Agenda and minutes

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11^th May 2015 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

Apologies for Absence were received from Councillors Andrew Jones and Ben Coleman.

In welcoming the report, Councillor Sue Macmillan gave a brief background outlining the purpose of the report and the proposed action by the Administration to tackle the failings of the passenger transport service for children who have special educational needs (SEN), looked after children and vulnerable adults commissioned in April 2014 by the previous Administration.

She stated that the new service model particularly during the initial weeks of operation faced immediate operational challenges leading to health and safety concerns, safeguarding concerns, delays in picking up and dropping off, unduly lengthy journeys, serious communication issues, lack of correct equipment, turnover of staff and general issues of performance.

A number of parents outlined their concerns about the service to Members at the Children and Education Policy and Accountability Committee meeting on 8^th July 2014.  The Administration promised to resolve the identified problems.  In response, a Passenger Transport Working Party for Children’s Services was set up to advise the Council on how to secure the best quality of transport provision, which meets the needs of children concerned, within a budget which the Council deems affordable.  Detailed consultation took place with service users, parents and carers, to gather views on the Passenger Transport Working Party’s recommendation to facilitate changes required to deliver a Travel Care and Support services.

The report outlined two options to improve service delivery arrangements for Travel Care and Support services.  The Administration proposed a change to the existing delivery arrangements to improve service standards and sovereign accountability. This covered a revised vision for the service with emphasis on caring for and understanding travel and mobility needs, varying the Inter-Authority Agreement (IAA) between the Council, Westminster City Council (WCC) and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to improve quality and performance standards, provide Travel Care and Support Commissioning Managers on-site with the providers to oversee operational delivery and performance, ensure Schools and parents play an increasing role in commissioning arrangements and that robust assurance management and contract management framework are in place.

She noted that the vision and aspiration for the Travel Care and Support service was first and foremost about caring for, and understanding the travel and mobility needs of vulnerable adults and children, rather than just about providing transport.  If after 6 months the measures put in place does not prove successful in improving the service further consideration should be given to changing the delivery model of the Travel Care and Support service to return both transport and escort services to the management of the Council.

The Leader stated that he was shocked when he was informed of the poor level of service provided to residents when he had been previously assured that all was going well.  He commended the excellent leadership provided by all the Members who had put a lot of effort to design a new delivery model and finding solutions to this perennial problem.  There were real lessons to be learnt from this experience across the Council.

RESOLVED:

1.1          That improvements in the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

That approval be given to the Hammersmith & Fulham Community Infrastructure Levy regulation 123 list and that it shall take effect on 1 September 2015.

To note the approval of the CIL charging schedule by Full Council on 20 May 2015 and its resolution to take effect on 1 September 2015.

1.1     That the Council call off Lot 3 of the Managed Services Programme Framework Agreement for the provision of Property Asset Data Management Systems and Services, and enter into a call-off contract with Technology Forge Limited for a term of five-years with an option to extend for a further 3 years at an annual cost of £84,000 in year 1 and £74,000 per annum thereafter, be approved.

1.2     That approval be given to enter into a form of agreement with HFBP to contract manage the above call-off contract on its behalf in accordance with the IT Service Contract.

1.3     That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Finance in consultation with the Executive Director of Transport and Technical Services  to exercise the option to extend the above call-off contract in line with the provisions set out in the call-off contract. 

1.1           That a waiver of the Council’s Contract Standing Orders be approved in order to directly award two contracts from 1 June  2015 to 30 November 2016 to the incumbent service providers as out below in the table below.

1.2         That both contracts include a break clause, which would allow the Council to terminate the agreement with 3 months written notice, be agreed. 

The Key Decision List was noted.

That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the remaining items of business on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of a person (including the authority) as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

[The following is a public summary of the exempt information under S.100C (2) of the Local Government Act 1972.  Exempt minutes exist as a separate document.]

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 11^th May 2015 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

That the recomemndations in the exempt report, be agreed.

That Appendix 1 attached to the report, be noted.

That the report be noted.