Government’s contract with The Salvation Army. To activate any support during these five days, alongside sending in the NRM referral form, the first responder (the Council if it is the referrer) would need to contact The Salvation Army separately to arrange this (via the 24 hour referral number). • Community safety services and disruption activities - Under Section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act councils have a duty to do all that they reasonably can to prevent crime and disorder in their areas, which includes modern slavery and trafficking. Information sharing through key partnerships, such as community safety partnerships, is key to ensuring that disruption activities and enforcement work is targeted effectively. • The production of a slavery and human trafficking statement – produce a statement covering the steps the organisation has taken during the financial year to ensure that slavery and human trafficking is not taking place in any of its supply chains and any part of its own business.

62 5.0 Steps Runnymede Borough Council has taken to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking 5.1 The table below identifies the steps taken by the Council to fulfil its role in the four distinct areas identified in 3.1.

Area Steps taken Identification and referral of victims Training is provided to key front line service staff to understand modern slavery and the need to refer concerns to the Council’s Safeguarding Lead Officer. Supporting victims N/A in this financial year Community safety services and disruption The Council forms part of the Runnymede activities Community Safety Partnership with other key partners. This group provides an opportunity for partners to share information and to support common activity across partners on modern slavery to deliver a local coordinated approach to disruption and other activities based on local intelligence. The production of a slavery and human Corporate Procurement Office’s Tackling trafficking statement covering the steps the Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain Policy organisation has taken during the financial has been developed (see Appendix 1) and year to ensure that slavery and human approval is sought as part of this statement. trafficking is not taking place in any of its CIPs Ethical Procurement and Supply supply chains and any part of its own training course covering the identification of business. high risk suppliers in our supply chain has also been provided to Corporate Procurement Office staff.

6.0 Related policies and plans Runnymede Borough Council has a range of policies and plans that reflect its commitment to acting ethically and with integrity to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations. These include: Safeguarding Policy – this policy sets out the steps the Council is taking to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk who come into contact with its services and activities. The policy includes the Council’s responsibilities in respect of modern slavery and human trafficking and its legal obligation to notify the Home Office of suspected victims of these offences. Runnymede Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people, and adults with care and support. This is demonstrated by:

• Appointment of a Lead Member for Safeguarding • Appointment of a Lead Officer for safeguarding across the Council • A representative of Surrey’s district and borough councils sits on the Surrey Safeguarding Adults Board and the Surrey Safeguarding Children Board • Appropriate returns are made to both Boards • Engagement and co-operation with the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) for adults and Multi agency Partnership (MAP) for children

63 Runnymede Community Safety Partnership and Community Safety Action Plan – The Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is a statutory multi agency partnership which meets quarterly with the remit to work together to reduce crime and disorder in the community and creates an annual action plan to deliver priorities for the year. Runnymede’s Community Safety aims are the following: Aim 1: To reduce crime and anti-social behaviour by tackling offenders, reduce reoffending and to support vulnerable victims and areas. Aim 2: To protect the most vulnerable individuals from high harm and abuse. Aim 3: To maintain public confidence by making residents feel safe and secure. Corporate Procurement Strategy – this sets out the strategic aims and principles of procurement activity, including the principles that the Council follows in the acquisition of goods, works and services from third-party and in-house providers. Equality Policy and Equality Objectives – these policies set out the Council’s procedures to ensure that it fulfils its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

7.0 Useful links for more information 7.1 The following hyperlinks provide additional useful information:

• Surrey Police - advice on modern slavery • Home Office You Tube video • LGA Modern Slavery Guidance for Councils • LGA Modern Slavery training

Appendix 1: Procurement Policy – Tackling Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain

The Council is committed to ethical purchasing and ensuring our supply chain operates in an ethical and sustainable way. As part of that commitment, Runnymede Borough Council: 1. Ensures its corporate procurement team have appropriate training to understand modern slavery. 2. Requires its contractors to comply fully with the Modern Slavery Act 2015, wherever it applies, with contract termination as a potential sanction for non-compliance. 3. Notes that contracted workers are free to join a trade union and are not to be treated unfairly for belonging to one. 4. Publicises its whistle-blowing system for staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery. 5. Requires its tendered contractors to adopt a whistle-blowing policy which enables their staff to blow the whistle on any suspected examples of modern slavery. 6. Ensures that quality assurance safeguards are in place to protect its contractual spending and identify any potential issues with modern slavery. 7. Highlights for its suppliers any risks identified concerning modern slavery and refer them to the relevant agencies to be addressed. 8. Refers for investigation via the National Crime Agency’s national referral mechanism any of its contractors identified as a cause for concern regarding modern slavery. 9. Reports publicly on the implementation of this policy annually.

Procurement Policy for addressing modern slavery in the supply chain Part of the Quality evaluation criteria for any future procurement must incorporate an assessment of the company’s policy and procedures for assessing and dealing with modern slavery in their operations including any sub-contractors.

Suitability Assessment of Tenderers If a company has declared that they meet the criteria of Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 by means of self-certification in the suitability assessment form, Buying Managers must check the company for full compliance via the TISC REPORT https://tiscreport.org/. If this report determines that the company is required to comply and does not fully comply, the tender should be excluded from further evaluation.

Quality Evaluation of Tenders With immediate effect, when a new contract is tendered, the tenderer must provide as part of their Quality response, information to demonstrate their commitment to assessing and dealing with modern slavery in their operations including any sub-contractors

65 The question below should be used in the Quality Questionnaire or Method Statement questions with a weighting of no less than 5% of the total marks for Quality: The Authority is committed to combating modern slavery in its supply chain. Please describe your policy and procedures for ensuring that no cases of Modern Slavery, as defined in the Modern Slavery Act 2015 in either your organisation or your work force are used to fulfil the contract. Specific examples should be provided of your company’s steps taken to assess and combat modern slavery from your supply chain. Contract clauses to combat modern slavery All bespoke contracts and standard T&Cs to include the need for open book accounting Contract termination clauses to allow for termination due to non-compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015

Contract Management Once a contract is in place, it is the responsibility of the Contract Manager to ensure that at regular and frequent intervals an assessment of the supplier and any sub-contractors is undertaken. This could include: Unannounced visits to construction sites – Officers to spot the signs of potential modern slavery https://www.gla.gov.uk/who-we-are/modern-slavery/who-we-are-modern-slavery-spot-the-signs/ Ask to see workers with their written employment contracts and passports Ask to meet with some workers to assess for signs of potential modern slavery Ask to see company accounts to check salaries/wages are being paid to individuals – follow the money

Assessing our supply chain Corporate Procurement will assess the existing supply chain in relation to their compliance with section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 by means of the NGO, TISC REPORT (Transparency in Supply Chains – https://tiscreport.org/ ) Further, Corporate Procurement will communicate with our supply chain on the signs of modern slavery and facilitate an audit of the supply chain on a regular basis to seek overall reassurance that the suppliers that we contract with are combating modern slavery.

66 APPENDIX 'G'

EQUALITY SCREENING

Equality Impact Assessment guidance should be considered when completing this form.

POLICY/FUNCTION/ACTIVITY LEAD OFFICER Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement Sarah Walsh, CE Office

A. What is the aim of this policy, function or activity? Why is it needed? What is it hoped to achieve and how will it be ensured it works as intended? Does it affect service users, employees or the wider community? Runnymede Borough Council already has a range of policies and plans that reflect its commitment to acting ethically and with integrity to prevent slavery and human trafficking in its operations.

- The Council’s Procurement Policy and procedures: contain several measures to positively safeguard people with these protected characteristics through the procurement stages, the contract letting and monitoring processes, including training for staff, assessment and quality evaluation of tenders and a framework for reporting concerns. - Safeguarding Policy: Sets out the steps the Council is taking to safeguard and protect the welfare of children, young people and adults at risk who come into contact with its services and activities. The policy includes the Council’s responsibilities in respect of modern slavery and human trafficking and its legal obligation to notify the Home Office of suspected victims of these offences. - Runnymede Community Safety Partnership and Community Safety Action Plan: Is a statutory multi agency partnership which meets quarterly with the remit to work together to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour by tackling offenders, reduce reoffending and to support vulnerable victims and areas; protect the most vulnerable individuals from high harm and abuse; and maintain public confidence by making residents feel safe and secure. - Corporate Procurement Strategy: Sets out the strategic aims and principles of procurement activity, including the principles that the Council follows in the acquisition of goods, works and services from third-party and in-house providers (Tackling Modern Slavery in the Supply Chain). - Equality Policy and Equality Objectives: Set out the Council’s procedures to ensure that it fulfils its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

The purpose of the Modern Slavery and Human Trafficking Statement is to demonstrate how the Council meets its duties under the Modern Slavery Act 2015 to further help protect the wider community. ‘Modern slavery’ is an umbrella term that encompasses offences relating to slavery and human trafficking. The most common forms of exploitation that victims are subjected to are: sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced criminality, organ harvesting; and domestic servitude. Modern slavery frequently involves multiple victims, offenders and places; it is often hidden

67 and may take place alongside a wide range of abuses and other criminal offences. Councils have a key role to play in tackling this exploitation, which can be separated into four distinct areas: identification and referral of victims; supporting victims; community safety services and disruption activities; and the production of a slavery and human trafficking statement.

B. Is this policy, function or activity relevant to equality? Does the policy relate to an area in which there are known inequalities, or where different groups have different needs or experience? Remember, it may be relevant because there are opportunities to promote equality and greater access, not just potential for adverse impacts or unlawful discrimination. The statement positively impacts the protected characteristics of age and gender as children and males are disproportionately affected according to the available data.

In 2019, 10,627 potential victims of modern slavery were referred to the National Referral Mechanism (NRM); a 52% increase from 2018. Of the potential victims referred in 2019, two- thirds claimed that the exploitation occurred in the UK only, whilst 26% claimed that the exploitation took place overseas only.

Just over half (5,866) of the referrals were for individuals who were potentially exploited as adults, whilst 43% (4,550) were for potential victims who were exploited as minors. These proportions remain similar to 2018.

Of the potential victims referred in 2019, one-third (3,391) were female; two-thirds (7,224) were male; one individual was transgender; and the gender of 11 potential victims was not known. Compared to 2018, males have slightly increased as a proportion of all NRM referrals.

Overall, female potential victims were most commonly referred for sexual exploitation, whilst males were most often referred for labour and criminal exploitation.

As was the case in the previous year, the most common nationality of all referrals to the NRM in 2019 was UK nationals, accounting for 27% (2,836) of all potential victims. The second most commonly referred nationality was Albanian (1,705 referrals) followed by Vietnamese nationals (887 referrals).

Officers are still trying to access statistics specifically related to Runnymede and so these may follow as an addendum.

If the policy, function or activity is considered to be relevant to equality then a full Equality Impact Assessment must be carried out.

C. If the policy, function or activity is not considered to be relevant to equality, what are the reasons for this conclusion? What evidence has been used to make this decision? A simple statement of ‘no relevance’ or ‘no data’ is not sufficient. It is considered that a full impact assessment is not required; this being a statement, not a policy in itself and for the reasons given in Section B and detailed in the steps the Council is taking to prevent modern slavery and human trafficking at section 5 in the report. Actions moving forward would be reviewed and might require a further screening. For example, if we did take an active role in supporting victims which is not applicable in this financial year.

This screening assessment will need to be referred to the Equality Group for challenge before sign-off.

Date completed: 15 June 2020 Sign-off by senior manager: Sarah Walsh

69 11. REQUEST TO CHANGE THE NAME OF AN ELECTORAL WARD – PROPOSED TRIGGER CRITERION (LAW AND GOVERNANCE – MARIO LEO)

Synopsis of report:

To agree a criterion to be adopted by the Council for commencing the legal procedure for changing the name of an Electoral Ward.

Recommendations:

1. That a proposal to change an Electoral Ward name can only be triggered by submission to the Council of a petition signed by 400 people who are on the Electoral Register, and who provide a permanent address that can be verified as being within the Electoral Ward in question.

2. If a petition meeting the requirements set out above is received the relevant Electoral Ward Councillors will be consulted and their views taken into account before a report is put to this Committee to consider whether to recommend to Full Council that a formal consultation on the proposal is undertaken.

1. Context of report

1.1 The Council recently received a request to change the name of one of the Electoral Wards in the Borough. When this request was processed it was noted that the Council did not have a clear criterion for deciding when to agree to consider such a request.

1.2 The purpose of this report is to seek agreement to set a clear criterion which can be used to decide if the Council will consider a request to change the name of an Electoral Ward.

2. Report and, where applicable, options considered

2.1 For electoral purposes local authority administrative areas are divided into what are termed Electoral Wards which elect individuals as Councillors to represent the residents. Electoral Wards will be described by a name which can be allocated when the local authority area was first created, following the conclusion of an Electoral Review or via the exercise of a specific statutory power to alter the name of an Electoral Ward.

2.2 It is possible to change the name of an Electoral Ward and the procedure for doing so is set out in section 59 Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 (LGPIHA 2007). The section is set out below:

59.—Change of name of electoral area –

(1) A local authority may, by resolution, change the name of any of the authority’s electoral areas.

(2) A local authority must comply with subsections (3) to (5) in passing a resolution to change the name of an electoral area.

(3) The local authority must not pass the resolution unless it has taken reasonable steps to consult such persons as it considers appropriate on the proposed name.

(4) The resolution must be passed— 70

(a) at a meeting which is specially convened for the purpose of deciding the resolution with notice of the object, and (b) by a majority of at least two thirds of the members voting on it.

(5) If the name of the electoral area is protected, the resolution may not be passed unless the Local Government Boundary Commission has first agreed to the proposed change.

(6) As soon as practicable after a resolution is passed, the local authority must give notice of the change of name to all of the following—

(a) the Local Government Boundary Commission; (b) the Boundary Commission for England; (c) the Office of National Statistics; (d) the Director General of the Ordnance Survey; (e) if the local authority is a county council, the district council (if any) within whose area the electoral area lies; (f) if the local authority is a district council, the county council (if any) within whose area the electoral area lies.

(7) The change of name does not take effect until the Local Government Boundary Commission have been given notice of the change.

(8) For the purposes of this section the name of an electoral area is “protected” if—

(a) the name was given to the electoral area by or in pursuance of an order under section 17 of the Local Government Act 1992, section 59 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009 or section 14 of the Local Government and Rating Act 1997, and (b) that order was made during the period of five years ending with the day on which a resolution to change the name is to be passed.

(9) In subsection (4) the reference to the members of the council includes, in a case where the council are operating a mayor and cabinet executive, the elected mayor of the council.

(10) In this section—

“electoral area”, in relation to a local authority, means any area for which councillors are elected to the authority; “local authority” means —

(a) a county council in England; (b) a district council in England; or (c) a London borough council.

2.3 The Council can change the name of an Electoral Ward if it holds a special Full Council meeting to do so and at least two thirds of the members voting on the item vote in favour of the change. The Council must consult on the proposal before any vote is taken.

2.4 It should be noted that section 59(5) LGPIHA 2007 states that if the name of an Electoral Ward is ‘protected’ then the agreement of the Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) must also be obtained before any resolution to change the name of an Electoral Ward is passed.

71 2.5 The term ‘protected’ is defined in section 59(8) LGPIHA 2007 and is explained as stating that if the existing name was allocated to an Electoral Ward under an Order made under one of three pieces of legislation during the period of five years ending with the date on which any resolution to change the name was passed.

2.6 Given that any proposed change of name will involve a consultation exercise which can be costly depending upon the methodology used it is important that there is a justification for commencing such a process.

2.7 Electors will identify with their Ward and the name of the Ward is an important identifier. It is therefore important that any proposal to consider a change of name has enough support amongst those who will be directly affected by any proposed change. The most appropriate method to judge whether there is an appetite for a change of name is to require that any request is supported by a suitable number of people who are on the Electoral Register, and who provide a permanent address that can be verified as being within the Ward whose name it is proposed to alter.

2.8 The Council recently received a request from Councillors representing one Ward to consider changing the name of that Ward. When considering that request it was established that the Council did not have any guidelines in place to determine whether there was sufficient local interest in such a proposal to justify the commencement of such an exercise.

2.9 Officers undertook some research and discovered that another local authority in the southeast had been faced with a similar situation. That local authority concluded that there should be some form of trigger to warrant the expenditure of the time and effort involved in considering a change of an Electoral Ward name. The local authority in question decided that in order to trigger the consideration of a request to change the name of a Ward there should be a requirement that a petition be submitted by a specific number of electors in the Ward affected by the proposal.

2.10 This Committee requested that the Constitution and Legislation Member Working Group consider the details of any such trigger mechanism. A report was submitted to the Constitution and Legislation Member Working Group setting out proposals for the creation of a trigger mechanism.

2.11 Given that the average number electors per of ward in Runnymede is approximately 4,300 it was the proposal of officers that the Council impose a requirement that a proposal to change a Ward name be triggered by submission to the Council of a petition signed by 400 people who are on the Electoral Register, and who provide a permanent address that can be verified as being within the Ward in question.

2.12 If a petition meeting the requirements set out above is received the relevant Ward Councillors will be consulted and their views taken into account before a report is put to this Committee to consider whether to recommend to Full Council that a formal consultation on the proposal is undertaken.

2.13 The Constitution and Legislation Member Working Group considered the report of officers and following debate agreed to recommend to this Committee that such a trigger mechanism be adopted by the Council.

2.14 The mere fact that enough people who are on the Electoral Register, and who provide a permanent address that can be verified as being within the Ward in question, sign a petition requesting consideration of a change of name is no guarantee that a name will change. That outcome will be dependent upon the outcome of any consultation exercise and the agreement of the LGBCE if the current Ward name is protected.

3. Policy framework implications

3.1 The encouragement of the residents to participate in the democratic process is an important aspect of local government. If residents/electors identify with their local area through the adoption of a Ward name which creates a community spirit it will encourage them to vote at local elections. The Corporate Business Plan 2016-2020 has as one of its four themes ‘Supporting Local People’, which is defined as ‘improving the quality of people’s lives through developing healthier and safer communities, improving life chances, as well as listening to and representing local people’. The adoption of a Ward name which residents can relate to/identify with falls clearly within that corporate theme.

3.2 National legislation recognises that the name adopted for a Ward is an important matter and provides a mechanism for local decision making in respect of such an issue. By creating a clear criterion through which such a process can be initiated the Council is promoting local democracy.

4. Resource implications (where applicable)

4.1 The adoption of this trigger mechanism will not give rise to the requirement for any additional resources to be made available. If a request is received at a future date, there may be a requirement for additional resources dependent on the method the Council choses to undertake any consultation exercise associated with any such name change consideration. Any such request for additional resources will be the subject of a separate report at the time the name change request is considered.

5. Legal implications

5.1 The legal implications associated with this proposal have been set out in the body of the report. In summary there is a legal power/process available to the Council to change the name of an Electoral Ward.

6. Equality implications

6.1 An Equality Impact Assessment Screening has been undertaken and concluded that no Equality implications arise from this proposal. The reason why it is believed that this proposed policy is not relevant to equality issues is that in order to participate in the process this policy creates an individual must register to vote. The entitlement to register is determined by national criteria as to age and nationality. The only criteria which restrict people going on the electoral register are set by national legislation.

7. Environmental/Sustainability/Biodiversity implications

7.1 The only Environmental/Sustainability implications associated with this proposal will relate to the methods the Council adopts to undertake any consultation exercise. Traditionally consultation exercises have involved the production of printed material. Clearly there is concern that this would result in the use of paper which would only be used once and add to the need to recycle. Should a consultation exercise be undertaken officers will explore using electronic means and thereby reducing or avoiding the need to use paper.

8. Other implications (where applicable)

8.1 None

73 9. Conclusions

9.1 The Council has the legal power to alter the name of an Electoral Ward within its area. The adoption of a criterion to determine when such a process is commenced will ensure that Council resources are used in an effective and efficient manner. The creation of a clear criterion will also inform individuals who are considering such a proposal as to the level of support they will need to secure to justify the Council commencing such a process.

(To resolve)

Background papers

None stated

12. APPOINTMENTS TO CHARITIES AND TRUSTS (CAROL HOLEHOUSE - DEMOCRATIC SERVICES)

1. The Committee is asked to make the following appointments to those Trusts and Charities shown in Appendix ’H’ where the terms of office of Council appointed trustees have expired and the Charities/Trusts require appointments for another term of 4 years.

2. These bodies are independent outside bodies and the appointees are placed there to act as Trustees, members of the Management Committee, or some similar role. They are not there to act as Council representatives but to use their judgement in the best interests of the Charity/Trust. In many cases, while acting on the outside body, they will be under a positive legal duty to act in its best interests rather than those of the Council. Council insurance does not cover them, but Members of the Council are currently covered by an indemnity when appointed by the Council, which the Council has agreed to provide. Representatives who are not Members of the Council, however, are not covered by the Council's indemnity

(To resolve)

Background Papers

None

74 RUNNYMEDE BOROUGH COUNCIL APPENDIX 'H' EXTERNAL APPOINTMENTS DUE TO BE MADE IN 2020

CURRENT REPRESENTATIVE(S) AND APPOINTMENTS NAME OF ORGANISATION/TYPE OF REPRESENTATION ACTION REQUIRED DURATION

CHERTSEY COMBINED CHARITY Current Trustee:

Councillor D V Clarke *** C Trustees: Do not have to be Member of the Council 4 YEARS Should be a Chertsey Resident or represent a Chertsey Action: To be appointed Ward 1 Nominative Trustee Number of meetings per annum: 4 Councillor D V Clarke has indicated she is Frequency: Quarterly prepared to accept nomination for another term Time: Evening Venue: St Peter’s Church Hall, Chertsey Other serving Nominative Trustees: Mr C J Norman (until 2021) Mrs J Norman (until 2022) and Councillor D A Cotty (until 2023)

EGHAM MUSEUM TRUST Current Representative:

* C Management Committee role: Must be a Member 4 YEARS Councillor M Harnden of the Council Action: To be appointed

Number, frequency, time and venue of meetings not known 1 representative to be appointed

Councillor M Harnden has indicated she is prepared to accept nomination for another term

Current Representative: EGHAM UNITED CHARITY 4 YEARS Mrs J Reynolds *** C Four representatives, either Member or non-member Action: To be appointed Number of meetings per annum: 10 Frequency: 5/6 weekly 1 representative to be appointed Time: 7.30pm Venue: United Reform Church, Egham Mrs J Reynolds has indicated she is prepared to accept nomination for another term

HENRY SMITH’S CHARITY 4 YEARS Current Trustees:

*** C Three Trustees, either Member or non-member Mrs Doreen Weavers Former Councillor D Parr Number of meetings per annum: One (November) Former Councillor E Bancroft has indicated she Time: 6.45pm is willing to be nominated Venue: Runnymede Civic Centre Action: 3 Trustees to be appointed

Mrs Weavers has indicated she is willing to be nominated for another term Mr D Parr has indicated he is willing to be nominated for another term Ms E Bancroft has indicated she is willing to be nominated

Other serving Trustees: Ms K Reed-Brooke (until 2022) Councillor S Dennett (until 2022) and Councillor M Nuti (until 2022)

13. URGENT ACTION – STANDING ORDER 42 (LAW AND GOVERNANCE – JOHN GURMIN)

A copy of proforma 968 detailing action taken after consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of the Committee is attached at Appendix ‘I’. Verbal approval has been given by the Vice-Chairman to this urgent action and a copy of the signed and dated proforma will be forwarded to Officers by the Vice-Chairman when physically possible.

(For information)

Background Papers

None

77 APPENDIX 'I'

78 79 80 81 82

82 83

83 84

84 85

85 86

86 87

87 88

88 89 90

14. EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC

OFFICERS' RECOMMENDATION that –

the press and public be excluded from the meeting during discussion of the following reports under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the reports in question would be likely to involve disclosure of exempt information of the description specified in paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Act.

(To resolve)

PART II

Matters involving Exempt or Confidential information in respect of which reports have not been made available for public inspection

Exempt Information Paras

15. QUARTER 4 2019/20 PROJECT PORTFOLIO REPORTING AND THE 1 and 3 IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON PROJECT DELIVERY