North Yorkshire County Council

Business and Environmental Services

Briefing Note for Executive Members

21 October 2022

Disposal of Assets – Gantry Cranes

Report of the Assistant Director – Highways and Transportation

1.0 Purpose of Briefing Note

1.1       To seek approval for disposal of Assets with a Disposal Value of Between £20,000 and £100,000 – Tadcaster Gantry Cranes

2.0 Background

2.1       The gantry cranes are owned by North Yorkshire County Council (NYCC) and were purchased as part of the Tadcaster Rebuild Scheme by the scheme contractor Balfour Beatty on behalf of NYCC.  At the time of purchase it was agreed that the cranes would become a council asset following the completion of the rebuild. The cranes are of a bespoke design with custom lengths to suit the rebuild job. The assets were in working order when they were last used around 2017-18 and have been stored at the Leeming Bar Depot since. All motors have been kept within our storage container. 

2.2       It is not expected that the cranes will be useful in the foreseeable future for bridge repairs.  The scope of the works for the Tadcaster rebuild was such that it needed simultaneous works on two arches and the cost of having 2 mobile cranes on site meant the gantry cranes where more cost effective and hire was not possible.

2.3       The gantry cranes have not been used since they were dismantled following the completion of the Tadcaster works.  They have recently been offered to all directorates and NY Highways and there has been no interest in making use of them.   

2.4       The space available at the Leeming Bar Depot is limited and congested, and these cranes take up a considerable amount of space.  A review of the available space across the highways depots has been carried out and there is no suitable alternative location to store them and therefore it is considered more appropriate to dispose of them to free up storage and operational depot space.

2.5       Following discussions with the procurement team, disposal has been suggested by through the Yortender portal using sealed bids.  However the option of using a private auction venue is still being considered.

3.0       Equalities

3.1       No equalities issues are raised by the matters addressed in this Report. 

4.0       Finance

4.1       The total purchase price was c. £78,000, the cost being met from the Local Transport Plan (LTP) grant funded element of the project.  It is estimated that we could expect to recoup £20,000-25,000 from the sale of the cranes.

4.2       The Corporate Director – Strategic Resources has given consent to the disposal on the proviso that we seek to secure best value for the sale of the assets and retain evidence of having done so. This is being achieved through either the Yortender portal through sealed bids or through an auction house specialising with construction plant.

4.3       There is no requirement to repay grant to Department for Transport and the intention is to reinvest the capital receipt from the disposal of the cranes in the annual Road Footbridges capital budget which is funded by LTP grant, as this is a key area where we have a backlog of structures that require maintenance/replacement.

5.0       Legal

5.1 The cranes are owned by NYCC and were bought as part of the Tadcaster Rebuild Scheme by Balfour Beatty. The Cranes were passed to the council following the completion of the rebuild. As such, we are able to dispose of the council assets with no legal complications.

6.0       Climate Change

6.1       The matters addressed in this report do not directly impact on the Council’s response to climate change.

7.0       Recommendation

7.1        It is recommended that the proposal to dispose of the assets for an appropriate price and to reinvest the subsequent capital receipt into the Road Footbridges Fund be approved.

BARRIE MASON

Assistant Director

Highways and Transportation

Author: Josh Calvert

Background Documents:

· E6SE657_GA_1 Rev 2 (Sheet 1 of 2)

· E6SE657_GA_1 Rev 2 (Sheet 2 of 2)

· Photos