Agenda item

The Select Committee will receive a briefing on the Fleet Strategy 2023-2030 which will be considered by Cabinet on 14 November 2023.

Adrian Hampton, Head of Highways Operations, alongside Samantha Howell, Director of Highways and Transport, updated the Committee on the Fleet Strategy 2023 – 2030.

It was noted that the Fleet Strategy was based upon the Council’s pledge to deliver carbon neutrality by 2030, and detailed how the Council would use, run, manage, and optimise the fleet vehicles owned or leased by the Council. The new strategy priorities were then listed as per the slides within the Agenda Pack.

It was then explained that officers were intending on moving to the electrification of vehicles where possible as it was felt that this was the best and most cost-effective way to deliver the Council’s carbon neutral objectives. Despite this, it was explained that other alternative fuels such as Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) had to be used and considered to ensure business continuity across services such as road gritters, while the infrastructure to support increased electrification across the network advanced. As such, it was highlighted that it was crucial that the Fleet Strategy directly interlinked with the Depot Strategy.

It was further noted that as the majority of vehicles were not fit for purpose, there would be challenges and costs involved, and therefore additional funding would be needed to deliver against both the Council’s financial requirements and carbon neutral pledge. As such, officers explained that there was funding allocated until 2025, with further growth and capital bids being made for future years, all of which would be developed in tandem with the Finance Team.

Further data and performance driven decisions were detailed including using telematics in vehicles, dash-cams to monitor route efficiencies, and reducing the number of vehicles, all of which would provide further data to support officers in deciding where the maximum benefits lay, and to maximise the use of storage space. Members were then informed that a three-year review into how services should be delivered was in process, which was being undertaken with the support of the Energy Saving Trust. During this review, it was noted that if more innovative methods came into effect and/or further opportunities for cost savings or increased efficiency was identified, they would be duly considered, and the strategy could be updated accordingly.

Finally, the table within the report was explained in detail for Members.

During the discussion, points included:

·       The possibility of using methane to power vehicles akin to other Local Authorities in the Country. Officers assured Members that it had and would continue to be considered, with the decision to use a combination of electric vehicles (EVs) and HVO as an alternative fuel arising from a review carried out 3 years ago by the Council alongside the Energy Saving Trust. It was highlighted that the vast majority of waste collection, highways, and streetscene vehicles were operated by the Council’s contractors and therefore, further conversations were needed with these departments and companies to discuss alternatives.

·       Members queried the decision to reduce the baseline number of vehicles when considering the possibility that waste collection vehicle numbers could increase pending a decision from the Government to consider including food waste into the existing waste collection regime. It was emphasised that waste collection vehicles were subject to a separate review, currently being undertaken in the Waste Management department and as such, were not included within the Fleet Strategy. However, these vehicles were recognised in respect of their carbon output and achieving carbon neutrality by 2030.

·       The launch of the Demand Responsive Transport Project was raised, and officers reiterated that the current infrastructure system was insufficient to support moving these vehicles to EVs due to the range of travel needed.

·       Despite the number of vehicles reducing across the fleet, it was explained that it would not create any landscape that could be built into cost savings. It was further explained that as officers were anticipating the number of waste collection vehicles increasing, these space savings would be mitigated by said increase due to the size of those vehicles. However, it was reiterated that both the Fleet and Depot Strategies would be interlinked and as such, officers would be considering how best to manage those depots in order to maximise the spaces available.

·       It was highlighted that both the Highways and Streetscene contractors had been tendered and carbon neutrality requirements had been built into both contracts. Therefore, although those vehicles would sit outside of the remit of the Fleet Strategy, their carbon output had been recognised when considering how to meet the Council’s carbon neutrality pledge.

·       It was confirmed that 90 EVs and charging points would be delivered by the end of the financial year. In response to a question with regard to the intention to increase the amount of EVs across the fleet, officers emphasised that business continuity and resilience was a priority and as such, it was not feasible to be entirely reliant on EVs at present, hence the need to continue considering more sustainable alternative fuels. Furthermore, although officers could not guarantee the electrification of all vehicles by 2030, they stated that the Fleet Strategy would deliver carbon neutrality alongside those vehicles within other directorates. It was acknowledged that once the provision of funding was secured, the infrastructure system could be improved which when taken in tandem with the Depot Strategy, would allow officers to consider delivering more EVs.

·       It was explained that to ensure resilience within the gritting services across the network, the Council provided the vehicles and salt for Milestone staff members to deliver the service which was noted as being as competitive as other commercial operators.

·       Finally, officers were thanked for their presentation and hard work in developing the strategy.

At the conclusion of the discussion, it was:

Resolved:

1)    The Committee noted the briefing.

2)    The Committee requested that an update on the delivery of the Strategy be brought to the Committee in 12 months’ time.