Decision details

Approval is sought under Park 4B (Rule 16) - Access to Information Procedure Rules of the Council’s constitution to spend the balance of grant awarded to the Council to procure smartcards by the end of the financial year.  For reasons set out below, time is not available to seek approval from the March Cabinet nor through a single member decision to approve this expenditure.

Approval is sought to spend the final element of a South West Smartcard Applications (Ltd) grant for the above project to allow the project to commence.  Urgency is required due to the need to place an order for the production of the first 10,000 e-purse smartcards by the end of the financial year.  There is a 30 day lead-in time to order the cards.

The Cabinet Member agrees:

(1) To RELEASE the balance of funds of £306,390 for 2011/12 and future years to purchase cards and implement the project.

(2) That the decision be reported to the Cabinet at its meeting on 14th March 2012

While this project has been reported to Transport Board and regularly to the West of England Joint Transport Committee formal approval for expenditure has not be obtained to date.  There is insufficient time to obtain this approval from Cabinet in March.

Approval could be obtained from Cabinet or through a Single Member Decision but this would prevent the project from making critical purchases before the end of the financial year delaying the project.