Agenda item

            As part of the Safer Halton Partnership Tasking and Co-ordination Group the Council’s Waste Management Division was currently working in partnership with the local Fire Brigade, Police, Registered Social Landlords and Land Owners on a number of initiatives to reduce the number of nuisance and abandoned vehicles across the Borough. The Council had agreed to a Local Public Service Agreement target of reducing the number of incidents of vehicle arson and to support the current activities of the Waste Management Division to meet this target. Therefore, it was now proposed to provide a dedicated resource to deal with problems associated with nuisance and abandoned vehicles across Halton.

            In order to provide this additional resource, which was to be funded from the LPSA “pump prime” money, the Waste Management Division had two options:

- to recruit a suitably qualified individual on a temporary basis, or; and

- to acquire the services of an external agency or organisation to provide this function to the Authority.

            If the Authority was to create a new post within the establishment to provide the support, it would be a temporary appointment and it was likely that there would be difficulty in attracting a suitably qualified candidate with the required experience and environmental legislation background. Overall, the recruitment process could be lengthy and it was expected that there would be training and development issues associated with this role.

            It was therefore proposed that the services of an external agency or organisation would be acquired to provide this function. The Sub Committee considered a request that Standing Orders be waived and a Service Level Agreement be developed and agreed with the Environment Agency without seeking quotations from other organisations/ agencies. At present the Environment Agency carry out a similar role as part of the Environmental Crime Team. It was unlikely that the above experiences could be provided by any other external organisation/body without incurring excessive costs and protracted arrangements. The estimated value of such service provision was £33,500 per annum.

            RESOLVED: That

(1)       the Operational Director for Environmental and Regulatory Services in consultation with the portfolio-holder for Environment be authorised to award the contract for vehicle regulation enforcement services to The Environment Agency in the sum of £33,500 starting immediately and continuing for an initial period expiring on 31^st March 2008 with scope for extension at the Council’s option for a period of up to a further two years;

(2)       the Operational Director for Environmental and Regulatory Services, in consultation with the portfolio-holder for the Environment be authorised to enter into negotiations with the Environment Agency to agree a Service Level Agreement for dealing with Nuisance and Abandoned Vehicles. In light of the exceptional circumstances set out below, in accordance with Procurement Standing Order 1.6, Standing Orders 3.1 to 3.7 and 3.9 to 3.10 be waived on this occasion in view of the fact that compliance with these Standing Orders would be inconsistent with partnership/special external funding arrangements in that this service can only be prescribed by the amalgamation of internal and external stakeholders with specialist knowledge, skills and privileges that undertake similar environmental duties that is administered and enforced through local government to detect and deter vehicle crime; and

(3)       the Operational Director for the Environmental and Regulatory Services be authorised to take whatever other action is necessary to give effect to this contract.