Agenda and minutes

That the minutes of the meeting of the Cabinet held on 7^th April 2014 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

There were no apologies for absence.

That approval be given to funding of £160,000 (LBHF) from the Efficiency Projects Reserve and £115,000 (RBKC) from the Transformation Reserve to resource a Bi-borough Customer Access Programme that aims to deliver £475,500 (LBHF) and £427,500 (RBKC) recurrent savings (i.e. savings from annual running costs) from April 2015; and to note that as the programme becomes more defined it will identify further significant savings from Bi/Tri-borough working, from better demand management and from robust, cost effective digital service delivery (an overview of the resource requirement is outlined in Appendices A and B.)

1.1.        That approval be given for the Council to participate in a the West London Alliance (WLA) programme to work collaboratively on a “RE-FIT” programme, the aim of which is to enhance energy savings.

1.2.        That the Council accesses the RE:FIT  framework agreement let by the Mayor of London.

1.3.        That the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Housing (acting on advice from the Director of Building and Property Management) award a contract to an Energy Services Company (via a mini-competition from the Mayor of London’s framework agreement) for installation of energy conversation measures in  Council buildings including Council owned hostels.

1.4.        That authority be delegated to the Director of Building and Property Management to appoint the chosen supplier to carry out the Investment Grade Proposal (IGP) for the buildings in Phase 1 of RE:FIT in order to better assess the potential of suitable energy reduction projects for 2 buildings, the associated costs and the carbon savings, the cost of which is expected at less than £2,500 for each building, and that this revenue expenditure be funded from Housing Services for housing-related properties only. 

1.5.        That a further Cabinet report be prepared in due course seeking approval to proceed with Phase 1 of the programme dependent upon the findings of the IGP.

1.1.  That approval be given to the proposal to begin the procurement for this service, in line with the procurement process outlined in Section 12 of the report.

1.2.  To note that RBKC Gate 1 (Adult Social Care Contracts and Commissioning Board) agrees the strategic direction of travel for this proposed service provision, including the financial model and risk areas involved, and notes the proposals in 4.5 for delivering home care services until such time as new contracts are awarded.

1.3  That the RBKC Cabinet Member agrees the proposal to begin the procurement for this service, in line with the procurement process outlined in Section 12 of the report.

1.4  To note that WCC Gate 1 (Adult Social Care Contracts and Commissioning Board) recommends that the Tri-Borough Director agrees the strategic direction of travel for this proposed service provision, including the financial model and risk areas involved and notes the proposals in 4.5 for delivering home care services until such time as new contracts are awarded.

In relation to the Pilot Site at Spring Vale, Brook Green

1.1.        To note progress to date with the Rational House development sites as part of the Council’s direct housing development programme (as per the approved Business Plan 2013-17); and the increased delivery capacity  due to greater collaboration  between Rational House and AECOM (a Fortune 500 company).

1.2.        To note that Willmott Dixon Housing (appointed through the National SCAPE Framework) has withdrawn as the main contractor for the Rational House development sites.

1.3.        To note that a value engineering exercise has been carried out and a reduction in base build costs of 6 per cent (10%[1]  allowing for building cost inflation in the intervening period) has been achieved compared to costs reported in May 2013.

1.4.        That approval be given to appoint AECOM Construction Services, without competition, as the main contractor for the Spring Vale scheme and expenditure of £2,781,000 (to be funded from the approved housing development programme Business Plan funding envelope) for construction costs; and  that the Council’s Contract Standing Order 9.2 Section 3 be waived on the grounds that this is in the Council’s overall interest for the reasons set out in section 6 of the report.

1.5.        To note that due to site specific abnormal issues on the Spring Vale scheme, the overall development cost has increased; and therefore that approval be given for additional capital expenditure of £488,000 (to be funded from the approved housing development programme Business Plan funding envelope) as set out in detail in section 7.3 and 7.4 of the report.

1.6.        To note that AECOM Construction Services will undertake an open book sub-contractor tendering exercise for the Spring Vale scheme.

In relation to the Single Contractor Framework Procurement

1.7.        That approval be given to initiate a regulated OJEU procurement (Open procedure) to establish a single contractor framework to deliver the remaining housing development programme sites (excluding Spring Vale and the Hidden Homes schemes); and that that a report be submitted to Cabinet with a recommendation on final selection of the preferred contractor.

1.8.        That authority be delegated to the Cabinet Member for Housing, in conjunction with Executive Director of Housing and Regeneration, to make decisions during the procurement process in order to identify the preferred contractor.

1.9.        That approval be given for expenditure of £50,000 (from the previously approved Housing Development Programme business plan revenue funding) for legal fees to appoint Sharpe Pritchard to advise on the single contractor framework procurement; and £15,000 (from the previously approved Housing Development Programme business plan revenue funding) for CHPL to undertake tender evaluations.

Rational House Development Programme

1.10.      To note the initial appraisal undertaken for the Jepson House development site; and that approval be given for the expenditure of £185,677 (within the existing approved Housing Development Programme budget envelope) for professional fees to instruct City House Projects Limited (under the existing framework agreement) to undertake resident consultation, site investigation surveys, and design to planning (RIBA stage D) which is in line with the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 217.

1.    That the Final Report of the Business Rates Scrutiny Task Group be noted;

2.    That that eleven recommendations have been made to the Council, six to Government and two to the Valuation Office Agency be noted;

3.    That officers have sent the report and recommendations to the Department for Communities and Local Government, the Communities and Local Government Parliamentary Select Committee and the Valuation Office Agency for consideration be noted; and

4.    That an Executive Response to the recommendations be made to the Council at its meeting in June 2014 be agreed.

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 7^th April 2014 be confirmed and signed as an accurate record of the proceedings, and that the outstanding actions be noted.

That the report be noted.