Joint Labour-SNP Amendment (with Green backing)

Looks like the in-house option will get majority support today ... delighted to report that Labour and the local SNP have now agreed a Joint-Amendment, and that the Greens intend to back it.

That is a majority Council position :-)

Credit to the local SNP for getting behind this.

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City of Edinburgh Council
Joint Labour/SNP Amendment

Full Council Meeting

24th November 2011

Item 8.1 Alternative Business Models Review Programme
– Environment Workstream

1. Council notes that the Alternative Business Models Review Programme would be concluded by a decision of Council and that this was commonly known by, and made clear to, all Parties involved in the process.

2. Council, having taken into account inter-alia the following …

i. The statutory duty to deliver Best Value, namely the duty to ensure the continuous improvement of services. Specifically Council notes the duty to strike an appropriate balance between quality and cost while having due regard for efficiency, effectiveness, economy, equality, human rights and sustainability including social and economic sustainability as well as environmental protection, including concerns regarding co-mingling.
ii. The statutory duty to have due regard for Scottish Government guidance and protocols including Best Value Guidance, Section 52 Guidance, the National Standards on Community Engagement and the “Public Private Partnerships in Scotland – protocol and guidance concerning employment issues”.
iii. The now acknowledged, significant workforce reduction under this element of the ABM programme with public sector jobs being lost to the City of Edinburgh and the resulting adverse economic consequences for the city.
iv. The risk to local services, and local accountability, being too great and the estimated level of savings being unlikely to outweigh the dis-benefits of this element of the ABM programme.
v. The information that was made available in the “data room” coupled with detailed analysis of some of the said information.

… all leads Council to agree that the procurement process is terminated without award of a contract.

3. Council further notes that an internal improvement plan has been developed which has the potential to deliver significant improvements and savings to in-house service delivery and:

i. resolves to apply the terms of the Environmental Services internal improvement plan and instructs the Chief Executive Officer to take appropriate steps to secure its implementation.
ii. agrees that regular reports on the progress of the internal improvement plan shall be made to the Finance & Resources Committee and/or Council and that Committee should bring any matters of concern regarding its progress to the attention of the Council in order that it can determine any course of action it deems necessary.

4. Council therefore rejects recommendations 23 a) to e) and agrees to proceed as stated above.


Proposed __________________________________ Councillor Andrew Burns

Seconded __________________________________ Councillor Steve Cardownie