ITEM CMDT9 Revised
CABINET MEMBER FOR TRANSPORT – 27 MARCH 2008
REVIEW OF FUNDING FOR EXTERNAL TRANSPORT POSTS
Report by Head of Transport
Introduction
1. This report follows on from a Report given to the Cabinet Member for Transport on 22 November 2007, and once again invites the Cabinet Member to consider future funding for the employment of three externally-based posts, each with a complementary remit to advise, assist and encourage the provision of transport in various ways by the community and voluntary sector. Further consideration of funding for these posts takes place in the light of the decisions made by the various district councils in Oxfordshire, and in the light of other additional developments and information since the earlier report.
2. At the meeting on 22 November 2007 the Cabinet Member for Transport agreed, inter alia:
(a) To pay 50% of the total costs of the external transport posts, subject to the district councils collectively meeting the remaining 50% of the total costs.
(b) Accordingly to pay Oxfordshire Rural Community Council £76,875.00 per annum (with annual adjustments for inflation), subject to match funding from the district councils to the same total, to provide for the outputs listed…on the basis that this is likely to be provided through three full-time equivalent posts to be vested with ORCC, for a period of four years from 1 April 2008;
(c) In the event of district councils not agreeing funding as outlined in this report, to ask officers to report back to the Transport Decisions Committee in January 2008; or in the event of subsequent reductions in district council funding in future years to ask officers to similarly report back to the Transport Decisions Committee for further advice.
3. Subsequently, the District Councils have individually determined their own positions. It has become clear that the district councils collectively are not willing and/or able to meet in full the proposed 50% share of the total funding required to maintain three full-time equivalent posts (two of which – the Rural Transport Partnership Officer (RTPO) and Rural Community Transport Advisor (RCTA) – they have been part-funding in the past). In accordance with the requirement of the Cabinet Member at the earlier meeting, therefore, an opportunity to re-visit the matter is now offered.
4. Although the earlier report had indicated a desire to bring a follow-up report to the Cabinet Member for Transport in January 2008, this could not in the event be achieved, because not all district councils would have made their decision.
District Councils’ Agreed Positions
5. Cherwell District Council: This Council has a budget allocation of £17,500 for Oxfordshire Rural Community Council (ORCC) “for rural transport” but it is not yet clear how Cherwell District Council wish this to be allocated between funding for the external transport posts’ costs and for projects.
6. ORCC reports that they will wish to suggest that at least £15,615 is put towards the external transport posts’ costs. This is in line with the balance of post/project funding split in the previous year.
7. South Oxfordshire District Council: South Oxfordshire’s funding for ORCC is paid through that Authority’s grants process as an annual amount, which covers five areas of work (including those of the RCTA and RTPO). The amount proposed for 2008/09 is £28,850.00
8. South Oxfordshire District Council (SODC) has determined not to increase its budget contribution to ORCC above and beyond this figure. From the total grant, ORCC informs us that it proposes to allocate a sum of £14,200 to fund the transport work, which is in line with the previous year’s allocation. There is no scope for vireing funds from allocations for other under-funded ORCC posts. However, ORCC informs us that another stream of SODC funding is available to bring the total funding for the transport posts up to £15,615.
9. SODC’s funding will go towards the RTPO and RCTA posts only, as they were unable to approve the application of funding towards the Oxfordshire Transport Co-ordinator (OTC) post. This is not felt to be a significant hurdle however, as ORCC view the total of the various funding streams as contributing towards one unified budget for the posts, while bearing in mind funders’ views on allocation, where necessary.
10. Vale of White Horse District Council: This Council has determined that it will directly contribute £12,000 per annum to the salary and on-costs of the external transport posts. However, it is reported by ORCC that other streams of Vale of White Horse DC funding are available sufficient to lift the total available funding to £15,615.
11. West Oxfordshire District Council: This Council’s support for the external transport posts has been reviewed in the context of the total range of their funding support for ORCC’s activities in 2008/09. West Oxfordshire District Council has accordingly agreed to provide a maximum of £15,615, subject to the other rural district councils meeting at least that minimum sum.
12. West Oxfordshire District Council have also made their funding conditional upon ORCC re-examining whether the priority work areas for rural and community transport support could be achieved through two posts
13. They have also asked Oxfordshire County Council and other partners to “re-consider a more sustainable proposal for future support, perhaps through the Oxfordshire Partnership or through the future incorporation of rural and community transport support within the structure of directly-employed staff at the County Council”.
14. Oxford City Council was approached to establish the possibility of future funding for the Oxfordshire Transport Co-ordinator being provided from that source, given that that post (unlike the other two) has a remit which covers the whole of the county. Unlike the other Oxfordshire districts, Oxford City Council has not previously been involved in funding of transport advisory posts, and the City’s initial response pointed to their lack of budgetary provision for this purpose. However, Oxford City Council has now committed £5,000 per annum to support the external transport posts, and this additional funding is very much welcomed.
Summary of Financial Contributions Required and Committed
15. The committed funding from each source is as follows:
Oxfordshire County Council £76,875.00 Oxford City Council £ 5,000.00 Cherwell District Council £15,615.00 South Oxfordshire District Council £15,615.00 Vale of White Horse District Council £15,615.00 West Oxfordshire District Council £15,615.00 Total secured funding £144,335.00
16. In order to fully fund the three posts, a total of £153,750.00 is required by ORCC. Whilst this (as was noted in the November 2007 report) represents an increase from previous years, it should be noted that the cost increase stems largely from the need to re-locate the Oxfordshire Transport Co-ordinator post. This is the post which Oxfordshire Community & Voluntary Action (OCVA) has indicated that it no longer wishes to host.
17. The Oxfordshire Rural Community Council has agreed to host the post from 2008/09, subject to the proviso set out in paragraph 20 below, on a full-cost-recovery basis, which it is understood has not been the basis of costing the post at OCVA.
18. The above summary of secured funding therefore indicates a remaining shortfall of £9,415.00.
19. Now that the final positions of the district councils are known, the Cabinet Member is invited to come to a determination either (i) to agree additional funding above the £76,875 proposed in November 2007, or (ii) to maintain Oxfordshire County Council funding at the level of £76,875.00 per annum, or (iii) to maintain the level of County Council funding at 50% of the total sum committed, and therefore reduce the County Council’s funding to a sum equal to the sum of the various district councils, including Oxford City Council.
20. In the event that (ii) or (iii) is preferred it will be necessary to consider what reductions in the existing responsibilities of the external transport posts can be made so as to align work streams with the available resources. ORCC have indicated that, in the event of a funding shortfall, they would not be in a position to accept the transfer of the existing OTC post-holder from OCVA, but would seek to accommodate as many of the work-streams required from within their existing staff. This would indicate the loss of the OTC post-holder’s services, with his qualifications as an accredited MIDAS and PATS trainer of drivers and care assistants of community transport services. It would also be likely to have an impact on the work of the group Transport For All, which the OTC post-holder currently chairs, and for which it was intended, were the posts to be fully-funded, that he would provide ongoing officer support. In this eventuality, officers will need to negotiate with ORCC and other partner organisations as to what the conditions of the grant will be.
Enhanced Support to Community Transport Sector
21. The Cabinet Member for Transport will be aware of the opinions expressed by councillors recently to the effect that officers should seek to develop an enhanced and more ‘hands-on’ approach to working with the community transport sector; that improved publicity be given to the range of support available from the County Council; and that further work be undertaken in those areas of the county identified as having weaker provision of community transport schemes (perceived as being mainly the east side of Oxfordshire).
22. Accordingly, officers have recently engaged with ORCC on the additional funding that might be required to permit this level of enhanced support, and officers will seek to report a further proposal verbally at the meeting.
Financial and Staff Implications
23. The financial cost to the County Council of supporting these three external transport posts currently amounts to £70,307.16 (financial year 2007/08), plus the £3,500 delegated training budget for the OTC. The current total expenditure by Oxfordshire County Council is therefore £73,807.16.
24. ORCC have indicated that the costs (based on their established policy of Full Cost Recovery) of providing the work-streams based on three full-time equivalents would amount to some £153,750.00.
25. Subject to the agreement of the district councils, the current position of the County Council is to commit, as its share of the projected salary and on-costs of the external posts, £76,875.00, with a further £8,500 already agreed to be provided as a delegated fund to cover the costs of training provision for the drivers of community transport services.
26. If the Cabinet Member is minded to allocate additional funding to meet the identified shortfall in district council contributions, then the total County Council funding towards the salaries and on-costs of the three posts will increase to £86,290.00, with the further £8,500 delegated training fund on top. This would represent some 56.12% of total funding for the posts, as against 52.96% in the current financial year.
27. Funding is available within the Public Transport Policy budget which could be used to cover the required sum.
RECOMMENDATION
28. The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED:
(a) to fund the continuation of the external transport posts in the amount stated in decision (c) below for a period of four years, subject to annual review and to the continuation of appropriate levels of funding from district councils;
(b) to pay a grant for this provision to ORCC to provide these posts for a period of one year, and to review continuation of this grant funding towards the end of that period;
(c) to agree additional funding support to increase the total to £86,290 per annum (with annual increases for inflation) so as to fill the identified funding gap arising from the decision of the district councils; and
(d) to consider whether to fund any further proposal for offering enhanced support to the community transport sector.
STEVE HOWELL Head of Transport
Background papers: None
Contact Officer: Neil Timberlake. Tel: Oxford 815585
March 2008
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