Issue - meetings

Both Brent and Harrow have passenger transport services and are responsible for transporting adults and children with particular needs from their homes to specified schools, colleges or day centres. This proposal is for a fully shared passenger transport service, delivered from Harrow’s Central Depot and ready for the start of the academic year in September 2016. The proposal is expected to create financial savings for both councils whilst still ensuring a high standard of service is maintained.

(i)         that a shared service arrangement be entered into with the London Borough of Harrow for the provision of special needs transport from September 2016;

(ii)        that approval be on the basis of the initial savings opportunities that have been identified and officers be authorised to work with Harrow over a further period from March to September 2016 to establish the maximum savings profile possible;

(iii)       that approval be given to Harrow leading on the necessary procurement of labour supply and taxi contracts in 2016/17.

Councillor Southwood, Cabinet Member for Environment, introduced the report which stating that a project had been established in 2014 to provide significant savings through a transformational change in the delivery of the council’s passenger transport service (BTS). The objective was to deliver £538k savings in BTS in 2015/16 and a further £100k in 2016/17. The projected timeframe for full delivery was in the order of twenty-four months based on a start date of August 2014. The savings were set against the base budget.

Councillor Southwood stated that work by the Children and Young People Department began to get underneath the pattern of demand and the very real difficulties of reducing it within the time frame required. At the root, rising demand and lack of in borough places.

She stated that officers have sought to bring forward as many savings as quickly as possible by creating a collaborative solution with the London Borough of Harrow which was seeking to establish itself as a regional transport hub. Both Brent and Harrow have passenger transport services and are responsible for transporting adults and children with particular needs from their homes to specified schools, colleges or day centres. This proposal was for a fully shared passenger transport service, delivered from Harrow’s Central Depot and ready for the start of the academic year in September 2016.

Councillor Southwood stated that the proposal was expected to create financial savings for both councils whilst still ensuring a high standard of service is maintained.

RESOLVED:

(i)         that a shared service arrangement be entered into with the London Borough of Harrow for the provision of special needs transport from September 2016;

(ii)        that approval be on the basis of the initial savings opportunities that have been identified and officers be authorised to work with Harrow over a further period from March to September 2016 to establish the maximum savings profile possible;

(iii)       that approval be given to Harrow leading on the necessary procurement of labour supply and taxi contracts in 2016/17.