Review of Considerate Contactor Scheme (CCS)
Purpose of the Review
The Director of Environment asked me to do a review of the CCS following the
Independent Complaint Investigator’s (ICI) recommendations following a complaint
about the Scheme. The ICI made seven recommendations for the Director.
Before I undertook the review, I had no prior knowledge of the CCS nor the
employee who effectively ran the scheme (the Construction Monitoring Officer). For
the record (in case this is shared with others), I manage the council’s democratic
services which encompass the services which run the elections/electoral registration,
the Mayor’s Office, the Leader of the Council’s Office, administering the 42 city
councillors’ support and the administration/governance of all the committees of the
Council.
The Director of Environment has considered my findings and, following consultation
with the Executive Councillor for Planning Policy and Transport, all my
recommendations have been agreed and are being implemented.
Gary Clift, Democratic Services Manager
6 April 2016
Findings of the Review
In undertaking the review I have spoken to the following council officers:
 the Environmental Health Manager
 New Neighbourhoods Development Manager
 City Development Manager
 Building Control Manager
 Web and Corporate Marketing Team.
I have also spoken to the complaints team at the National Considerate Constructor
Scheme.
On 15 January I accompanied the CMO on 4 site visits. At the time of writing there
are 60 building projects on the CMO books. Each will be visited monthly/every 6
weeks. A visit can be from 30 minutes for a small site to half a day plus (eg NW
Cambridge University site). A report by the CMO to the contractor on the visit is
produced within a day or so. These reports are then available for the judges of the
annual awards under the CCS.
The CMO will advise near neighbours by letter prior to commencement of works –
that letter should be clear on what the CCS can do and what the resident can do via
other services (Environmental Health etc) and this information will be as set out on
the website so the message is consistent. (The current leaflets left over should no
longer be used)
The officers consulted have confirmed that they very much value the work
undertaken (which is wider than just CCS work) and from the planning officer side
there is concern about the quality of the national scheme (eg. It is not the case that
there are regular site visits). The CMO has built up a wealth of experience with
contractor issues and has over time become of great benefit to both the planning and
environmental health officers in s106 monitoring, on monthly stakeholder meetings
on big projects (such as at Addenbrookes or the Station Area) and environmental
issues.
What we don’t know is how many complaints or residents’ issues have not presented
themselves because of the positives of a local scheme in the way it has been run by
the CMO. The conversations that I have had both within the Council and on the site
visits, I conclude that the current arrangement is valued and is undertaken by a
dedicated, respected and professional individual.
There is a risk that this dependency on one person is also a single point of failure.
At a time of major change to both building control and the planning service it is really
worth considering now who could be trained into supporting the CMO and
deputising.
I list each of the ICI recommendations and my response.
1. That the Director of Environment commissions a review of its public facing
website and marketing of the City Council Considerate Contractors Scheme
the purpose being to ensure that members of the public understand the
‘voluntary’ nature of the scheme and any misunderstanding that the City
Council has an enforcement authority over participating contractors.
My responseI have already asked corporate marketing and the web team to draw up revised
webpage(s) of information (which will then be checked for fact by the CMO) which
will then be regularly updated (I recommend by someone learning the work
alongside the CMO rather than dependent on the CMO) and cover:

Information for contractor/prospective customer-what you get from the
scheme/site visits/report of visit/award/how the scheme ties in with the
Council’s values.

Information for anyone affected by contractor’s work-with a clear explanation
of how the complaint will be dealt with. The contact number for the public
should be the CSC. Appropriate training to be given to the CSC although it is
most likely calls will still be dealt with by the Construction Monitoring
Officer/deputy.

Make it clear what the scheme can’t do (ie by its voluntary nature and copy
what it said on the national scheme site) and provide advice where you should
report if enforcement or other action were required (giving examples)

General Information (ie what currently is on the site and is to be retained)

A reference to the national scheme as some contractors will be registered in
both-explain that they are separate

A weblink to the Cambridge Forum for the Construction Industry (which the
CCS is supported by)

A list of the projects of each contractor registered (ie. not just the list of
contractors)

Continue to notify neighbouring properties by letter/with a link to the website.
2. That the Director of Environment notes the findings and considers
commissioning a review of how complaints against contractors are monitored
and managed under the Considerate Contractors Scheme in order that there is
public transparency and confidence in the process.
My responseThe ICI refers to the national scheme and I agree that it does offer a much clearer
route to anyone complaining if after the initial contact, they feel that it is not being
dealt with adequately, it can be taken further.
The CCS should include a clear escalation process but I think this need not be
elaborate for a local voluntary scheme. A 2 stage process would suffice and this
should come into effect as quickly as possible. This should be:
Stage 1 – Construction Monitoring Officer raises issue to site manager
Unsatisfactory resolution, complainant can then escalate to
Stage 2- Building Control Manager raises issue to company office/Director
Either the complainant will be satisfied after stage 2 or the Manager is satisfied that
the contractor is meeting the requirement of the CCS having satisfactorily responded
to Stage 2. This addresses the point that with a voluntary scheme it may be that a
complainant remains unsatisfied but the Council, within the boundaries of the
voluntary scheme, has done what is reasonable to satisfy itself that the contractor is
respecting the scheme.
This process will be explained on the website.
3. That the Director of Environment notes the approach taken by a similar
voluntary scheme (Considerate Constructors Scheme) and considers if this
approach or aspects of the stages applied may provide a framework for the
City Councils Scheme to adopt.
Addressed above in 2
4. That the Director of Environment notes the findings and considers
commissioning a review of how complaints against contractors are monitored
and managed under the Considerate Contractors Scheme and the need for an
independent review or escalation stage in the process.
See 2
5. That the Director of Environment notes the approach taken by a similar
voluntary scheme (Considerate Constructors Scheme) and considers if this
approach or aspects of the stages applied may provide a framework for the
City Councils Scheme to adopt.
See 2
6. That the Director of Environment notes the findings and considers
commissioning a review of the governance and oversight arrangements for the
City Council Considerate Contractors scheme, to ensure that there is an
appropriate and publicly documented process for dealing with the sanction of
contractor members who do not comply with the Code of Good Practice.
My response
Annual reporting of complaints and compliments received should be published on
the CCS pages of the website. This information is taken into account by the CCS
Awards Judging Panel.
Any contractor who is removed from the Scheme should be recorded on the website.
7. That the Director of Environment notes the approach taken by a similar
voluntary scheme (Considerate Constructors Scheme) and considers if this
approach may provide a useful framework for the City Councils Scheme to
adopt.
See 6
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