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New patterns in local government transport
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TEESSIDE AMALGAMATION MAY BE A POINTER TO THE FUTURE
THE EXTENSION of boundaries and merging--or submerging—of local authorities is a process likely to be accelerated. An indication of the way such changes affect a substantial English industrial area can be discerned from the new county borough of Teesside, in the process of settling down after its formation on April 1.
It comprises what were the county borough of Middlesbrough, the boroughs of Stockton-on-Tees and Thornaby-on-Tees and Redcar (except for a small section), a large part of the urban districts of Eston and Billingham, part of the Guisborough urban district area, a small section of the Saltburn and Marske-by-the-Sea urban district and part of the Stockton and Stokesley rural districts.
At one leap this takes the new county borough high up the list among English local authorities. On population (398,000) it is seventh largest—on acreage (49,107) it is fourth.
Here we have the merging of three public
transport undertakings. The major partners were Stockton and Middlesbrough—each with fleets of just over 100—and they were joined by the Teesside Rail-less Traction Board's 40 vehicles. Mr. W. C. Wilson, previously general manager at Stockton, assumed charge of the Teesside Municipal Transport undertaking with Mr. G. Stringer, the Middlesbrough general manager, as second in command. Mr. W. R. Holland, deputy manager at Middlesbrough and previously deputy at Stockton, was made chief traffic and commercial officer. Mr. Holland, however.was appointed deputy general manager at Nottingham as from June 1.
The only independent public cleansing department among the authorities forming the new area was that of Middlesbrough. Mr. W. A. Turner, the cleansing superintendent there, was appointed head of the combined undertaking, with Mr. D. E. Jones as his deputy.
In any changeover of this nature there will always he some of the public reluctant to accept the fact, and some who either do not see announcements or fail to grasp their significance.
To met this situation, information officers have been stationed at all the main offices of the former authorities. These officials can explain the new arrangements and through a series of direct telephone links, when necessary, put inquirers at local offices in touch with departmental headquarters. So the public is saved the frustration of being redirected to distant parts of the new borough.
The present passenger fleet operated by the combined undertaking totals 258, this being made up of 120 Leyland double-deckers and 22 Leyland single-deckers, 32 Guy double-dec kers, 60 Daimler do uble-dec kers, 9 Dennis double-deckers and one AEC single-decker, plus 15 Sunbeam trolley buses. On the amalgamation Middlesbrough contributed 101 double-deckers and 2 single-deckers, Stockton 92 double-deckers and 15 single-deckers and the Board 27 double-decker buses, 6 single-deck buses and 15 trolley buses.
The department's headquarters and central liepot have been established at Parliament Road, Middlesbrough, with the north depot at Church Street, Stockton-on-Tees, and the south depot at Southbank Road, Teesside. Each building in use before the creation of the new undertaking is still employed for the same purposes as hitherto.
Reputation for economy
Since each authority had a reputation for economy in operation, there appears little likelihood of startling savings being brought about by the amalgamation. Maintenance facilities, however, are likely to be improved because major repairs will eventually be concentrated at the north depot.
Technical vehicles at this location include a Morris tipping lorry, an Austin personnel carrier, an Austin Gipsy and a Leyland training bus. The south depot has a Thornycroft Nippy tower wagon, a Bedford tower wagon and a Bedford van, while the central depot has a Ford lorry, a Ford light van and a lOcwt Austin pick-up.
The undertaking has had some experience of operation on a one-man basis from the northern depot. This has proved successful and a useful number of vehicles is available for the purpose once the current difficulties arising from national negotiations are concluded.
In many parts of the new county borough passenger services are provided by United buses—as before—and efforts are to be made by the Corporation to co-operate with the company where mutual advantages can be gained without detriment to the travelling public.
Turning to public cleansing, over 700 manual workers, plus 18 administrative and clerical staff, have been taken over from the various authorities drawn into the new county borough. Patterns of work vary greatly throughout the area and for the time being, I was told by Mr. Turner, it is not proposed to make drastic changes since it is necessary for the value of each system to be assessed and consideration given to its place in the general scheme.
Vehicles and appliances which now comprise the fleet include 81 refuse collectors, mainly of Karrier and SD manufacture, 15 mechanical sweepers, 14 gully emptiers, 22 miscellaneous units, mainly Manulectrics, 10 footpath sweepers of various types, 13 lorries and vans, nine chassis-mounted gritters, nine gritting attachments and 14 angledozers, shovels and similar units.
The staff, operations and plant have been divided between three areas, each with its own supervisor. The central section consists of most of Middlesbrough. Redcar, Eston, part of Middlesbrough and part of Guisborough form the eastern sector; Billingham, Stockton and Thornaby make up the west. The department is responsible not only for refuse collection and disposal but also for street cleansing and for charge of both open and covered markets. Over 130,000 premises and more than 600 miles of road are serviced.
Five disposal tips
Five disposal tips are in operation—a situation likely to be rationalized in due course. Teesside also has a 30-year-old incineration plant handling about 25 per cent of the refuse collected. Throughout the area bulky items of refuse are handled free of charge. The problems of achieving anything like standardization become obvious when it is learned that relatively small sack schemes are in operation at Redcar and Billingham but three different types of sack-holders are used.'
At present vehicle liveries are numerous and partly to avoid offending local patriotism, it has been decided that Teesside Cleansing shall use the colours known as driftwood and donkey, a fawn y-grey twotone, with a red strip, that should be hard wearing and easy to keep clean. At the outset the repainted vehicles and appliances will be introduced into the outlying districts.
Since passenger transport and public cleansing are the two services with which the average member of the public is in most regular contact, they are among the first essentials in laying a sound foundation for the future of a new local authority's operations. Upon them predominantly will depend the impressions received by the outside world on the efficiency, or otherwise, of the organization.
Advantages of mergers
What will be the principal advantages of mergers? For the public cleansing departments, competition for the existing tipping sites will be eliminated. Over an area such as Teesside there will now be consistent methods of salting in bad weather, with a standard policy throughout the 220 miles of road on which Plan A and Plan B, for snow and ice clearance, operate. There will undoubtedly be opportunities for improvement in maintenance.
For another look at the effects of conurbation, one could consider, at one end of the scale, the metropolitan reorganization that created the Greater London Council; at the other, there is the Fermanagh County Council.
Within the Northern Ireland county (population about 50,000) there were until a year ago four lower-tier authorities in the shape of the borough of Enniskillen and the rural district councils of Enniskillen, Irvinestown and Lisnaskea. On June 2, 1967, a new Act transferred all the local authority functions tothe Fermanagh County Council.
From that date, the fleets of the engineers, public cleansing and other departments could be consolidated and there was no need to halt and turn about at more or less imaginary lines as the various operations took place.
The Borough of Enniskillen, like so many others, had been hard pressed on the matter of refuse disposal and before the change of function took place the public cleansing situation was reviewed in a report by Mr. G. H. Mawhinney, chief public health inspector. Following his suggestions, shortly after the merging an extensive disposal site was established outside the old borough boundary but convenient to the town. Without going into the position in detail it can be shown that the new set-up means better employment of vehicles and appliances and scope for greater experience on the part of the younger members of the staff. It will be easier to justify the acquisition of additional modern vehicles. Among aims for the future is the provision of improved facilities for vehicle maintenance.
Although this section is unaffected by the merger it may be worth observing at this juncture that the county is a direct operator of school buses. Capacities of its 63 vehicle fleet range from 20 to 72 pupils, and it has 27 full-time and over 30 part-time drivers. Fermanagh is, of course, predominantly rural. Consolidation in the case of actual conurbations is, of course, likely to offer
more numerous advantages.
Further mergers in Northern Ireland are on the way: the government there is convinced of their necessity. Proposals have been circulated that will result in the present 68 local authorities being transformed into somewhere between 21 and 18 larger units, each probably based on some historic centre.
They will be constituted as area councils and will get away from what may be called the old horse-radius concept. The larger territories will find employment for amalgamated fleets that will be more economical for qualified supervision both of operation and maintenance.
Bigger resources
The Teesside and Fermanagh trend will mean bigger resources to bring better financial terms so that the larger authorities will have a greater choice of new vehicles. Moreover, there will be a bigger pool of machines to draw upon in case of difficulties. And certain aspects of staff problems are likely to be eased.
These amalgamations and extensions of boundaries foreshadow a new pattern in local government affairs. The alterations in being and yet to come may bring their own troubles—but these are likely to be more than outweighed by the wide benefits of such reorganization.