Agenda and minutes

Please note that this meeting may be filmed or recorded by the Council for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site or by anyone attending the meeting using any communication method. Although we ask members of the public recording, filming or reporting on the meeting not to include the public seating areas, members of the public attending the meeting should be aware that we cannot guarantee that they will not be filmed or recorded by others attending the meeting. Members of the public participating in the meeting (e.g. making deputations, asking questions, making oral protests) should be aware that they are likely to be filmed, recorded or reported on. 

By entering the meeting room and using the public seating area, you are consenting to being filmed and to the possible use of those images and sound recordings.

The chair of the meeting has the discretion to terminate or suspend filming or recording, if in his or her opinion continuation of the filming, recording or reporting would disrupt or prejudice the proceedings, infringe the rights of any individual or may lead to the breach of a legal obligation by the Council.

The Leader referred to the notice of filming at public meetings and attendees noted this information.

To receive any apologies for absence.

 There were no apologies for absence.

The Chair will consider the admission of any late items of Urgent Business. (Late items of Urgent Business will be considered under the agenda item where they appear. New items of Urgent Business will be dealt with under Item 21 below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at Item 29 below).

There were no items of urgent business.

A Member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a prejudicial interest in a matter who attends a meeting of the authority at which the matter is considered:

(i) must disclose the interest at the start of the meeting or when the interest becomes apparent, and

(ii) may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter and must withdraw from the meeting room.

A Member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Register of Members’ Interests or the subject of a pending notification must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests are defined at Paragraphs 5-7 and Appendix A of the Members’ Code of Conduct.

There were no declarations of interest.

On occasions part of the Cabinet meeting will be held in private and will not be open to the public if an item is being considered that is likely to lead to the disclosure of exempt or confidential information. In accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012 (the “Regulations”), members of the public can make representations about why that part of the meeting should be open to the public.

This agenda contains exempt items as set out at Item 22: Exclusion of the Press and Public. No representations with regard to these have been received.

This is the formal five clear day notice under the Regulations to confirm that this Cabinet meeting will be partly held in private for the reasons set out in this Agenda.

There were no representations received in relation to the exempt papers.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on the 19^th of September 2023 as a correct record.

RESOLVED

To approve the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on the 19^th of September 2023.

For Cabinet to note (if any).

There were no matters referred to Cabinet from Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Orders.

There were no deputations, petitions or questions received.

Report of the Director of Culture, Strategy and Engagement.  To be introduced by the Leader of the Council.

Response to recommendations from the LGA Corporate Peer Challenge that took place in May 2023.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report which set out the findings of the corporate peer review which had taken place in May 2023. All Councils were given the opportunity to have one of these reviews every 4-5 years as part of a local government-led approach to improvement and mutual support. This review involved senior officers from Councils across the country, led by Althea Loderick, Chief Executive at Southwark Council and a lead Councillor peer, Cllr Sir Steve Houghton, Leader at Barnsley Metropolitan Council.

The peer review had been asked to consider the Council’s relationships with residents and communities, alongside the Council’s approach to ‘getting the basics right’. Both of these were key elements of the Haringey Deal and would be critical to future success.

The Leader expressed that she was really proud of the positive nature of the report and feedback from the peer team. However, there was no room for complacency and the wider financial climate would bring challenges which the review findings would be helpful in taking the Council forward with.

The Leader of the Council continued to speak about having a longer-term vision for the borough, over a 10-year period, which involved implementing all aspects of the Haringey Deal.

It was noted that the peer review team would support evaluation of progress against the action plan next year.

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet welcomed the report and positive comments and would respond to the actions identified.

In response to questions from Cllr Connor, the following information was provided.

-      In relation to the new participation framework and scrutiny involvement, the actions were predominantly corporately focused. However, the Assistant Director for Strategy, Communications and Collaboration agreed to take forward an Overview and Scrutiny discussion on this new framework.

-      With regards to having scrutiny oversight of the capital programme and access to information, this was provided for in the scrutiny budget process and scrutiny members would have appropriate access with the usual caveats in place regarding commercially sensitive information. Where this exempt information could not be shared, reasons would be provided.

-      It was clarified that the actions listed in appendix 2 reflected the required collective ownership of the Council in responding to the review and Cabinet Members were assigned to take forward actions irrespective of portfolio areas and to ensure that there was parity in allocations. This would be reviewed and updated as the action plan progressed.

RESOLVED

1.1.      To endorse the action plan as set out in Appendix B, which responds to each of nine recommendations from the Corporate Peer Challenge report.

Reasons for decision

There is an expectation that all Councils undertaking a Corporate Peer Challenge will commit to publishing the feedback report and produce an action plan, which responds to the recommendations in the report.

The recommendations are important in helping the Council improve, including building stronger relationships with the residents and communities in Haringey and provide better, more efficient services.

The action plan sets out what the Council  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Report of the Director of Culture, Strategy and Engagement.  To be introduced by the Leader of the Council.

This policy will set out the principles which should guide the use of translation and interpretation in council service delivery and community engagement.

The Leader of the Council introduced the report, which sought approval of the Translation and Interpretation Policy.

The Leader outlined that this report met the commitment in the Haringey Deal to have open, collaborative and inclusive conversations with residents; ensuring that residents and families that struggle with English had the right to confidential and independent access to services.

The Council recognised that there were thousands of residents who wanted to learn or improve their English and there was a further commitment to expand ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) classes in Haringey.

The attached policy and guidance also set out where digital translation could be used when appropriate to access more professional support. For example, where there were high-risk and complex issues.

In response to questions from Cllr Hakata, the following information was noted.

-      There was strong community engagement with representatives of the main community languages, and this provided confidence that the policy objectives would be met.

-      The engagement process allowed valuable information to be obtained about the practical ways that communities accessed and used technology. This would also inform how the Council considers inclusion.

RESOLVED

To note and approve the Translation and Interpretation Policy attached at Appendix 1 which will come into effect from the 25/10/2023.

Reasons for decision

Haringey Council is committed to providing a high-quality public service, improving equity of access and outcomes, and proactively removing the barriers residents may experience when interacting with the Council. High-quality translation and interpretation are critical to meeting these commitments to residents who are not confident English speakers.

The Council does not currently have a translation and interpretation policy, and the lack of one may cause inconsistent decision-making around the use of translation and interpretation. This may negatively impact the access, experience and outcomes of residents using our services who are not confident English speakers who make up 7% of Haringey’s population (19,000 residents). Additionally, the lack of a policy may result in missed opportunities for officers to effectively address resident concerns on the first interaction.

The policy will improve the quality and consistency of translation and interpretation across the Council and support officers to proactively remove the language barriers that residents encounter. The aspiration is that this will improve resident experience and outcomes of our services.

Then policy will also play a critical role in advancing the Haringey Deal particularly the commitments of:

·         Knowing our communities - developing a better understanding of who our residents are, their strengths and needs, and how we can best work with them.

·         Getting the basics right – ensuring residents' everyday interactions with the Council are easy, effective and supportive.

·         Working harder to hear the voices that are too often overlooked.

Alternative options considered.

Not to develop a new translation and interpretation policy. This was rejected because while it is not a statutory document, effective translation and interpretation are critical to removing barriers, improving equity and meeting the following commitments in the Haringey Deal: getting the basics right and working harder to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Deputy Leader of the Council.

Following informal and statutory consultation on two proposed School Streets, consider all feedback and objections, decide whether to make the associated traffic orders and implement the projects

The Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report, which sought agreement to determine whether St Paul’s RC Primary School Street (SS32) and Alexandra Primary and Heartlands High School Street (SS31) should be implemented. This particular scheme aligned with the adaptive programme in Wood Green, which included sustainable travel and promoted liveability principles in the area.

It was noted that this scheme incorporated public realm and footway improvements as well as biodiversity enhancements and climate mitigations.

In response to questions from Cllr das Neves and Cllr Connor, the following information was provided:

-      The strong feedback was that once school street schemes were in place, they were supported in the local area. A crucial element of ensuring success was engagement with schools, teachers, parents and stakeholders and this would be maintained.

-      Appendix A contained a map, which showed the proximity of respondents to the school, and residents and stakeholders close to the school street had indicated support for the scheme.

-      In relation to measuring success of the schemes, this would be through sensor monitoring of traffic in and around the school street. Anecdotal evidence showed that some small schemes could have a displacement of cars and where the Council could; it would look to extend the scheme to mitigate these types of issues. Overall, there was positive feedback on the implementation of the schemes and there would be annual surveys completed with school staff and pupils to maintain communication and update the scheme if needed.

-      The Council were seeking changes in the mode of travel to school and would not look to be increasing the number of exemption categories. There was the key need to improve safety, which a reduction in car usage supported.

-      The reference at recommendation 3.2 was referred to and it was clarified that this was a publishing error and a rogue reference number. The resolution was correct and paragraph number correct.

-      In reference to paragraph 6.34 and the negotiations with the police on the proximity of the school street to the zebra crossing and their base depot, this was ongoing and likely to continue in the coming months.

RESOLVED

1. To note and consider all feedback, including objections to the proposed traffic management orders, given during the 2023 consultation, as set out in Appendix A of this report.
2. To agree that the Council shall exercise its discretion to not cause a public inquiry to be called (see paragraph 6.36)
3. To approve the introduction of a new School Street (SS32) project adjacent to St Paul’s RC primary school in Bradley Road as shown in Appendix B of this report.
4. To note that the proposed School Street (SS31) project adjacent to Alexandra Primary and Heartlands High School in Western Road, as shown in Appendix C, is paused whilst further attempts are made to resolve an unwithdrawn objection.
5. To authorise the Head of Highways and Parking to make all necessary traffic management orders (TMOs) and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Report of the Director of Environment and Resident Experience.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment and Transport, and Deputy Leader of the Council.

Following informal and statutory consultation on  proposed School Streets, consider all feedback and objections, decide whether to make the associated traffic orders and implement the projects.

The Cabinet Member for Climate Action, Environment, and Transport and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report which sought agreement to determine whether Noel Park Primary School Street should be implemented.

It was noted that the Noel Park Primary School Street was part of the Adaptive Wood Green programme, an effort to improve air quality, promote active travel, enhance ecology and biodiversity, and upgrade public spaces. The Noel Park project included multiple enhancements to the public realm and traffic safety measures such as rain gardens, widened footways at crossings, reduced crossing distances, cycle stands at the school entrance, accessibility improvements, and renewed paving, aiming to create a much more comfortable and liveable place to live, learn, work and play.

RESOLVED

1.    To consider all feedback, including objections to the proposed traffic management order, given during the 2023 consultation, as set out in Appendix A of this report.

2.    To agree that the Council shall exercise its discretion to not cause a public inquiry to be called.(see paragraph 10.5)

3.    To approve the introduction of a new School Street (SS33) adjacent to Noel Park Primary School as shown in Appendix B of this report.

4.    To authorise the Head of Highways and Parking to make all necessary traffic management orders (TMOs) and install any necessary highway infrastructure and works necessary to give effect to the School Street design set out in Appendix B of this report.

Reasons for decision

The overall reason for proceeding with the proposed School Street is in summary as follows: School Streets are a key priority for the Council, as set out within the School Street Plan^[1], the Walking and Cycling Action Plan^[2] and the Corporate Delivery Plan 2022-2024^[3]. See further sections 7, 8 and 9 below.

The reason for recommendation 1 is to ensure compliance with the Regulations^[4] whereby the order making authority must consider all unwithdrawn objections before making an order.

The reasons for recommendation 3 are set out at paragraphs 6.30 and, in summary, the reasons for recommendation 3 are as follows:

To improve the health of children by increasing active travel, reducing road danger and improving air quality near the school gate.

·         The school is supportive of the proposal; and

·         The proposals contribute towards the strategic objectives of the Council.

The reason for recommendation 5 is to enable implementation of the School Street.

Alternative options considered

Do nothing.

This option was rejected as not delivering this School Street would not meet the objectives set out in the Corporate Delivery Plan, the Transport Strategy, the Climate Change Action Plan, the Walking and Cycling Action Plan and the School Street Plan.

Report of the Director of Culture, Strategy and Engagement.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Local Investment.

The report will seek an increasing the overall value of the contract , but not the duration, of the Matrix agency staff contract to enable agency staff to continue to be provided until the end of the contract term.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Local Investment introduced the report which sought approval ofincrease of up to £20,000,000 for the duration of the contract for agency staff spend. This increase was to ensure that the Council could continue to provide short term agency / interim workers and support the permanent agency supply chain where required. As described in the report, the number of agency workers in Haringey had accelerated recently and the assumptions made at the beginning of this contract underestimated the cost required for the duration. This decision would extend the funding of the contract.

The Cabinet Member described that all directorates were working to ensure that there was a solid reason for every agency worker employed at the Council, and that there was an end date for their employment. Also, that no new workers would be recruited without prior consideration of all alternative options. The reduction in the numbers of agency workers would be monitored corporately once a month. The Cabinet Member for Finance and Local Investment would be meeting with officers every quarter to ensure that the reduction targets were being met. This focus would be supported by a new workforce strategy that would be coming to Cabinet shortly, which would revise Council policies around recruitment and retention. The Council valued the hard work of all current agency staff and hoped that where possible these employees would join on a permanent basis.

In response to questions from Cllr das Neves, Cllr Hakata and Cllr Connor, the following information was provided.

-      That the agency staff were needed to cover certain circumstances of employment need. This included: interim positions, completing a specific project, and to cover a specific trained skills set to meet a service or project need. It was acknowledged that the Council had a higher number of agency staff than benchmarked local authorities. The Council’s aim was to have a permanent workforce and for agency staff to be embedded in the Council workforce.

-      In relation to reducing spend on agency staff, directors were adding in end dates for discontinuation of agency staff contracts. The number of agency staff was monitored on a monthly basis, but it was difficult to leave vacancies as there was a shortage in certain areas of the Council which if not filled would be impacting on service delivery. It was noted that other boroughs were also facing similar issues.

-      The Director for Culture, Strategy and Engagement advised that the challenges of recruiting to sector specific roles was not unique to Haringey, and London Councils and other agencies were facilitating initiatives for different roles to mitigate Councils competing with each other to recruit to these roles. There were different initiatives to participate in for different sectors and the Council was exploring a number of them.

-      The figure in the contract increase was to cover the salaries of agency workers and enable the Council to continue to manage the agency workers until the end of the contract term.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Council Housebuilding, Placemaking and Local Economy.

A report updating members on how the Council Housing Delivery Programme is progressing - including first outturn updates on completed schemes, removal of certain schemes from the Programme, and other necessary decisions.

The Cabinet Member for Council House building, Placemaking, and Local Economy presented the report which provided a detailed overview of the Council’s progress towards the Corporate Delivery Plan target to deliver 3,000 Council homes for Council rent by 2031. It focused on the progress since Cabinet were last updated on the programme and requested a number of decisions.

The Cabinet Member expressed that building work had started on more than 2,000 new Council homes in the last five years. The Council were on track to finish and let 3,000 new homes by 2031.

The Cabinet Member further outlined that the new homes, the Council was delivering, were built to the highest standards of sustainability and energy efficiency. Placemaking was central to the Council’s approach, and the new homes were bringing real improvements to their areas - including through new facilities and green spaces that contributed greater biodiversity into the city. The Council were designing these new homes to meet the individual needs of a wide range of people.

The Cabinet placed on record their appreciation and thanks to the Director for Placemaking and Housing, the Assistant Director for Housing and the Housing Delivery Team for their continued work and significant commitment to the Housing delivery programme. This had been nationally recognised with an award from Inside Housing for the best Housing Delivery Team of the year.

Cabinet was asked to approve the use of Right to Buy receipts towards seven new Council homes at Crawley Road, to agree budgets for homes already delivered at Harvey House and Finsbury Road, and to remove three unsuitable sites from the programme.

7.35pm - Due to a significant fault in the sound system affecting the live stream of the meeting and limiting participation of officers joining the meeting online, the Chair Adjourned the meeting

The meeting restarted at 7.45pm.

In response to questions from Cllr Hakata and Cllr Connor, the following was noted:

-      Overall, the programme was moving towards a target of 35% three-bedroom homes and 10% with four or more bedrooms. This demonstrated how the Council building programme would provide real benefits to residents awaiting Council homes and also those that were living in severely crowded accommodation.

-      The Council were building homes sustainably and to last. They were accessing innovations which provided value for money and met high end needs in the borough.

-      All schemes would be built following planning permission, and the Council was confident that it could deliver 3000 homes. In addition, the Councill had a spend envelope for housing delivery which was being monitored and adhered to.

Following consideration of exempt information at item 23 and agreement of the exempt recommendations,

RESOLVED

1. To approve the removal of 3 sites from the programme: Land adjacent to 82 Muswell Hill Place, Stokley Court and Eade Road. Reasons for this are individual and set out in detail in the report.

2. To note the post-completion reports for the new Council homes at Errol Cour (500 White Hart Lane), 27 Harvey House  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning.

To award a contract for fire safety support services by external consultants which includes support in key fire safety programmes and undertaking fire risk assessments.

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning introduced the report which sought approval for the award of a new call-off contract for the provision of Fire Safety Consultancy services to the Council, for 4 years from November 2023 to November 2027.

The Cabinet Member outlined that the Council required the support of specialist fire safety services to deliver Fire Safety programmes. These programmes were critical to the safety of residents, supporting Haringey in recovering its compliance position in line with commitments to the Regulator for Social Housing.

It was noted that the Council’s commitment to the Regulator following the Council’s self-referral required a high level of competency and consistency in delivering fire safety risk assessments, surveys and works inspections. Quality was therefore prioritised over lowest price, when evaluating the consultants’ submissions.

The Cabinet Member outlined that the Council could not allow this service to fail due to lack of resources, whether in or outsourced. By ensuring there was a suitable longer-term external supplier in place, the Council would be able to demonstrate commitment to learning from a collaborative approach with the Regulator for Social Housing and, as far as possible, ensure the safety of residents and prevent any further non-compliance.

In addition to supporting the in-house team, the report confirmed the commitment to recruit to the current vacancies so that, as much as possible, this work can be undertaken by directly employed personnel in future.

Following questions from Cllr Connor, the following information was noted:

-      With regards to fire and safety inspection breaches identified by the Housing Regulator, there have been over 1000 assessments completed and the Council was on course to meet the required protection targets by March 2024.

-      The principal decision was to have an in-house team for delivering fire safety compliance. However, given the specialist nature of this role, there would always need to be specialist help enlisted and to further help reduce the number of visits required.

Following consideration of the exempt information at item 24 and agreement of the exempt recommendations,

RESOLVED

1. To note that following the completion of tender evaluations, Contractor A (who is identified in the Exempt part of this report), emerged as the highest-ranking bidder, having achieved the highest combined score for quality and price, and

2. To approve the award of a call-off contract to Contractor A to a maximum value of £4.0m over 4 years.

Reasons for decision

In order to deliver the Fire Safety programmes, which includes Fire Risk Assessments, Surveys, Specifications and Schedules of Works, Reports and Quality Assurance, Haringey Council requires the support of specialist fire safety services, including risk assessments, door inspections, project management, surveying, cost management, and quality assurance from ‘Competent Persons’.

The contract is awarded based on a call-off arrangement. This means that only works instructed at any time under the contract will incur costs which will be charged in accordance with the tendered schedule of rates. The rates have been compared to wider market rates to ensure  ...  view the full minutes text for item 42.

Report of the Director for Adults, Health and Communities. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters, and Planning.

Due to significant pressures in the private  sector housing market we have been unable to source enough accommodation as an alternative to homelessness, or for use as temporary accommodation. As a result the Council were now using hotel accommodation to meet statutory responsibilities to households experiencing homelessness. This report details the resulting financial pressures and the arrangements we have needed to enter into to meet this need.

The Cabinet Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning introduced the report which sought approval for the Council to enter into arrangements with hotels to meet the pressure for providing emergency accommodation. The report also highlighted the additional spend incurred in order to meet these statutory requirements and provided information on the arrangements entered into. 

The Cabinet Member outlined the context that boroughs were reporting an increase in new temporary accommodation placements (up by 22%), a resulting increase in the number of households living in temporary accommodation and a 375% increase in the number of households living in B&B accommodation (1,674 families across London).

The reduction in availability of affordable private sector lets had affected the Council’s ability to move families who were facing homelessness to alternative settled accommodation rather than into temporary accommodation. Boroughs were attempting to find accommodation in a market that was broken and could no longer meet the housing needs of those who need accommodation most.

The Cabinet Member continued to outline that although the additional award of Homelessness Prevention Grant had allowed the Council to reduce the impact of the costs of B&B on the budget, this ad-hoc one-off payment did not reflect the scale of the challenge faced or provide any financial stability going forward. Local authorities needed the funding and the power to provide the good quality, affordable, and stable housing Londoner’s need.

In response to questions from Cllr Carlin, Cllr Brabazon and Cllr Connor, the following information was noted:

-      That some providers did provide communal kitchens which was not ideal but an alternative to takeaways being the only choice.

-      Agreed to provide Cllr Brabazon with a written response in relation to the mitigation actions being undertaken with registered social landlords to manage the number of households becoming homeless. It was noted that the Council did a lot of work with landlords by helping potential tenants provide a deposit.

-      The cost of housing a person in hotel accommodation was £14,400 per annum. The cost of housing a person in a Council hostel was funded through access to benefits and temporary accommodation funding.

Further to considering the exempt information at item 25 and agreeing the exempt recommendations,

RESOLVED

1.    To note the current pressures and reliance on the use of hotel accommodation to meet our statutory homelessness responsibilities, including the block-booked arrangements that we have entered into

2.    To approve the Recommendation contained in the Exempt part of this report.

3.    To authorise the use of the additional £2M of the recently awarded additional £2.1M Homelessness Prevention Grant to cover the increased budget pressures resulting from hotel use and supply pressures.

4.    To approve the establishment of a Hotelier Framework, and delegate authority to the Head of Procurement to appoint hoteliers onto the framework in accordance with the Public Contract Regulations 2015.

5.    To delegate authority to the Director of Adults, Health and Communities following consultation with the Lead Member for Housing Services, Private Renters and Planning,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Council Housebuilding, Placemaking and Local Economy.

A report seeking approval to appoint a new Contractor to take over the Construction Works at Edith Road. These Sites were previously Contracted with Cosmur but following Cosmur's abandonment of the Sites they have had to be reprocured.

The Cabinet Member for Council House Building, Placemaking, and Local Economy introduced the report and sought approval to the appointment of contractor A to complete the delivery of the new Council homes on a former vacant/car park site at Land opposite 16 Park Road/Edith Road N11.

Works had started on site with the previous contractor in September 2021; however, following lack of progress and repeated underperformance by the appointed contractor, the Council terminated its contract in March 2023. Subsequently, the appointment for a new contractor to complete the development had been underway.

In response to questions from Cllr Connor, the following was noted.

-     Significant efforts had been made to performance manage the contract with the previous contractor and the Council had stepped in when it was apparent that the contactor was not able to continue to fur fill the requirement of the contract and complete the works. The overall nature of any contractual agreement did not safeguard any party when a contractor became insolvent. It was noted that this was a small scheme in the delivery programme and savings made on other schemes mitigated the impact on the housing delivery programme.

-     The Director for Placemaking and Housing agreed to provide Cllr Connor with the financial information concerning how much had been paid to the previous contractor, the time and money spent managing the contact, and the loss to the Council because of the contractor becoming insolvent.

-     It was noted that this particular provider also had other contracts in the housing delivery sector and had underbid for contracts during Covid and subsequently found that they were not able to deliver the programmes of works.

Further to considering, the exempt information set out at item 26,

RESOLVED

1.   To approve pursuant to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders (CSO) 9.07.01d, the appointment of Contractor A (named in the exempt part of the report)to undertake building works to complete the provision of eight Council rented homes at land opposite 16 Park Road/Edith Road for a total contract sum of £2,404,164; and approves the on costs and client contingency sum set out in 6.31 of the exempt part of the report (Appendix 2).

2. To approve the issuance of a letter of intent up to a maximum value of £240,416 being no more than 10% of the contract sum.

Reasons for decisions

On 3 December 2019 Cabinet included the land opposite 16 Park Road/Edith Road N11 into the Council’s housing delivery programme. This scheme was subsequently granted planning consent and a works contractor was appointed to build the scheme in November 2021. However, due to lack of progress, underperformance and entry in to a Company Voluntary Arrangement by the Contractor, the Council terminated the contract and took back possession of the site and partially constructed building. A tender process was initiated in late spring 2023 to appoint a new contactor to complete the development. In this case a Performance Bond is in place against which a full Claim will  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Report of the Director of Placemaking and Housing.  To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Council Housebuilding, Placemaking and Local Economy.

The Cabinet Member for Council House Building, Placemaking, and Local Economy introduced the report which sought approval, to complete the delivery of six new homes for London Affordable Rent on Council Land adjacent to 318A White Hart Lane, N17. The scheme would provide six new homes towards Haringey’s pledge to build 3000 Council homes by 2031. Detailed planning permission was granted on 21 September 2020. Works started on site on September 2021. However, following repeated underperformance and entry into a Creditors Voluntary Arrangement by the appointed contractor, Cosmur Construction Ltd, the Council terminated the contract in April 2023. Subsequently, the process to appoint a new contractor to complete the development had been underway since late Spring.

Cabinet was asked to approve the appointment of contractor A to complete the building of these new Council homes.

Following consideration of exempt information at item 28,

RESOLVED

1.   To approve pursuant to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders (CSO) 9.07.01d, the appointment of Contractor A (named in the exempt part of the report)to undertake building works to complete the provision of six London Affordable Rents at land adjacent to 318 White Hart Lane for the contract sum of £1,811,630.00.

2.   To approve the works contingency sum, and an increase in the total scheme costs, as set out in Appendix 2.

3.   To approve a letter of intent up to a maximum value of £181,163 being no more than 10% of the contract sum.

Reasons for decisions

The land adjacent to 318a White Hart Lane was approved by Cabinet in July 2019 to be included in the Council’s housing delivery programme. The scheme has subsequently been granted planning consent and a works contractor, Cosmur Construction Ltd, was appointed to build the scheme in July 2021. The project encountered a number of delays due to the Contactor’s poor performance. The Council terminated the contract and took back possession of the site which currently has a partially constructed building. A tender process was initiated in late spring 2023 to appoint a new contactor to complete the development of the six London Affordable Rented homes.

The Council seeks to performance manage all Contractors by continual vigilance by the Council’s Project Manager and the oversight of both Employer’s Agent and Clerk of Works to every New Homes Build Project.

This continuous monitoring, allied to frequent Site Meetings and both formal and unannounced Site inspections, ensures that the Council is able to obtain value for money on all New Homes Projects by reducing waste on site in terms of time, materials and labour costs, and works collaboratively with our appointed Contractors to build sustainable partnership working, which enables problems to be solved in a manner that ensures the best and most cost effective outcomes for the Council and our future Tenants.

This partnership working relies on trust and transparency on both sides of the working relationship and, regrettably, this was not an approach adopted by the previous Contractor who chose not to openly identify their corporate problems and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 45.

To note the delegated decisions taken by Directors.

To note the delegated decisions taken by directors in September.

To note the minutes of the following:

Cabinet Member Signing

11 September 2023

14 September 2023

6 October 2023

Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee 12 July 2023

Urgent Decisions

12 September 2023

To note the minutes of the following:

Cabinet Member Signing

11 September 2023

14 September 2023

6 October 2023

Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee 12 July 2023

Urgent Decisions

12 September 2023

As per item 3.

There were no new items of urgent business.

Note from the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager

Items 23 to 27 allow for consideration of exempt information in relation to items 14 to 18.

TO RESOLVE

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as items 23 to 27  contain exempt information as defined under paragraphs 3 and 5, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

RESOLVED

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as items 23 to 27  contained exempt information as defined under paragraphs 3 and 5, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972:

Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

As per item 14.

Cabinet considered the exempt information and agreed the exempt recommendations.

As per item 15.

Cabinet considered the exempt information and agreed the exempt recommendations.

As per item 16.

Cabinet considered the exempt information and agreed the exempt recommendations.

As per item 17.

Cabinet considered the exempt information.

As per item 18.

Cabinet considered the exempt information.

As per item 3.

None.