Advisory group

The National Advisory Groups provide APSE membership with a network of meeting forums to share good practice with peers, to learn about the most current issues relating to the service and to listen to leading experts in the field. All the groups have a regular programme of quarterly meetings with other meetings called to discuss topical issues such as responses to consultation papers. Attendances at the groups are around 50 on average indicating that the demand for regular service specific advisory group meetings with strong and relevant agendas and the opportunity to network with colleagues from similar service backgrounds is still seen as a key service from the Association. These meetings are free of charge for APSE member Authorities.

There are currently 15 advisory groups:

Building cleaning

This group covers the full range of issues related to the delivery of a high quality in-house building cleaning service. Areas include Facilities management, staffing and resourcing issues, equipment and chemicals. A significant emphasis is placed on productivity and performance to enable accurate costing and staff requirements to be determined for a variety of buildings. Marketing, selling and tendering a cleaning service to a broader market features highly.  Schools and corporate cleaning is assessed along with options such as ‘day-time’ cleaning and relationship management with clients.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Rob Bailey. The chair of this group is Cllr Tommy Fearns, Knowsley MBC

Catering

The group covers education, welfare and civic catering although reflects the size of these functions within Councils. Topics include marketing , tendering and service design. Innovations in costing and staffing have included executive chefs in secondary schools and detailed analysis of price makeup. Nutrition, halal food, food standards and safety feature heavily along with government changes to employment law including safeguarding.  Civic catering typically looks at commercial opportunities and welfare catering assesses the make or buy dilemma. Relationship management with schools and clients is a common theme as if efficiency solutions.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Rob Bailey. The chair of this group is Cllr Joe Lowe, South Lanarkshire Council and the group secretary is Debbie Clarke, Wigan MBC.

Housing construction and building maintenance

The group is responsible for supporting officers and members who cover services related to the maintenance of buildings, social housing and construction. Topics related to both housing and civic buildings are covered by the group. Operational issues are the focus of the group and include items such as use of mobile working, shift patterns, management of finance and stores, as well as joint purchasing, procurement, health and safety and training. Suppliers also attend and update the group with  new product and service developments. The group also addresses performance networks issues.

Phil Brennan is the Principal Advisor for this group, Cllr Eamonn O’Neill from Down District Council is the Chair and Phil Brown, Commercial Manager, A1 Housing Bassetlaw is the Secretary.

Parks, Horticulture and Grounds Maintenance

This group explores issues for member authority parks, open spaces and playground services, grounds maintenance services, amenity land services, horticulture and arboriculture as well as allotments and cemeteries and crematoria.  The meetings cover issues for service delivery including operational methods (e.g. area working and street scene approaches), innovation, funding issues, legislative and policy changes (e.g. pesticide use), apprenticeships and training, and working with businesses and the community.  The meetings include regular feedback from APSE representation at GreenLINK and the Amenity Action Plan Implementation Group at the Health and Safety Executive.  The group is followed by an APSE performance networks benchmarking meeting which is a dedicated forum for parks, open spaces and horticultural services data and process benchmarking service.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Debbie Johns. The chair of this group is Alderman Hubert Nicholl, Ballymena BC and the group secretary is Bernie Candlish, Ballymena BC.

Renewables and Climate Change

This group will be looking at a range of strategic issues including energy management, resource allocation, the impacts of climate change and efficiency in use of natural resources. From an operational angle, topics covered will include alternative energy sources currently in use, or available, to local authorities and other public service providers such as air and ground source heat pumps, solar PV, biomass and wind turbines. The group will consider the benefits and problems of installing, using and maintaining these technologies and the outcomes for the service provider and the wider community.     

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Phil Brennan. The chair of this group is Cllr Robert Boswell and the group secretary  is Mick Lovatt of Preston City Council.

Roads, Highways and Street Lighting

This group covers issues which are important for those officers and members with responsibilities in highways maintenance, transport, street lighting and signage and winter maintenance and snow clearance – essentially all road and footway related services.  The meetings cover primarily operational issues such as approaches to renewing and repairing the highway, reducing energy use in street lighting and providing a gritting service as well as strategic issues such as procurement and the management of utilities. Changes to legislation and regulations are also covered. Speakers from major suppliers also keep the group up to date with new products in the sector. The group also addresses performance networks issues.

APSE members are representatives on the Highways Maintenance Efficiency programme and the Pot Holes Review and feedback is given at the advisory group as is feedback from our representative on HSE consultative groups. 

Phil Brennan is the Principal Advisor for this group and Cllr Frank Anderson from West Lothian Council is the Chair.

Service delivery models

This group is a new group set up by APSE to accommodate our member authorities who operate under different models of service delivery such as shared services, trading companies or  ‘teckal’ companies, trusts or arms length arrangements. The group will also be open to all APSE members who wish to network with others members about emerging  models of service delivery such as co-operatives and mutuals, community interest companies and other  forms of service delivery or collaborative approaches to service delivery between local authorities and others.     

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Mo Baines. The chair of this group is Cllr Daniel Hawthorne and the group secretary  is Nic Cox  of Solutions SK ( A Stockport Council Company)

Service transformation and performance management

This group explores all aspects of service transformation across all the different service areas represented by APSE and includes looking at service transformation approaches such as service reviews, business process reviews, innovation such as income generation, applying management techniques such lean or six sigma principles to service improvement planning, benchmarking of performance data and performance management  issues in frontline services.  This group also incorporates resource management issues including matching human resources to service planning and delivery needs.     

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Mo Baines. The chair of this group is Cllr Jim McGuigan and the group secretary  is Richard Llewellyn of North Lanarkshire Council.

Sports and leisure management

Sports and leisure focuses mainly on the effective management of sports centres and swimming pools with occasional forays into Spas and dry-ski slopes. Increasing visitor numbers is a continuing theme and the then maximisation of secondary spend through, promotion and vending is keenly studied.  Sports development is assessed in the context of improved accessibility from targeted groups and the links to health improvement highlighted. Staffing issues including safeguarding and the numbers of lifeguards are highlighted as are innovations in equipment and consumer trends in leisure. The emerging themes of commissioning and links with health and wellbeing boards are explored as soon as new legislation and guidance is produced by central government.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Rob Bailey. The chair of this group is Cllr Leon Unczur, Nottingham City Council

Vehicle Maintenance and Transport

This group looks at issues for fleet, transport operations and vehicle maintenance services within local authorities.  Topics covered by the group include fleet procurement, vehicle repairs and maintenance, vehicle utilisation, driver issues (e.g. CPC training), transport environmental practice (e.g. fuel, electric vehicles),  health and safety and apprenticeships/training.  The meetings also incorporate joint working with the Freight Transport Association, particularly in relation to the joint state of the market survey with APSE.  The group is followed by an APSE performance networks benchmarking meeting which is a dedicated forum for transport operations and vehicle maintenance services data and process benchmarking service.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Debbie Johns. The chair of this group is Alderman Charles Price, Bristol City Council and the group secretary is Damian Walshe, Knowsley MBC.

Waste Management, Refuse Collection and Street Cleansing

Services included in this advisory group are waste management, refuse collection, recycling, street cleansing, street scene and public realm services.  Topics featured at these meetings include service delivery arrangements (e.g. zonal working, street scene approaches), latest legislative and policy issues (e.g. waste policy review); campaigns, education and enforcement; environmental issues such as flytipping, bulky waste, flyposting, graffiti, abandoned vehicles and dog fouling; monitoring quality standards such as Leqs Pro, LEAMS and NI 195; working in partnership with the police and fire services; charging or rewarding the public for waste and recycling services; and waste treatment such as anaerobic digestion.  The group also covers other operational issues such as the methods/frequencies of domestic and trade collections, use of vehicles/equipment, shift and working patterns as well as apprenticeships and staff development.  The group is followed by an APSE performance networks benchmarking meeting which is a dedicated forum for refuse collection and street cleansing services data and process benchmarking service.

The APSE Principal Advisor for this group is Debbie Johns. The chair of this group is Councillor Symon Fraser, East Riding of Yorkshire Council and the group secretary is Huw Roberts, East Riding of Yorkshire Council.