Agenda and minutes

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 4^th March 2013 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Nicholas Botterill and Helen Binmore.

If a Councillor has a disclosable pecuniary interest in a particular item, whether or not it is entered in the Authority’s register of interests, or any other significant interest which they consider should be declared in the public interest, they should declare the existence and, unless it is a sensitive interest as defined in the Member Code of Conduct, the nature of the interest at the commencement of the consideration of that item or as soon as it becomes apparent.

At meetings where members of the public are allowed to be in attendance and speak, any Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest or other significant interest may also make representations, give evidence or answer questions about the matter.  The Councillor must then withdraw immediately from the meeting before the matter is discussed and any vote taken.

Where Members of the public are not allowed to be in attendance and speak, then the Councillor with a disclosable pecuniary interest should withdraw from the meeting whilst the matter is under consideration. Councillors who have declared other significant interests should also withdraw from the meeting if they consider their continued participation in the matter would not be reasonable in the circumstances and may give rise to a perception of a conflict of interest.

Councillors are not obliged to withdraw from the meeting where a dispensation to that effect has been obtained from the Audit, Pensions and Standards Committee. 

There were no declarations of interest.

1. That approval be given to the General Fund carry forward of £3.7m of 2012/13 underspends into 2013/14 budgets as outlined in Appendix 1 of the report.

2. That approval be given to write off an Adult Social Care debtor of £0.118m.

3. That £0.458m of the HRA budget be transferred to an earmarked reserve to cover future HRA redundancy costs.

1.      That approval be given to undertake a process to appoint a new Tri-borough Director for ICT, to be in post by October 2013, and to note that at their meeting on 8 February 2013, Tri-borough Leaders agreed that London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham be the employer for the Tri-borough ICT Director post.

2.      To note the draft 2014 Target Operating Model (TOM) for ICT to be in fully in place by November 2014, subject to a final report in April 2014.

3.      That the currently identified savings be noted and that the newly appointed Tri-borough ICT Director undertakes a review of the organisation and proposed savings with a view to bringing back a comprehensive report prior to April 2014.

4.      That approval be given to the establishment of a shadow management team for ICT, chaired by the Tri-borough lead for ICT and consisting of the Chief Information Officers (CIOs) and their deputies, to begin functioning from April 2013 until April 2014.

5.      That approval be given to the immediate secondment of staff to key posts, for an interim period until April 2014, to fill the strategic relationship manager, problem and change manager posts in the Target Operating Model.

The Chairman invited Angela Dickson to address the meeting.  In doing so, she made the following points:-

·        She was pleased that the Archive Services is continuing and a new place has been found for it,

·        She noted that a 20% reduction in floor space will result in some items being placed in long term storage, and

·        She was of the view that long term storage might make some items inaccessible for research purposes.

She asked :-

·        if the Members of the Consultative Group could be actively involved in the discussions to identify the possible long term storage items, and

·        whether the artefacts from Fulham Town hall could be displayed at Fulham Library or Fulham House, with a possible extension of the public display area at the latter venue.

The Deputy Leader welcomed Ms Dickson’s comments and gave an assurance that her suggestions will be taken on board.  He noted that the Council will not be able to direct the Fulham House to extend its public gallery space as its operates as a independent entity which must be financially viable but it was still an issue for the Fulham Palace Trust to consider.

RESOLVED:

1.      That the scheme to refurbish Hammersmith Library at a cost of £1.99m which is fully funded from section 106 (£1.65m) and the existing planned maintenance budget (£0.34m), be approved.

2.      That the draw-down of £925,000 section 106 funding that has already been received by the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham from the Hammersmith Car Park Construction scheme, be approved.

3.      That approval be given to temporarily forward funding and bearing the risk of the balance of section 106 funding associated with the Hammersmith Car Park Construction scheme (£725,000) that is currently outstanding but expected to be available in April 2014, and to the draw down of that sum to spend or reimburse as required, the temporary finance being sourced from the corporate capital reserve and only used in the event that the outstanding S106 financing is not received prior to a requirement to fund expenditure as per the accounting cycle.

4.      That approval be given to the proposal to relocate the Archives Service to Hammersmith Library and to undertake additional works to the library on the proviso that £700,000 Section 106 funding is secured as set out in paragraph 5.8 onwards of the report (of which £510,000, including fees, will relate to the creation of the new Archives location, £50,000 to move the service to the new location, a £50,000 allowance made for alternative service provision during the closure period, and the remainder used to purchase new stock).

5.   That approval be given to temporarily forward funding and bearing the risk of £700,000 of additional section 106 funding associated with the Kings Mall Car Park development and to the draw-down of that sum on the proviso that planning permission is granted on the site with the associated section 106 agreement included in the Head of Terms, the temporary finance being sourced from the corporate capital  ...  view the full minutes text for item 188.

1.            That approval be given to the Parks Capital Programme 2013/14 budget and indicative budget forecasts for 2014/15 and 2015/16, as set out in Appendix 1 of the report, subject to any amendments as agreed for operational reasons by the Cabinet Member for Residents Services and the Executive Director of Environment Leisure and Residents Services (the Council funding allocation to Parks of £500,000 for 2013/14 and £500,000 for the next 2 years is subject to future amendment by the Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Governance).

2.            That in accordance with the provisions contained in the Council’s Contracts Standing Orders, all schemes with estimated values of £100,000 or greater be approved by the Cabinet Member for Residents Services,provided that the actual contractual sum comes within the estimated budget.

3.            That the result of the public consultation for each of the parks be considered when undertaking the works specified in paragraph 5.6 of the report.

That approval be given to vary the Grounds Maintenance contract and require Quadron to manage the cemeteries function, which includes implementing an adequate staffing structure.

1.      That approval be given to a payment of £367,500 (£350,000 plus anticipated loan interest of £17,500) to Fulham Palace Trust as a one off grant to repay the Architectural Heritage Fund loan, therefore enabling the Trust to use the annual rental income from the lodges to balance their budget each year.

2.      That approval be given to a loan of £250,000 to Fulham Palace Trust to create reserves, to be held in a separate bank account, to be repaid to the Council once the Trust starts to make a surplus.

3.      That the approval of the final conditions of the grant and loan be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Residents Services, in consultation with the Executive Director for Environment, Leisure & Residents Services.

That approval be given to the updated Partnership Agreement with West London Mental Health Trust for the provision of Mental Health Services.

That the Tri-borough Executive Director for Adult Social Care be authorised to sign the new agreement.

1.            That the requirement contained in the Council’s Contract Standing Orders (CSO) to seek competitive tenders be waived, in accordance with CSO 3.1, and that approval be given to negotiate a new contract for Speech and Language Therapy Services for Children’s Centres with the existing provider Central London Community Health Care NHS Trust in accordance with CSO 9.11.

2.            That this interim contract with the Central London Community Health Care NHS Trust shall be consistent with the decisions approved by Cabinet on 11 February 2013 regarding the Children’s Centres contracts as the provision is delivered via these sites – that is, for the interim contracts to run for a period for no more than 2 years, with a break clause after 1 year in order to ensure service continuity whilst navigating through Children’s Centre remodelling.

3.            That officers explore ways in which efficiencies can be achieved during this interim contract, in particular savings opportunities which do not impact on front-line provision.

4.            That the interim contract with the existing provider incorporates a revised performance management framework that clearly reflects national developments, the Council’s priority outcomes for children and families, and the statutory duty of Best Value, taking into account cost and quality.

1.            That the Council calls off from a framework agreement for the provision of an independent NHS Complaints Advocacy Service let by the London Borough of Hounslow and enters into a contract with the preferred supplier, Voiceability Advocacy (Charity number 1076630), for two years (with options to extend for a third and then fourth year).

2.            That delegated authority be given to the Tri-borough Director for Adult Social Care in consultation with the Bi-borough Director of Law to finalise the contract arrangements.

1. That the HRA Asset Management Plan as set out in Appendix 1 of this report be endorsed and that approval be given to the underlying principles, broad objectives, and specific service priorities identified therein.

2. That the updated HRA 30 year business plan be endorsed, and it be noted that this now includes the updated and validated stock condition survey information which underpins the HRA Asset Management Plan and assumes the backlog identified by the stock condition survey is caught up within 5 years.

3. That approval be given to the projects and schemes identified in this report as set out in Appendix 2 which form the 2013/14 Housing Capital Programme to the value of £37.037 million (the envelope of £37.037m having previously been agreed at Budget Council on 27 February 2013).

4. That approval be given to the budget envelope of £44.691 million for 2014/15 and £46.194 million for 2015/16 together with contributions of £22.5 million for 2014/15 and £22.263 million for 2015/16 from the decent neighbourhoods fund and to note that revenue contributions are starting to be made to the programme (this recommendation is subject to future quarterly / annual changes to the overall Council capital programme).

5. That delegated authority be given to the Cabinet Member for Housing, in conjunction with the Executive Director of Housing and Regeneration, to award contracts over £100,000 and, if appropriate, exercise built-in options to extend such contracts in respect of any individual projects and schemes under the Housing Capital Programme identified in Appendix 2 of this report, in accordance with Contract Standing Order 9.4 and 9.4.1.

6. That delegated authority be given to the Cabinet Member for Housing, in conjunction with the Executive Director of Housing and Regeneration, to approve future amendments to the 2013/14 programme for operational reasons where such amendments can be contained within the overall approved 2013/14 – 2015/16 budget envelope and available resources.

1. That officers’ recommendation that the Repairs and Maintenance contract be awarded to MITIE Property Services (UK) Ltd be noted.

2. That approval be given to delegate authority to the Cabinet Member for Housing in conjunction with the Executive Director for Housing & Regeneration to:

(i)                 award a borough wide sole supply contract under Lot 1, Housing Repairs and Maintenance Contract(s) 2013-2023 to MITIE Property Services (UK) Ltd, to provide works and services for a 10 year period (2013-2023), with the option to extend for a further 5 year period, subject to due regard being taken of the outcome of the section 20 consultation described in paragraphs 7.2.1 and 7.2.2. of this report. 

(ii)               approve any necessary amendments to the contract in light of the consultations.

3.      That the notional Annual Contract Value[1] in the region of £17.9m, subject to annual indexation, and including revenue works (HRA), capital works and some further call off provision for capital schemes, be noted (this figure assumes that all KPIs are achieved and full incentivisation payments made).

4.      That the TUPE transfer of approximately 41 Council staff to the new contractor be noted and that approval be given for the Council to enter into any necessary ancillary agreements as a result of such transfer.

1.      That officers’ recommendation that the contract for estate services be awarded to Pinnacle Housing Limited be noted.

2.      That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Housing, in consultation with the Executive Director for Housing and Regeneration, to:

(i)           award the contract for Estate Services to Pinnacle Housing Limited in the initial sum of £2.8M per annum, subject to due regard being taken of the outcome of the section 105 and section 20 consultations described in paragraphs 7.16 to 7.21 of the report.

(ii)         approve any necessary amendments to the contract in light of responses to the consultation.

3.      That the submission of the in-house proposal described in paragraphs 6.11 to 6.22 be noted and that this proposal be not pursued.

4.      That the TUPE transfer of approximately 92 Council staff to the new contractor be noted and that approval be given to the Council entering into any necessary ancillary agreements as a result of such transfer.

1.                  That officers’ recommendation that the contract for housing management services for the south of the borough be awarded to Pinnacle Housing Limited be noted.

2.                  That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Housing, in consultation with the Executive Director for Housing and Regeneration, to:-

(i)         award the contract for housing management services for the south of the borough to Pinnacle Housing Limited in the initial sum of £1.348M per annum, subject to due regard being taken of the outcome of the section 105 consultation described in paragraphs 7.3 to 7.6 and the consent of the Social Housing Regulator as described in paragraph 7.23 of the report.

(ii)        approve any necessary amendments to the contract in light of the consultations or as may be required by the Social Housing Regulator.

3.                  That the management of higher level ASB remains in-house for the time being whilst noting that the proposed contract with Pinnacle Housing Limited will contain an option to vary the contract to include this service within the contract for housing management services.

4.                  That the TUPE transfer of approximately 25 Council staff to the new contractor be noted and that approval be given to the Council entering into any necessary ancillary agreements as a result of such transfer.

That the Home Buy Allocation Scheme as set out in Annex A to the report, be adopted.

1.                  That the provisions of Contracts Standing Orders requiring the Council to obtain three quotations be waived, and it be noted that negotiations have taken place with the current provider to provide continuing support for a period not exceeding 2 months.

2.                  That the contract for the maintenance of pay and display machines with Metric Group Ltd be continued on the existing terms and conditions until the commencement of the proposed  joint contract with RBKC which is scheduled to start on 01/06/13, with a notional value of £80,000.[1]

1. That the Council pledges to take action on improving air quality in the borough, thus enabling the Council to access the Mayor of London’s Air Quality Fund, including the Leader signing up to the Exemplar Borough qualifying criteria as set out in Appendix 1.

2. That approval be given to the submission of an application to the GLA to fund local air quality improvement measures, including joint bids with other partners such as neighbouring boroughs, subject to joint funding.

3. That any bid made by the Council, which will be capped at a total of no more than £500,000, be approved by the Cabinet Member for Transport and Technical Services prior to submission to the GLA.

The Forward Plan was noted.

The Cabinet is invited to resolve, under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, that the public and press be excluded from the meeting during the consideration of the following items of business, on the grounds that they contain the likely disclosure of exempt information, as defined in paragraph 3of Schedule 12A of the said Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

That under Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public and press be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the remaining items of business on the grounds that they contain information relating to the financial or business affairs of a person (including the authority)] as defined in paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A of the Act, and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption currently outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

[The following is a public summary of the exempt information under S.100C (2) of the Local Government Act 1972.  Exempt minutes exist as a separate document.]

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 4 March 2013 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

That the report be noted.

That the report be noted.

That the report be noted.

That the report be noted.

That the report be noted.