Dear Sean,

With regards to my most recent FOI in respect of the plans for the £153,000 deducted from Amey (Service level deductions), I am completely baffled and astonished that you haven’t decided on how to use the funds.

We are both aware that the ‘pioneering partnership’ as you described it, was completed in July 2015 after an ‘exhaustive 18 month procurement exercise’ [sic], and yet you don’t have a detailed plan on how to reinvest the funds for environmental improvement to enhance and improve the Trafford Boroughs. Considering the first deductions date back to 2015/16 (£50,000) and others in 2016, it would seem these funds haven’t been given any thought or priority.

Can I recommend you arrange a meeting with all Environmental, Litter picking, Park friends and any other volunteer groups, who I am sure, would be more than happy to provide a long list of ideas and suggestions on how these funds could be put to good use immediately..?

I am also very concerned, that it takes a local resident to uncover this information via FOI’s when you have a team of staff and councillors, who should be asking probing questions to ensure pro-active action is taken, especially when you have the funds sitting in the account. I have noted that without my FOI’s and press interest, local residents would have no knowledge of the deduction process against Amey for not achieving standards/service levels and they would certainly not know that £153,000 remains in a Council account with no plan on how to reinvest it.

Yours Sincerely,

KJ Parker

Cllr Sean Anstee's reply

Further to the open letter dated 28th September regarding your FOI request in respects of funds deducted from Amey, I set out my reply below.

Whilst you have intimated that funds have been sat idle for some time, I must advise that these deductions are received retrospectively and were only credited to the Council in July 2017.

Nobody wishes to see penalties applied to the Partnership; however they are there to incentivise performance improvement whilst protecting the interests of Trafford taxpayers. It has always been the intention to reinvest these funds back into service areas.

It is not the intention of the Council to seek direct engagement on where future investment using these funds is made. We do of course consider all priorities and take into account the regular feedback we receive from residents directly and through elected members.

The Council has a regular forum with planned dialogue that takes place with all Friends of Parks groups three times per year, which I attend and chair. These forums provide a basis for listening to what’s important and considering any requests for additional investment and support, as we do with many other groups in Trafford.

I should make clear however that none of the penalties applied relate to performance deductions levied in parks or street cleansing services. The Council is very transparent in how it uses its resources and in how it sets its budget each year.

In respect of your final paragraph, it hasn’t taken your FOI request for us to be aware of the penalties levied and, whilst I accept that you are entitled to hold your own opinion on this matter, it’s not one with which we agree.

Specifically with regard to the Partnership, the performance of the contract is available to residents on the Council’s website in respect of last year’s Key Performance Indicator results and these will be published as available.

Yours sincerely

Councillor Sean Anstee

Leader of Trafford Council