Archived decisions

REPORT OF THE

EXECUTIVE MEMBER FOR ENVIRONMENT

PART II

FUNDING ARRANGEMENTS FOR COMMUNITY TRANSPORT SCHEMES

1 The County Council works with a wide range of voluntary and community sector organisations to support the provision of community transport services. Many of these arrangements are currently made through service agreements, but changes under the new Hampshire Compact Funding Code, current procurement Regulations and the Council's Standing Orders mean that there is a need to move from service agreements to either grants or contracts. There have been extensive consultations with District Councils, transport operators in the voluntary and community sectors, and with other partners on the implications of the change.

2 Grants are the most appropriate means of support where voluntary organisations approach the County Council for financial assistance towards an activity which they have identified themselves and wish to progress. On the other hand, where the County Council is wishing to specify, outline or influence the service provided by a provider in return for payment, then a contract is the best way forward. This means that in many cases community transport services in Hampshire will need to be procured through contracts, usually through competitive tender but sometimes through a single tender procurement process. For example, most dial-a-ride and call-and-go services would need to be competitively tendered. However it is important that this formal process does not lead to unduly higher costs or reduced accessibility, so the opportunity will be taken through careful design of the tender process to reduce potential risks to contractors, stimulate innovation and encourage realistically priced tender bids.

3 In summary, the following arrangements will be put in place:

· Small grants will continue to be offered to support the work of organisations operating voluntary car schemes;


· Single tender negotiations will take place with operators currently receiving medium sized grants and new four year contracts will be awarded in April 2008;


· A range of criteria will be applied to awarding single tender contracts to area-wide community transport schemes;


· Similar criteria will be applied to tender negotiations with Councils for Voluntary Services which operate area-wide community transport schemes, and new 2 year contracts will be awarded from April 2008;


· A decision on the tendering process for support of an area-wide community transport scheme in Basingstoke will be brought forward at a later date following consideration of the various options available;


· Support for new minibuses will continue through one-off grants which will be assessed against criteria, with individual decisions being made by the Executive Member for Environment;


· In the case of some dial-a-ride and call-and-go services, single tender negotiations will take place with the current operators and temporary contracts will be awarded for the period 1 April 2008 to 30 September 2008;


· That in the case of other dial-a-ride and call-and-go services, a competitive tender exercise will be undertaken and new four year contracts will be awarded from 1 October 2008;


· There will be further consultations with existing users of dial-a-ride and call-and-go services;


· There will be a competitive tender for development and operation of a county-wide `Wheels to Work' scheme, with a view initially to awarding a two year contract as soon as possible (this is a moped hire scheme, currently covering New Forest and Test Valley and will be rolled out to East Hampshire and Winchester as part of this tender process).

4 The proposals set out above should enable the County Council, in partnership with District Councils and Community/Voluntary Transport operators, to maintain and develop services and accessibility whilst seeking to minimise costs and risks. It therefore contributes to the corporate aim of maximising well being.

M.J. KENDAL

Executive Member for Environment

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