Agreement Between City and County Council for Highway Tree Management

The request was partially successful.

Dear Cambridge City Council,

Could you please release:

* details of the current arrangement between Cambridge City Council and Cambridgeshire County Council for the management by the City Council of County Council owned highway trees; including any list of trees excluded from the arrangements and any price list for works carried out under the arrangement.

* amounts paid under the arrangements, and their predecessors, for 2012-13, 2013-14, 2014-15 and the amount budgeted for/expected in 2015-16.

I expect the material requested may be inextricably linked with other aspects of verge maintenance. I'm happy for my request to be treated as if it refers to highway trees, as well as ditches and grass on verges if that makes it easier for the council to respond to.

--

Richard Taylor
Cambridge
http://www.rtaylor.co.uk

Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

A paper from the 14th of January 2014 refers to an agreement operated on an informal basis:

http://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/docume...

I expect there will be something written down which can be released in response to my request; and certainly there ought be a record of payments made.

Emma Farrington, Cambridge City Council

Dear Mr Taylor,
Thank you for your request made under the Freedom of Information Act.
This will be forwarded to the relevant department and responded to within 20 working days or by 3rd July.
Regards,
Melanie Jones

Melanie Jones
Senior Business Support Officer.

Cambridge City Council
The Guildhall
PO Box 700
CB1 0JH

Tel - 01223 457364
Email - [email address]
Website: www.cambridge.gov.uk

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Dear Mr Taylor,

Re: Freedom of Information Request ref 5375

Your FOI request about highway tree management has been forwarded by Cambridge City Council to us, Cambridgeshire County Council, on 09/06/2015.

Your request will be dealt with in line with the Freedom of Information Act and its regulations. In accordance with the Act, the council aims to respond to all requests within 20 working days, in this instance by 07/07/2015.

If we require further information, clarification or a fee in order to fulfil your request we will contact you again. Please quote the reference number above in all future correspondence concerning this request.

Yours sincerely,

Information Governance Team
SH1001
Shire Hall
Cambridge
CB3 0AP
T: 01223 699137
E: [email address]

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Richard Taylor left an annotation ()

If I get the information it doesn't matter which council the response comes from, but this isn't a response which complies with the Freedom of Information Act.

If the County Council do supply me with a copy of their understanding of the arrangements that won't give me an assurance that the City Council's understanding is the same.

I'll wait and see what response I get before deciding if to pursue my request to the City Council.

Middleton Emma,

1 Attachment

Dear Mr. Taylor,

 

I write with reference to your request of 9^th June 2015 regarding the
management of highway trees.

 

Please find attached the requested information.

 

I hope this information is helpful but if you are unhappy with the service
you have received in relation to your request and wish to make a complaint
or request a review, you should write to Dan Horrex, Corporate Information
Manager, Box SH1001, Shire Hall, Cambridge CB3 0AP or email
[1][email address] within 40 days of the date of this
letter.

 

If you are not content with the outcome of the internal review, you have
the right to apply directly to the Information Commissioner for a
decision. The Information Commissioner can be contacted at: Information
Commissioner’s Office, Wycliffe House, Water Lane, Wilmslow, Cheshire, SK9
5AF.

 

Generally, the ICO will not undertake a review or make a decision on a
request until the internal review process has been completed.

 

Kind Regards

Emma

 

Emma Middleton

Business Development Officer

Economy, Transport and Environment

 

( 01223 507164

8 [2][email address]

 

 

The information in this email is confidential and may be legally
privileged. It is intended solely for the addressee. If you receive this
email by mistake please notify the sender and delete it immediately.
Opinions expressed are those of the individual and do not necessarily
represent the opinion of Cambridgeshire County Council. All sent and
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References

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3. http://www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/

Alistair Wilson, Cambridge City Council

4 Attachments

Dear Mr Taylor,

 

Thank you for your recent Freedom of Information request as follows: -

 

Information requested:

 

details of the current arrangement between Cambridge City Council and
Cambridgeshire County Council for the management by the City Council of
County Council owned highway trees; including any list of trees excluded
from the arrangements and any price list for works carried out under the
arrangement.

 

amounts paid under the arrangements, and their predecessors, for 2012-13,
2013-14, 2014-15 and the amount budgeted for/expected in 2015-16.

 

I expect the material requested may be inextricably linked with other
aspects of verge maintenance. I'm happy for my request to be treated as if
it refers to highway trees, as well as ditches and grass on verges if that
makes it easier for the council to respond to.

As the information you requested meets the definition of environmental
information it will be dealt with under the Environmental Information
Regulations 2004, as permitted under Section 39 of the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.

 

The Regulations define "environmental information". This includes
information relating to "built structures" to the extent that these are,
or may be, affected by environmental elements; e.g. water or soil. The
definition of environmental information also includes information
concerning the state of the elements of the environment, such as air and
atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites, as well as
measures that might affect or are intended to protect those elements.

 

We have determined that the information you are seeking falls within the
definition of "environmental information" as it relates to the state of
the elements, and measures intended to protect them.

 

The City Council is obliged, as a matter of law, to take a view on which
regime applies. If information falls within the scope of the Environmental
Information Regulations, then the City Council cannot consider it under
the Freedom of Information Act.

 

The Council only has to provide information that is in recorded form.  The
Regulations do not require the Council to create new information or find
out the answer to a question.

 

In response to your request:-

 

There are two documents that set out the current arrangements to the
management of the County Council trees, and these are namely:-

·         Cambridge City Council. (7/11/2000). The City Wide
Arboricultural Strategy: 2000 – 2007, and

 

·         Cambridge City Council. (13/7/2004). Mid-period review of the
City Wide  -Arboricultural Strategy: 2004-2007. unpublished report to
Environment Scrutiny Committee.

These two tree related documents set out the justification to maintain all
trees within the City on a three year maintenance cycle.  This approach
was, and still is, deemed as cost effective and efficient. 

 

This cyclical arrangement was facilitated by a Reverse Agency Agreement. 
The Reverse Agency Agreement was ended by letter and was to be
renegotiated from 2011/12.  These negotiations have never been concluded. 
The future arrangement for tree maintenance, grass cutting and other items
contained within the Reverse Agency Agreement remain uncertain.

The County Council has indicated that it does not wish to enter into any
substantive agreement until the outcome of Highway Strategic Review is
known, as this is designed to address how highway services are delivered
post 2016.

 

 

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Year |Value |
|----------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|2012-13 |£56,282.97 |
|----------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|2013-14 |£60,462.25 |
|----------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|2014 -15 |£62,176.00 |
|----------------------------------+--------------------------------|
|2015-16 |£50,000.00 |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 

 

If you are dissatisfied with our response, you are entitled to ask for a
review. A request for a review should be addressed to

 

Mr Joel Carre,

Head of Streets and Open Space,

Mill Road,

Cambridge,

CB1 2AZ.

 

If you are dissatisfied with the outcome of an internal review, you are
entitled to pursue an appeal to the Information Commissioner.

 

The Information Commissioner’s address is:

 

Wycliffe House

Water Lane

Wilmslow

Cheshire SK9 5AF

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

 

 

Mr Alistair Wilson

Streets and Open Space- Development Manager

 

 

Please consider the environment - do you really need to print this

e-mail?

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