Tormarton Parish Information Pack Contents This information pack contains the following information: The strategic and operational framework outlining the various options and implications of this project The cost of providing the affected services in your parish A briefing note on how this project relates to Special Expenses The cost per household of providing StreetCare services by parish A copy of the presentation that Mark King gave at the event on 24th April Key for maps Dog Bin & Litter Bin map (if applicable) Highway Verges & Grassed Areas map (if applicable) Hanging Basket map (if applicable) For further information please contact us using the following details: Visit: www.southglos.gov.uk/streetscene Email: [email protected] Phone: 01454 868154 StreetCare Localism – Strategic and Operational Framework The StreetCare Localism – Strategic and Operational Framework, (below) outlines the strategic issues that are driving the changes to local highway and streetscene services and have been agreed by South Gloucestershire Council. These are set out in the consultation document ‘Changes to highway and street scene services’. StreetCare Localism Project - Strategic and Operational Framework SG Sustainable Communities Strategy SG Localism Framework SG Medium Term Financial Plan StreetCare Localism Core Service Standard Parish Council and Others Parish, Key Stakeholder and Public Consultation Process – Future Delivery Options Future Delivery Options - Operational Matters to be Discussed, Determined and Agreed with Parishes and Others and Agreed and Locally License Defined Asset Service Buy Back Funded to Maintain Transfer Transferred Urban Rural Trees Fly Urban Rural Dog SG Strategic Framework, Defined Framework, SG Strategic Linear Linear Round Weed Shrub Floral Hanging (Core Posting Visibility Visibility Hedges Waste Grass Grass abouts Control Beds Displays Baskets Service and Splays Splays Bins Verges Verges Only) Graffiti Contract, Licensing or Agency Agreement Competent Organisation, Skilled Workforce and Necessary Appropriate Equipment Service Specification, Future Highway Adoption and Traffic Management Compliance with Asset Biodiversity Standards and Targets Responsibility to Maintain and Notification Management Plan Liabilities, Service Member Client Risk and Health Business Insurance Enquiries and and Business and Processes and andwith Agreed ParishesOthers and and and Officer Inspection Continuity Safety System Access Indemnity Complaints Governance Operational Operational Matters to be Discussed, Determined Equality Impact Assessment Target Operating Model Service Option Mobilisation SG Parish Meetings Stakeholder Meetings Training and SG Workshops Support and Discussion and Briefings Development Support The framework also outlines, as with any service contract, the operational matters that the parishes and others need to consider, discuss and agree with South Gloucestershire Council when deciding upon which of the future service delivery options best fits each local community. Contracting considerations Such matters include the form of contract to be entered into; the service specification, standards and targets to be adopted; the client and inspection regime to ensure that the work is undertaken properly and the requirement to ensure that any third party who may undertake the work is competent, and has the necessary skilled workforce and appropriate equipment to undertake the work. Health & safety, risk management, insurance and business continuity The parishes and others should ensure that the correct insurance is in place to cover appropriate liabilities, that health and safety requirements are adhered to and that risk management and business continuity plans are in place. Dealing with service enquiries and complaints There is also the need to agree how to and who will, deal with the service enquiries and complaints that will arise and to agree the business and financial process that need to be in place. Complying with standards The parishes and others are required to comply with particular highway management standards including the requirements of the council’s Asset Management Plan and the Traffic Management Notification process; be familiar with the highway adoption procedure and the potential future increased maintenance requirements and agree how changes to planting regimes to increase biodiversity or reduce maintenance are approved. Governance arrangements It is also necessary to confirm the Member and Officer Governance structure to manage the new service, to undertake Equality Impact Assessments as a legal duty and to set up the mobilisation process to ensure that the chosen future service delivery option is in place by April 2014. A Target Operating Model will also be established detailing how the service will be managed and delivered. Support available The council is currently developing the detail for these matters to be discussed and agreed with the parishes and others. This will take the form of either a check list of requirements, or a description of what needs to be considered. As the StreetCare Localism project develops over the coming months, there will be other issues that will emerge and not shown in the framework which will need to be addressed. To support the parishes and others, if required, council officers will attend meetings to discuss the impact of these changes and future service delivery options. In addition, the council will set up appropriate workshops, meetings and training and development to understand, discuss and agree matters as needed. There will also be an egroup providing access for parishes and others to more detailed information and updates as they become available. providing an opportunity to network and share information TORMARTON Total Cost of Existing Service ( Affected Services) Current Estimated Charge to retain existing Service UNITS Total Total AMENITY GRASS M2 £ ‐ FORMAL HEDGE 1.5-3.0 1S + TOP L/M £ ‐ FORMAL HEDGE 1.5-3.0 2S + TOP L/M £ ‐ GROUND COVER PLANTS M2 £ ‐ HARD BOUND SURFACE M2 £ ‐ INFORMAL HEDGE 1 Side Only L/M £ ‐ INFORMAL HEDGE 1S + TOP L/M £ ‐ INFORMAL HEDGE 2S + TOP L/M £ ‐ LOOSE BOUND SURFACE M2 £ ‐ MEADOW GRASS M2 £ ‐ SHRUB BED - MULCHED M2 £ ‐ SHRUB BED - NO MULCH M2 £ ‐ STONE DUST PATH M2 £ ‐ WHIP/SEEDLING TREES M2 £ ‐ LITTER BINS NUM £ ‐ DOG BINS NUM £ ‐ FLORAL BASKETS NUM £ ‐ FLORAL DISPLAYS M2 £ ‐ £ ‐ £ ‐ Special Expenses Briefing Note March 2013 This briefing note covers the following: • What are Special Expenses? • What services can be a Special Expense? • How does SGC’s Special Expenses compare to other Authorities? • What is the financial effect of a SGC service being a Special Expense? • What is the effect on a parished area? • What is the effect on an unparished area? • How can SGC’s Special Expenses items be changed? • What is the effect of any change? • What are the alternatives to Special Expenses? What are Special Expenses? In some circumstances, Local Council Tax payers can be subject to “double taxation”. This happens where a service is provided by a Parish/Town Council, and is therefore paid for by the Council Tax payers in that Parish/Town area, and by a Billing Authority such as South Gloucestershire which charges all its Council Tax payers for its services. In the above case, the Council Tax payers of that Parish/Town area are paying twice – once for services provided by their Parish/Town Council, and once for services elsewhere provided by the Billing Authority. There are a number of solutions to this, but the Special Expenses approach is to not charge all Council Tax payers for these services, but to charge only residents in each Parish/Town Council area for each service based on the provision of the service delivered in each area. The charge for the service is still through the Billing Authority’s Council Tax. It is this charge that is a Special Expense. This arrangement means that a Council Tax payer in a Parish/Town Council area gets charged for the services carried out by their Parish/Town Council (through the Parish/Town Council precept), and for the services carried out in their Parish/Town Council area by the major Local Authority through the Billing Authority Council Tax. Such services are called “Concurrent Functions” – that is they are services provided at more than one tier of local government. Under Government advice last updated in 2002, concurrent functions must follow five principals: • Have fairness in the provision of the service; • Be simple to administer; • Be transparent and easy to understand; • Be subject to democratic control and accountability; and • Finance should follow function – ensuring the right people pay for the right service. What services can be a Special Expense? There is no definitive list of services that can be Special Expenses. Government advice issued in May 2002 gave a list of around 20 concurrent functions reported by respondents. Rather than a definitive list, the deciding factor is that the function must be carried out by the Billing Authority in only part of its area, and the same function must be carried out in another part of the Local Authority by one or more Parish/Town Councils. How does SGC’s Special Expenses compare to other Authorities? Compared with all 55 Unitary Authorities, South Gloucestershire’s Special Expenses in 2012/13 were: • The highest Unitary Authority in cash terms at £1.659m; • Represent 22% of total Unitary Authority Special Expenses; and • Are the seventh highest of any Authority in England What is the financial effect of an SGC