Issue - meetings

A request has been received to call in the Cabinet decision for scrutiny.

The following Councillors have requested the decision be called in for

scrutiny:

Cllr Zoe Patrick

Cllr Janet Godden

Cllr David Turner

Cllr Jean Fooks

Cllr Larry Sanders

Cllr Alan Armitage

Cllr Roz Smith

Cllr Anne Purse

Cll Goddard

Cllr Altaf-Khan

The Cabinet decision was:

"RESOLVED:           to include the current catering and cleaning services provided by Food with Thought and Quest Cleaning Services within the scope of the Property & Facilities Contract.

The reasons given in the call-in request are:

The Liberal Democrat Group would like to call in the above decision made by Cabinet on 18 October 2011 on the following grounds:

1.  Not proved in the report that having a bigger contract will reduce risk to the County Council or save money.

2.  It is not demonstrated that including the school meal service will improve meal take-up or even maintain the current high quality service given by FwT.

3.  It is not demonstrated that environmental performance will reduce use of chemicals, waste water and achieve recycling targets.

A copy of the report to Cabinet is attached (CA11). A copy of the draft minute will be circulated separately.

The Committee is asked to consider and determine the Call-In

The Scrutiny Committee had before it the report of the Director for Environment and Economy to Cabinet on 18 October 2011 together with the draft minutes of that meeting. 

Carole Freeman addressed the Committee, setting out in detail (as an employee of Food with Thought and as a mother) the achievements and benefits of the Council’s Food with Thought service.  She noted that the service was profitable (£900k surplus) and popular.

Councillor Patrick spoke in support of the call-in.  She, on behalf of Councillor Armitage (who was unable to attend the meeting) summarised the concerns as:

1)     There was insufficient evidence in the Cabinet report that having a bigger contract would save the Council money: in particular she was concerned that the Cabinet’s decision had been based on past needs and failed to take into account the future potential for the service;

2)     There was over emphasis on the need for profit at the potential risk to quality and standards of service;

3)     There would not be the same degree of control over the sourcing of food or its quality;

4)     There would be a reduction in the level of customer support if the service was included in the contract.

5)     The benefit in terms of reductions on the environment had not been demonstrated.

She noted that the current arrangement with Food with Thought is popular with schools and families, that there has been a substantial improvement in the service in recent years.  Councillor Patrick noted that transferring operational risk needs to be looked at closely, particularly if the best interests of the children were to be maintained.

The Chairman thanked both Mrs Freeman and Councillor Patrick for their presentations.  He suggested that as their comments addressed all three parts of the call-in the Committee continue the debate on that basis.

The Chairman invited Martin Tugwell, Deputy Director for Growth and Infrastructure to brief the Committee on the issues placed before the Cabinet as part of their deliberations.

Councillor Skolar asked Councillor Patrick if similar points (that she and Mrs Freeman raised) were provided to the Cabinet: Councillor Patrick confirmed that Councillor Armitage had indeed presented the same information as she had done.  She also confirmed that Ruth Lister had presented information to that of Mrs Freeman to the Cabinet as part of their debate on the issue before taking their decision.

The Director of Environment and Economy set out the context within which the Cabinet had taken its decision: in particular he outlined the scope of the work that had been undertaken.  He reminded the Committee that the Cabinet had not been asked to make a final decision on whether or not to include Food with Thought within the contract; rather that it had merely agreed to include the Food with Thought service as part of the scope of the contract. In this context he suggested that the issues raised in the call-in notice may in fact be premature.

The Chairman sought questions and comments from the Committee  ...  view the full minutes text for item 55

Cabinet Member: Finance & Property

Forward Plan Ref: 2011/114

Contact: Roger Dyson, Project Manager Tel: (01865) 815665

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA11).

The purpose of this paper is to inform the decision on the inclusion of the cleaning and catering services provided by Quest Cleaning Services (QCS) and Food with Thought (FwT) within the scope of the proposed integrated Property & Facilities external services contract. The contract will provide a Total Facilities Management service including the delivery of hard and soft FM services, as well as professional and construction services.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to include the current catering and cleaning services provided by Food with Thought and QCS within the scope of the Property and Facilities Contract.

Cabinet considered a report informing the decision on the inclusion of the cleaning and catering services provided by Quest Cleaning Services (QCS) and Food with Thought (FwT) within the scope of the proposed integrated Property & Facilities external services contract. The contract will provide a Total Facilities Management service including the delivery of hard and soft FM services, as well as professional and construction services.

Councillor Alan Armitage, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance & Property indicated that he had asked to speak as the Liberal Democrat Group was not convinced by the arguments.  He did not agree that bigger is better and felt that with one contract there was more risk. Neither did he see that it saved money. The Atkins contract was not without problems and the model should not be expanded until it was proven to work fully. Referring to the benefits of inclusion in the contract set out on pages 164 and 165 Councillor Armitage commented that with regard to replacing new equipment this could be done anyway. He queried the outcome once the customer care line was outsourced. FwT was popular with schools so why change it. He did not believe that the contract would maintain and improve service and quality and queried how take up would be improved.

Councillor Armitage responding to a question from Councillor Robertson stated that the contract did not state that there would be outsourcing but that he believed this was implied in the process.

Mrs Ruth Lyster, spoke against the recommendation. She was a school cook with 5 ½ years experience. In recent years the quality of schools meals had improved vastly with increased take-up. Over the last two years a profit had been generated. Most kitchens had been refurbished; training levels and health and safety standards were high. Mrs Lyster noted that her school had the highest take-up of meals at 67%.  She believed that the service provided was of very good value at a low risk. Current involvement of school cooks made plans more practical and progress was jeopardised by plans to include in the contract. She believed it was the odd one out and that the goals set out in the report were either already achieved or could be achieved under the existing system. She believed that the main reason for inclusion was to make the contract more attractive. She was concerned as a mother that the welfare of her children would be affected by the deterioration of the food. As a cook she was concerned that portions would shrink and that the achievements so far would be jeopardised and that inclusion was not necessary or desirable.

Responding to questions from Cabinet Members as to what proof there was that there would be less money for food, portions would shrink, and whether the new contract could bring in some efficiencies, Mrs Lyster replied that the only way to increase profit was to reduce costs. The service had already done everything it could do in terms of efficiencies and she  ...  view the full minutes text for item 122