Issue - meetings

The Senior Project Manager, Housing, introduced the report. The rationale for the report was outlined.

It was explained that the proposed contract was a stopgap in the interim and would work to potentially complement the partnering contract when mobilised. It was additionally explained that the 10% social value submission for tenders would be utilised to support local businesses and encourage the upskilling of residents of the borough.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council:

1. That, pursuant to the Council’s Contract Standing Order (CSO) 2.01(c), approved the award of a Measured Term Contract to Contractor A in the sum of £4.8m. Contractor details were identified in Appendix A – Exempt Report. The contract was for a period of 2 years, with the option to extend by a further one year subject to budget availability.
   
   
2. That, in line with CSO 16.04, approved the issue of a Letter of Intent in the sum of £480,000.00. The value of the Letter of Intent represented 10% of the contract sum.
   
   
3. Approve professional fees in the sum of £274,576. This represented 5.72% of the contract sum.
   
   
4. Noted and approved the total project costs as set out in Appendix A – Exempt Report.

Reasons for decision

One of the key objectives of the Housing Asset Management Strategy was to bring all the Council’s Housing stock up to the Decent Homes Standard by 2028. The Decent Homes Standard was a minimum standard regulatory requirement for all social housing landlords and was established to ‘bring health benefits to tenants and reduce health inequalities’ (Decent Homes Guidance 2006).  This work was key in helping the Council maintain a principal strategy, by ensuring buildings remain safe, compliant, and watertight.

To ensured the continued improvement of our housing stock, Cabinet approval was sought, to awarded a borough-wide Measured Term Contract (MTC) for external and communal refurbishment works. This contract would cover all types of council homes, including blocks, street properties, houses, and supported housing. The initial contract period was two years, with the possibility of a one year extension, subject to budget availability.

The Measured Term Contract was designed to facilitate essential borough-wide external and communal refurbishment works prior to the activation of the partnering contract. This approach offers several key benefits:

• Interim Solution: It acts as a temporary measure, bridging the gap until the partnering contract was fully operational.
• Continuity of Repairs: It ensures the Council could continue to addressed non decency related work and repairs needs that fall outside the scope of the Haringey Repairs Service, maintaining service consistency.

Procurement Process: It was the expectation that all future major works would be delivered via our partnering contractors.

The contract would enabled essential external and communal refurbishment works such as roof replacement, landscaping, renewal of communal flooring and other essential external works to be carried out.

Following a tendering exercise via the London Construction Programme Housing Framework under the Planned Maintenance and Fire Safety Works category. The Council received eight suitable bids  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20

The Director of Schools & Learning introduced the report and outlined the rationale for the report.

Officers explained that the school was required to utilise temporary accommodation facilities in order to continue to deliver its services, due to some classrooms being taken out of commission due to issues with Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) degrading on some buildings on site and rendering them unsafe for use.

Officers explained the long-term solution to the remediation of the building, that the Department of Education would re-imburse costs and that remedial work was expected to be completed in 2028.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Member for Children, Education and Families, pursuant to contract standing order 0.08, to:

1. Approved, pursuant to contract standing order (CSO) 18.02.2 and CSO 2.01(d), the extension of the rental period of the temporary accommodation contract at Park View School with Portakabin Ltd by 155 weeks at a total contract value set out in Part B of the report.
   
   

Reasons for decision

Following an inspection of teaching Block A at Park View School by an external structural engineer, Reinforced Autoclaved Aerated Concrete (RAAC) had been discovered forming part of the structural slab of the roof. On 14 April 2023, due to the risk of failure and collapse of this building element, it had been recommended that the top floor of the building, consisting of 14 classrooms and office space, be immediately vacated. It had been confirmed by the structural engineer that the other floors of the building could be safely used by students and staff. A curriculum and space analysis had been undertaken and it had been determined that the school required temporary accommodation including 13 classrooms, 1 shared office and 4 toilets until the structural issue could be remediated.

Interim teaching arrangements had initially been put in place at the school from Monday 17 April 2023. These had consisted of teaching many pupils in shared/communal spaces such as the sports gym. This had not been considered to be a sustainable solution and had been impacting the quality of teaching and learning. Additionally, the gym had been required to support GCSE exams from mid-May.

A Cabinet Member approval had been granted in May 2023 to award a contract to Portakabin Ltd to provide the required temporary accommodation by September 2023 for an 18-month hire period at Park View School.

Construction and installation of the temporary accommodation had been completed on programme in September 2023. A variation of the Cabinet approval had been granted by the Director of Schools and Learning in January 2025, which had included an extension of the rental period to June 2025 whilst a permanent solution to remediate the RAAC had been developed.

Agreement for funding of an approach for a permanent solution to remediate the RAAC had been received from the Department for Education (DfE) in May 2025, which on completion, would allow students to return to the main building. The permanent remediation solution had assumed students would continue to learn in these current temporary classrooms until the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12