Agenda item

To provide an overview with the delivery of the Council’s fleet replacement programme in 2020/2021 and an update on the progress made in current financial year 2021/2022.

The Committee were provided with an overview with the delivery of the Council’s fleet replacement programme in 2020/2021 and an update on the progress made in current financial year 2021/2022.  (A copy of the report is enclosed with the signed minutes).

Paul Jones, Service Director – Local Services, explained that it was essential that the fleet replacement programme was delivered in a timely manner to ensure delivery of front-line services, secure benefits of new technology, minimise impact on the environment and make a positive contribution to tackling climate change.  He reported that:

·        Service reviews and challenging the need for vehicles had resulted in a number of vehicles being removed from the program.

·        Of the 391 vehicles scheduled to be replaced during 2021/22, 117 had been rescheduled.

·        The programme had been severely impacted by the pandemic and to a lesser extent, Brexit.  There were significant delivery delays due to closure of businesses, reduced capacity during lockdowns, world-wide shortages of semi-conductors and other parts from suppliers.

·        Service critical vehicles had been promptly replaced to ensure service resilience.

·        Purchase of some vehicle types had been delayed to enable assessment of reduced payloads, following the introduction of new standards, and potential replacement with electric vehicles (EV).

·        Cost and differential impact of cost, particularly for larger electric vehicles and their current availability, was being closely monitored.  Financial assistance would be sought from Council for any increased costs to purchase EV.

The following information was provided in answer to questions from members:

·        Vehicles were primarily purchased outright and sold at auction at the end of their life to maximise returns.  Operating or finance leases were also considered when viable to do so, although negotiation of extensions incurred additional premiums and they also had strict return conditions and values.  Reviews were undertaken quarterly and generally it was cheaper for the Council to borrow at lower rates.  Some specialist plant and equipment were bought second hand, although the majority was purchased new.

·        Some vehicles with quick change bodies had been purchased to enable use all year round and ensure vehicles were not standing unused for many months.  Examples included gritters which were also used as tar tankers for road maintenance.  Some vehicles were dedicated solely as gritters due to the nature of their use.  The fleet was kept under review as it was not beneficial to have high value vehicles sat unused.

·        Services were challenged as to whether vehicles needed to be replaced; this had resulted in the removal of 18 vehicles from the programme in 2020/21.  This challenge included specifications, as a standardised fleet was also cheaper to purchase and maintain.  Other vehicles had been added due to the increased capital allocation for highways maintenance to do more in-house and reduce cost and reliance on third party contractors.

·        Acquisition of additional gulley tankers would require consideration as a growth item and an additional financial allocation through the budgetary process.

·        Use of new vehicles in parks was beneficial to the teams in saving time and enabling them to undertake more work.

·        New vehicles were generally quieter than older vehicles and it was suggested that lower volumes of traffic during the pandemic could have impacted on the background noise and influencing perception of noise levels of ride on lawnmowers.

·        The none removal of grass arisings contributed to blocked drains and associated problems.

·        The new chipping spreading paving machine, to be used mainly on rural roads, had been purchased under an invest to save opportunity.  Income generation work was also undertaken for other local authorities when capacity and capability permitted, given seasonal constraints.  This was not at the detriment of the council’s own programme.

·        The specification had now been agreed for 6 compact sweepers which would be replaced during 2021-22.  The replacement cycle had been reduced on other equipment due to issues with reliability.

·        Ancillary equipment on vehicles, such as jetters on gulley wagons, would be checked and reported back.

·        It had been necessary to ensure there was an adequate charging infrastructure at depots when ‘greening’ the fleet.  Improvements were being made to depot-based charging network to accommodate the growing EV fleet.  This had necessitated ‘power up’ bids and other climate change improvements at key operational depots, such as PV on roofs and ground source heat pumps, as part of the Council’s climate change action plan.  Capacity and availability with the local grid was an issue nationally for larger vehicles.  Planning permission had been obtained by estates management for the construction of solar PV car ports with EV charger capacity at County Hall.

·        There was concern regarding the environmental impact of alternative fuel sources, e.g. hydro treated vegetable oil.  The Energy Savings Trust had been engaged and were considering ‘greening’ the fleet, feasibility of EVs and alternatives, as EVs might not be suitable across the whole fleet.  Technological advances and availability of models were being closely monitored.

·        Quick change body jet patchers had been acquired following trials although they had been expensive to operate and provided a temporary repair.  A change of approach to a greater proportion of permanent repairs on the road network had resulted in them being replaced with hot box vehicles.

The officers were thanked for the informative report and work undertaken by Local Services, which had continued with little interruption during the pandemic.

RESOLVED that:

1.      The work undertaken to deliver a challenging fleet replacement programme during 2020/21 and 2021/22, be noted.

2.      Cabinet be recommended to consider an invest to save or business case to acquire more gulley wagons to increase capacity as part of the capital programme budget discussions.