Agenda, decisions and minutes

An apology for absence was submitted from Councillor Phil Smith (Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Leisure).

Minutes of the last meeting held on 25 October 2017

attached to be signed as a correct record.

RESOLVED (Unanimously):

That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 October 2017 be approved as a correct record.

Members are requested to indicate at this stage in the proceedings any items on the agenda in which they intend to declare an interest. Members are reminded that if the interest is a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (as defined in the Members’ Code of Conduct) they must leave the room for the whole of that item. If the interest is not a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest, but is such that a member of the public could reasonably regard it as being so significant that it is likely that it would prejudice their judgment of the public interest (as explained in the Code of Conduct) then they may make representations, but then must leave the meeting for the remainder of the item.

There were no declarations of interest.

Report of the Interim Corporate Improvement Manager attached.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Interim Corporate Improvement Manager which provided an overview of performance against the Council’s Corporate Plan for 2017-18 at the half-year point of 30 September 2017 and details of the corporate risks and controls in place to mitigate risks in the Corporate Risk Register.

The report set out the details of the 34 performance indicators and 27 corporate plan activities and a commentary on the performance made against each indicator and activity.

During the debate, the Cabinet welcomed the new format style of reporting and noted that there would be a Learning Hour scheduled for all members in January 2018 on Risk Management with the inclusion of the demonstration of the GRACE Risk Management system. 

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the:

1.    performance at the end of Quarter 2 as shown at Appendix 1 to the report be noted;

2.    corporate risks and the controls in place to mitigate risks as identified in the Corporate Risk Register as shown at Appendix 2 to the report be noted; and

3.    arrangements in place to report performance to Cabinet, Scrutiny and Full Council as detailed in paragraph 4 in the report be noted.

Reasons for Decision:

The Corporate Plan for 2017-18 contained a number of outcomes and activities for delivery in 2017-18. This provided an update at the end of Quarter 2 for members’ consideration.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Not applicable.

Report of the Acting Chief Finance Officer / Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the Council be recommended to approve the following:

1. An increase of 2.5% be applied to all fees and charges with the exception of Licensing, Car Parking, Building Control fees, PSPO Fixed Penalty Notices, Pre-Planning Advice charges and Land Charges fees with effect from 1st April 2018 as set out in Appendix 1 to the report.

2. Car Parking Charges are introduced at Worden Park to charge £2.00 per day during term time only and £1.00 per day outside of term time and at weekends (as detailed in Option Two in Appendix 2 to the report) with effect from 1st April 2018.

3. The pricing structure for existing Pay and Display Car Parking Charges is revised to remove the two lower tariffs of 50p for up to 2 hours and 80p for up to 3 hours and replace them with a charge of £1.00 for up to 3 hours (as set out in Appendix 3 to the report) be deferred to 1st April 2018.

4. The Car Parking Charges at Leyland Railway Station are increased to £1.50 a day and to £6.00 per week (as set out in Appendix 3 to the report) with an implementation date of between January and the end of March 2018.

5. The new charging policy for Building Control fees as set out in Appendix 4b is adopted with an implementation date of between January and the end of March 2018.

6. It is noted that Penalty Notice Charges in respect of PSPOs are set at £100.00.

7. The charging policy for Pre-Planning Advice (as set out on page 6 in the report) is adopted with an implementation date of between January and the end of March 2018.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Acting Chief Finance Officer/Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets which provided details of the review of fees and charges pricing policies across the Council to generate additional income.

At the commencement of the meeting certain matters in the recommendations in the report submitted were clarified:

Recommendation 1: Land Charges fees should be included as an exception.

Recommendation 6: Cabinet recalled that at its last meeting the Penalty Notice Charges in respect of PSPOs was set – hence in this report the information was just for noting.

Recommendations 4, 5 and 7: The implementation dates for these recommendations should be between January and the end of March 2018.

The Cabinet also noted that there were a couple of minor typographical errors in Appendix 2a to the report.

During the debate, the Cabinet acknowledged that residents had been greatly affected by the ongoing parking problems on the Worden estate but the view was that most of these problems related to Runshaw College which was out of the Council’s control. At present there were no daily parking charges on Worden Park, however the Council does have a ‘permit’ parking scheme at Worden. The Cabinet felt that the introduction of parking charges would better manage parking at Worden. The Council had invested significant funds into Worden Park, and its attraction and users not only come from existing residents, but also from neighbouring authorities.

Although there were concerns over the associated parking enforcement at weekends prior to charges being introduced, the Cabinet reassured Ward Members and residents that robust enforcement would continue to be carried out during week days when the restrictions applied. To cover weekends and holiday periods with the parking restrictions a new Order would have to be made and therefore there would need to be sufficient evidence/views from residents that problems where occurring to proceed with this. The Council would work proactively with the County Council to gather this information.

The Cabinet noted that there was not a massive response to the consultation from users at the Railway car park and therefore felt that the new tariffs were relatively low in comparison with other authorities.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the Council be recommended to approve the following:

1.    An increase of 2.5% be applied to all fees and charges with the exception of Licensing, Car Parking, Building Control fees, PSPO Fixed Penalty Notices, Pre-Planning Advice charges and Land Charges fees with effect from 1st April 2018 as set out in Appendix 1 to the report;

2.    Car Parking Charges are introduced at Worden Park to charge £2.00 per day during term time only and £1.00 per day outside of term time and at weekends (as detailed in Option Two in Appendix 2 to the report) with effect from 1st April 2018;

3.    The pricing structure for existing Pay and Display Car Parking Charges be revised to remove the two lower tariffs of 50p for up to 2 hours and 80p for up to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

Report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1. delegated authority be granted to the Revenues+ Manager in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support and Assets to make all necessary updates to this Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme to comply with any prescribed requirements that may be issued by central government. This may be by the making of specific regulations, or by amendment to the Local Government Finance Acts of 1992 and 2012.

2. delegated authority be granted to the Revenues+ Manager in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support and Assets to make all necessary amendments to the Council’s scheme to uprate the allowances and premiums in accordance with the revised Housing Benefit Circular when it is issued by the DWP. This process is a requirement of the prescribed elements of the scheme.

3. the updated scheme be published in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 2012.

4. the level of the deduction to be applied to Working Age recipients of Council Tax Support from 1st April 2018 be finalised and agreed in accordance with South Ribble's scheme and as part of the Council's Budget and Council Tax Setting at the Council Meeting on the 28^th February 2018. This figure will continue to be within the range (between £3.00 and £5.00 per week) which was consulted upon during the introduction and implementation of the council's scheme in 2012.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities which provided details of a Council Tax Support Scheme for 2018/19.

During the debate, the Cabinet noted the comments, reasons and suggestions made at the meeting to remove the scheme since it was introduced in 2012 but the view was that there were no proposals for this to change this year. A review would take place to look at alternative options for 2019/20 and if this was approved consultation would be undertaken next year which would allow the Council the time to facilitate the implementation of any revised scheme.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.    delegated authority be granted to the Revenues+ Manager in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support and Assets to make all necessary updates to this Council’s Council Tax Support Scheme to comply with any prescribed requirements that may be issued by central government. This may be by the making of specific regulations, or by amendment to the Local Government Finance Acts of 1992 and 2012;

2.    delegated authority be granted to the Revenues+ Manager in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Corporate Support and Assets to make all necessary amendments to the Council’s scheme to uprate the allowances and premiums in accordance with the revised Housing Benefit Circular when it is issued by the DWP. This process is a requirement of the prescribed elements of the scheme;

3.    the updated scheme be published in accordance with the Local Government Finance Act 2012; and

4.    the level of the deduction to be applied to Working Age recipients of Council Tax Support from 1st April 2018 be finalised and agreed in accordance with South Ribble's scheme and as part of the Council's Budget and Council Tax Setting at the Council Meeting on the 28^th February 2018. This figure will continue to be within the range (between £3.00 and £5.00 per week) which was consulted upon during the introduction and implementation of the council's scheme in 2012.

Reasons for Decision:

The Local Government Finance Act 2012 required Local Authorities to approve their Local Council Tax Support (LCTS) Scheme on an annual basis by the 31st January for the following financial year.

The scheme contained allowances and premiums upon which the Prescribed Council Tax Support Scheme relies. Where possible, South Ribble’s scheme mirrors the provisions of the government’s prescribed scheme for pensioners.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

The original consultation exercise considered a number of alternatives to reducing the amounts that claimants received in their council tax support. These included reducing council services and increasing levels of council tax.

Report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1. subject to external funding being secured by Samlesbury Parish Council, the transfer of SRBC land at Nabs Head Lane to Samlesbury Parish Council, by way of a 25 year lease including a ten year break clause be agreed.

2. subject to the approval by the Eastern My Neighbourhood forum, match funding contribution of £11,200 from SRBC, comprising of £1,200 revenue funds for statutory notices and £10,000 capital monies be made.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities which provided details of the transfer of land on a long term lease to Samlesbury Parish Council, for the purposes of creating a village play area.

During the debate, the Cabinet gave assurances that the maintenance of the play area would be the responsibility of the Parish Council and that there would be appropriate provisions/agreement in place in for any long term lease granted.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.    subject to external funding being secured by Samlesbury Parish Council, the transfer of SRBC land at Nabs Head Lane to Samlesbury Parish Council, by way of a 25 year lease including a ten year break clause be agreed; and

2.    subject to the approval by the Eastern My Neighbourhood Forum, match funding contribution of £11,200 from SRBC, comprising of £1,200 revenue funds for statutory notices and £10,000 capital monies be made.

Reasons for Decision:

There had been a longstanding community demand for a play area at Samlesbury. This had been on the Eastern My Neighbourhood plan for over a year and there have been several requests from the community prior to this.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

There was an option to do nothing and leave the area without play provision. The option of SRBC procuring and installing a playground of a similar specification would cost more. The Parish Council was utilising local community contacts to drive costs down. The Parish was using a local play equipment contractor based in their Parish to acquire the equipment at non-market rates; whereas SRBC would have to follow procurement rules. In addition to higher build costs with this option, SRBC would also be liable for the ongoing maintenance and revenue costs. This option had therefore been deemed not viable.

Report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.the design and outline program of works, including procurement and supervision of construction by council officers be agreed.

2. a S106 capital spend of up to £75,000 on construction works as specified in the 2017/18 capital works program be agreed.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities which provided details of proposed spend on a 2017/18 capital program scheme to improve the private access road, hard standing and car parking arrangements at Walton-le-Dale Recreation ground (W-L-D Rec) and community centre.

During the debate, the Cabinet felt that as this had been on the Eastern My Neighbourhood plan for over 2 years and there had been several requests made by the community previously, the recreation ground and the car parking improvements were something that was needed in that area. The local Walton le Dale Recreation Society had raised a lot of money in the past for its new Community Centre and that this would be very welcomed as far as local people was concerned in that area.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.    the design and outline program of works, including procurement and supervision of construction by council officers be agreed; and

2.    a S106 capital spend of up to £75,000 on construction works as specified in the 2017/18 capital works program be agreed.

Reasons for Decision:

There had been a longstanding community demand for improvements to parking provisions at the recreation ground.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Throughout the design process the Council considered all available options within its value engineered approach, adjusting the specification where necessary to achieve best value for money possible. No other parking options were identified locally, the site was accessed from a busy residential road which often sees overspill from recreation ground events.

Report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That consideration of this matter be deferred until the next scheduled meeting of Cabinet on 25 January 2018 as the Appendix to the report (Reviewed South Ribble Housing Framework 2017-19) had not been included in the papers for this meeting.

It was reported that the Appendix to the report (Reviewed South Ribble Housing Framework 2017-19) had not been included in the papers circulated for this meeting.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That consideration of this matter be deferred until the next scheduled meeting of Cabinet on 25 January 2018 as the Appendix to the report (Reviewed South Ribble Housing Framework 2017-19) had not been included in the papers for this meeting.

Report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1. the report be received and the principles be agreed.

2. a further report detailing the investment programme and the financial impacts be brought to the next Cabinet meeting.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Development, Enterprise and Communities which provided an update on the work of the Member Cross Party Working Group on the campus concept and how it might work in South Ribble.

The Business Transformation Manager undertook a short presentation on the proposal for a borough wide Leisure, Health and Wellbeing Campus Approach in the borough.

The Chair thanked the Business Transformation Manager for the informative and useful presentation.

During the debate, the Cabinet welcomed the positive views expressed at the meeting over the proposed outline of the general concept of campuses and noted the additional comments made, some of these being –

·         Linking up cycleways/footpaths

·         Wider sports provision

·         Expectations within the community

·         Consultation

·         Planning issues (noise/light pollution etc)

·         Opportunity to address homelessness issues

·         Green links in Leyland to include East to West (ie Paradise Park, Test Track, extended to Western Parishes etc)

·         More provisions of housing for older people

·         Securing funding of partners

·         Put some work in other areas across the borough

·         Health provisions, wellbeing and prevention across the borough

·         Review of the Local Plan

·         Heatherleigh

The Cabinet emphasised that this Council had no intentions of closing leisure centres in the borough. Discussions were ongoing with the Homes and Communities Agency (HCA) regarding the site relating to Heatherleigh which was made available because of provisions in a section 106 agreement. Those discussions were positive at present and if this principle was approved it would allow officers to look into that model. 

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.    the report be received and the principles be agreed; and

2.    a further report detailing the investment programme and the financial impacts be brought to the next Cabinet meeting.

Reasons for Decision:

At its meeting on 27 July 2017, the Cabinet received a paper outlining the Campus Concept. The paper outlined that the proposal for Leisure, Health and Wellbeing Campuses would be a focus for local service provision. It aimed to bring together a number of key work programmes including Central Park phased development, open space and pitch reviews, land and property reviews and leisure centre provision.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Other options were considered included doing nothing with existing facilities or maintaining current facilities. Both were dismissed, either as unsuitable or unsustainable. The Working Group constituted to look at the Campus Concept and its potential in South Ribble and agreed to make better use of what we currently have and not consider closure, but rather replacement of facilities where it was needed.

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets attached.

Decision Made: (Unanimously):

That the:

1. Investment Property Strategy and the Governance arrangements outlined within the report be agreed.

2. the adoption of the Investment Property Strategy and the appointment of the external Property Investment expertise at the end of the procurement process be approved.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets which provided details of the Investment Property Strategy and associated governance processes.

During the debate, the Cabinet raised the following issues:

·         The new Property Investment Strategy was to address some of the issues raised by members in the first strategy that was put forward earlier in the year.

·         This strategy was far more robust, comprehensive and detailed and it takes into consideration transparency and due diligence to enable viable investment opportunities to be pursued and implemented.

·         The Cabinet was pleased to note that this report had been approved by the Governance Committee at its meeting on 29 November 2017 subject to some suggested comments from the Committee which had been incorporated in the strategy.

Decision Made: (Unanimously):

That subject to the comments made by Governance Committee at its meeting on 29 November 2017 the:

1.    Investment Property Strategy and the Governance arrangements outlined within the report be agreed; and

2.    the adoption of the Investment Property Strategy and the appointment of the external Property Investment expertise at the end of the procurement process be approved.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council had identified investment in property and assets as a source of income to support the delivery of the MTFS (Medium Term Financial Strategy). An income target of £300,000 had been established and a Borough Investment Fund of £3.824m had been created to fund this investment initially.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected:

Not specified in the report.

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the:

1. proposed extent of the new Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), as detailed in Appendix A to the report, be agreed.

2. new Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), as detailed in Appendix A to the report, be formally declared to DEFRA.

3. development of a revised Action Plan for Air Quality be delegated to the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets which identified that air quality levels along Turpin Green Lane and Golden Hill Lane were exceeding or very close to exceeding the national objective level.

During the debate, the Cabinet noted that although the levels of Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) were checked but the view was that these would need to be monitored on a regular basis within the action plan. It was important to working closely with the County Council in respect of traffic management in an endeavour to come up with solutions to alleviate the problems.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the:

1.    proposed extent of the new Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), as detailed in Appendix A to the report, be agreed;

2.    new Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), as detailed in Appendix A to the report, be formally declared to DEFRA; and

3.    development of a revised Action Plan for Air Quality be delegated to the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets.

Reasons for Decision:

The Council had a statutory duty to monitor and report on air quality within the borough. Where the objective levels for certain pollutants were exceeded the Council had a duty to declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA), and then produce an Action Plan with the aid of partners (County Council, Public Health professionals etc.) to undertake measures to try and improve the air quality in the area to below national objective values (40?g/m3 for Nitrogen Dioxide).

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Other options were considered, however the proposed AQMA was considered the most appropriate as it covered the main transport routes through the town which had been identified as exceeding the national objective value, and was considered suitable and appropriate given the current available information.

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

The following recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee call-in relating to Cabinet’s earlier decision to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) limiting the number of dogs under one person’s control be accepted, namely:

·         More robust consultation exercises be undertaken, including extended timescales and involvement of all stakeholders prior to considering further whether to introduce such a PSPO

·         Statutory Officer and Director’s advice is sought before tabling recommendations at meetings

·         Greater evidence based/documented decision-making should take place

·         The rationale to be provided for any changes to recommendations

The Cabinet considered the report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets which provided details of the recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee’s call-in meeting held on 6 November 2017.

During the debate, the Cabinet clarified that after the Scrutiny Committee call-in, the earlier decision to implement a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) to limit the number of dogs under one person’s control had been suspended and no limit had been imposed. More robust consultation exercises would be undertaken, including extended timescales and involvement of all stakeholders prior to considering further whether to introduce such a PSPO.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the following recommendations from the Scrutiny Committee call-in relating to Cabinet’s earlier decision to introduce a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) limiting the number of dogs under one person’s control be accepted, namely:

·         More robust consultation exercises be undertaken, including extended timescales and involvement of all stakeholders prior to considering further whether to introduce such a PSPO

·         Statutory Officer and Director’s advice is sought before tabling recommendations at meetings

·         Greater evidence based/documented decision-making should take place

·         The rationale to be provided for any changes to recommendations

Reasons for Decision:

At its meeting on 25 October 2017, Cabinet agreed to implement a public space protection order to limit the number of dogs under a person’s control to four. The decision was then called in by the Scrutiny Committee. A Scrutiny Committee meeting was held on 6 November 2017, which considered the decision taken by Cabinet. Recommendations were made by the Scrutiny Committee.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Each Scrutiny Committee recommendation had been carefully considered.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public for the following items of business on the ground that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in Paragraph * of Part 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

By Virtue of Paragraph 3: Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)

RESOLVED (UNANIMOUSLY):

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following item of business as it involved the discussion of information defined as exempt from publication under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, ‘Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) ‘ and in which the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.

RESOLVED (Unanimously):

That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following item of business as it involved the discussion of information defined as exempt from publication under paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972, ‘Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) ‘ and in which the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing it.

Report of the Director of Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets attached.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That the following be agreed:

1. To award the tender for Vehicle Specification 1-3 (7 No. Chassis Cab Tippers) to Tenderer No. 1.

2. To award the tender for Vehicle Specification 4 (2 No. Plant & Equipment Transporters) to Tenderer No.1.

3. To award the tender for Vehicle Specification 5 & 6 (2 Medium Wheel Based Vans) to Tenderer No. 3.

4. To award the tender for Vehicle Specification 7 (4x4 Arborist Team Vehicle) to Tenderer No.1.

5. To award the tender for the 16T Refuse Vehicle to Tenderer No. 2.

6. To award the tender for the 26T Refuse Vehicle to Tenderer No. 1.

7. To approve capital expenditure of £523,991, in compliance with Financial Regulations.

The Cabinet considered the report of the Neighbourhoods, Environmental Health and Assets which provided details of requests to commit capital expenditure and accept the most economically advantageous tenders for the procurement of the vehicles.

During the debate, the Cabinet raised the following issues:

·         The tendering process had been undertaken using Purchasing Organisation Framework Agreements and the tenders had been evaluated in line with the Most Economical Advantageous Tender (MEAT). 

·         The 12 Neighbourhood vehicles being replaced were owned by the Council and were up to 13 years old and if the vehicles were not to be replaced the current fleet would become unreliable and uneconomical to maintain.

·         The Council was looking at how it move forwards and continuous testing and demonstrations had been undertaken for the different vehicle options. At present there were still a lot of product development of specialist waste disposal vehicles in the market.

Decision Made (Unanimously):

That:

1.    the tender for Vehicle Specification 1-3 (7 No. Chassis Cab Tippers) be awarded to Tenderer No. 1;

2.    the tender for Vehicle Specification 4 (2 No. Plant & Equipment Transporters) be awarded to Tenderer No.1;

3.    the tender for Vehicle Specification 5 & 6 (2 Medium Wheel Based Vans) be awarded to Tenderer No. 3;

4.    the tender for Vehicle Specification 7 (4x4 Arborist Team Vehicle) be awarded to Tenderer No.1;

5.    the tender for the 16T Refuse Vehicle be awarded to Tenderer No. 2;

6.    the tender for the 26T Refuse Vehicle be awarded to Tenderer No. 1; and

7.    approval be given to the capital expenditure of £523,991, in compliance with Financial Regulations.

Reasons for Decision:

Following consultation with our operatives, waste partner and consideration of demonstration vehicles the Council had invited companies to tender for our replacement vehicle requirements. Following receipt of tenders and evaluation of the bids recommendations could now be made to accept the tenders from the highest scoring bidders.

Alternative Options Considered and Rejected: 

Contract hire was considered, however the 12 Neighbourhood vehicles being replaced are owned by the Council and were up to 13 years old. Ownership of the vehicles had enabled the replacement of some of the vehicles to be deferred where they were considered to be in good working order through regular maintenance and the close monitoring of running costs. This would not have been possible if the vehicles had been contract hired opposed to purchased. Demonstrations had been carried out for the different vehicle options.