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 Chair referred to the filming at meetings notice, and attendees noted this information.

RESOLVED:

To note the filming procedure

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were none.

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 18 below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at Item 20 below).

The Overview and Scrutiny Committee decided at its meeting of the 14 January 2025 referred the decision, taken by Cabinet, on 10 December 2024, on the Implementation of a Borough Wide PSPO back to Cabinet for reconsideration.

According to the Call-in Procedure in the Council’s Constitution (Part 4 Section H), Cabinet has five working days to reconsider the key decision before taking a final decision. It was advised that Cabinet consider this as late urgent business to be considered with item 8 on the agenda.

RESOLVED:

The Leader of the Council accepted this item of late business for the reasons outlined in the cover page tabled at the meeting with the report.

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 none.

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 19: 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.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 10 December 2024 as a correct record.

The minutes of the previous meeting, dated 10 December 2024, were discussed

RESOLVED:

The minutes of the previous meeting, dated 10 December 2024, were approved as a true and accurate record of proceedings.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Orders.

There were none.

For Cabinet to note (if any).

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee introduced the Scrutiny Call-In of the decision made by Cabinet, on 10 December 2024, on the Implementation of a Borough Wide PSPO back to Cabinet for reconsideration.

The Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee outlined receipt of deputations and the concerns of homelessness and the impact of the proposal on that cohort. It was suggested that there would be a lower likelihood of homelessness engagement because of the decision of Cabinet, which were linked to the recommendations of scrutiny one and two.

He raised concerns regarding penalising public urination due to severe shortage of toilet facilities and the lack of borough toilet strategy.

It was stressed by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee that not all Committee Members of Scrutiny felt that the report warranted referral to Cabinet, but explained that the Committee did present a majority to refer the decision to Cabinet.

The Cabinet Member for Communities gave a response. It was explained that there were approximately 780 reports per month received of the misuse of public spaces. It was stressed that Cabinet could not ignore these concerns and that the implementation of the Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO) was important to the enhancement of public safety and reduce anti-social behaviour. The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council gave an additional explanation about the needs of homeless people. It was explained what services were available to demonstrate the work that was undertaken to outreach to homeless people within the borough. It was explained that homeless people were exempt from public urination rules, when there was no other alternative, and that the Council would not prosecute those with no other option.

It was explained that the Council was developing a Toilet Strategy, but stressed that the current lack of a strategy should not delay the implementation of the PSPO.

It was noted that the Council was working to outreach to homeless people in the borough through partnership work, which addressed the third recommendation.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Arkell, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that there had been a detailed consultation undertaken and that engagement had impacted the implementation of the PSPO. It was noted that the Council had gathered a broad range of feedback and co-designed the priority areas as a result. Feedback gathered from over 200 groups, 1700 questionnaire responses were given. As a result of these responses, the policy was amended to reflect the suggestions proposed.

The Cabinet Member for Communities suggested the rejection of the recommendations given by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, and that the Cabinet adopt the original recommendation.

RESOLVED:

1.     Confirmed original decision of 10 December 2024 and rejected the recommendations suggested by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 14 January 2025.

Report of the Director for Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families.

The award report requests Cabinet approval to proceed to award the new contract to the successful bidder following the outcome of the tender process.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families introduced the report. It was explained that school improvement and governance were vital to ensure high performing schools. It was explained that, in Haringey, the current service delivered school improvement related statutory functions on behalf of the Council in accordance with the Education Act 1996, but that the contract was due to expire in March 2025. It was explained that, in June 2024, the Cabinet agreed an option to proceed to open tender for a new school improvement and governor services contract. An open tender process had concluded approval was sought from Cabinet to award the contract to the successful bidder. The key elements of the tender were outlined and proposed the contract which included a series of key performance indicators to ensure the schools were supported, and also challenged in their work to raise pupil attainment and ensure they are delivering the best outcomes for children and young people was put forward.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the provisions of the contract, school improvement, was within a niche market, and while it was an open tender, there was only one bidder for the contract.
  
  
• The Director for Children’s Services explained that they would provide a written response to the quantification of the final scores for Price, Quality and Social Value that were within the contract.
  
  
• The Director for Children’s Services explained that they would write to Members regarding the report’s definition of a Global Majority.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.         Approved the award of a contract for the delivery of School Improvement and Governor Services contract to Supplier A for a 4-year period at a cost of £1,873,654

2.         Agreed that the contract will commence from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2029.

Reasons for decision

The current contract for the delivery of School Improvement and Governor Services expires on 31 March 2025 with no further options to extend.

In order to ensure that the service can continue to deliver local authority statutory and strategic functions for the whole period of the contract, the service will continue to be funded via the Dedicated School Grant: Central School Services Block (CSSB). The CSSB budget has pressures due to a forecast decrease in the allocation of CSSB of 2.5% per annum. Due to the forecast decrease in CSSB, no inflationary uplift can be made during the contract period.

Alternative options considered.

Option 1: Renew the existing contract with the current provider

Renewal of the contract to the existing provider following the expiry of the current contract without proceeding with an open competitive tender was an option considered and rejected for the reasons set out in the report dated 18^th June 2024.

Following a rigorous legal and procurement assessment of the Public Contract Regulations 2015 (PCR 2015) the conclusion reached was that renewal of the existing contract without competition would not be compliant with the PCR’s 2015 and this option  ...  view the full minutes text for item 110.

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

A review of charges that apply to car clubs operating in the borough is being undertaken in advance of the retendering of contracts for car club provision. This is to ensure that charges reflect the value of kerb space and cover the cost of managing and monitoring the scheme.

The Cabinet Member introduced the report and explained that the way that vehicles are used should fundamentally change. It was explained that the vision was for residents to access vehicles when needed rather than defaulting to private ownership. This shift was explained as being essential for creating a more sustainable and equitable transport system. It was noted that car clubs represented a vital component of this transformation. It was stressed that the Council prioritised and promoted sustainable travel modes like walking, cycling and public transport, it was recognised that some journeys will always require a car. It was explained that, by providing an environmentally friendly option for these essential trips, car clubs help break the link between car use and car ownership.

It was noted that the ambition of the Council was to have shared vehicles available on every street, integrated with other sustainable transport options. It was explained that there was a vision of the creation of mobility hubs that combined car club spaces with electric vehicle charging, cycle parking, and enhanced public spaces to transform streets into places that better serve our communities while advancing our climate goals. It was explained that, by opening up the market to more providers, we aim to significantly expand car club provision across the borough. Greater choice and availability will make it easier for residents to access shared vehicles when they need them, helping more people move away from private car ownership.

It was explained that this expansion would support the goal of reducing the total number of vehicles on our streets while ensuring residents retain access to cars for essential journeys. It was highlighted that the strategy aligns with the Council’s broader goals around improving air quality, reducing emissions, and creating more liveable neighbourhoods.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr das Neves, Chandwani and Emery, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the main purpose of the raising of prices was to bring prices closer to the median of London Boroughs, where Haringey had a low rate currently
• It was noted that there was a current dominance of providers who were already present. Officers explained that the changes proposed would encourage smaller providers to enter the market more effectively.
• It was explained that the current profits made by current car clubs was projected to be £1.4million; an increase in charges would be projected to reduce profits by approximately £50,000, which was not projected to make a significant impact on the profitability of the service.
• It was explained that the proposal would be rationalising charges into one package, which would simplify charges for companies. It was noted that benchmarking with other comparable local authorities put the proposal at the median cost.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.        Approved the following changes to car club permit fee subject to the outcome of statutory consultation.

a)      Increase in the fixed bay (back-to-bay) permit fee from £240 per bay per year to £800 per bay per year:

b)      Increase in the floating  ...  view the full minutes text for item 111.

Report of the Director for Children’s Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families.

The report is requesting approval of the spend for the  recommissioning of Home Care,  Family Support  and Family Therapeutic Services. The plan is to recommission the service via DPS Axian system.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families introduced the report. It was explained that the Council was committed to supporting families to care for vulnerable children and young people with complex health needs within the family home and to help them to take breaks from caring where the need arises. It was explained that the commissioning of this service would provide early therapeutic intervention to support children to remain with their families or return to their care safely and as quickly as possible. It was highlighted that there was a focus on accountability and quality standards through robust negotiation and monitoring of contracts is an essential element of commissioning and is vital for ensuring families receive high quality services.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• Officers explained that the DPS functioned effectively as an individual competition for provision of individual needs, which ensures best value for money.
  
  
• That rates within the Children’s Services market remained stable and were not majorly impacted by inflation, however, officers stressed that they would consider inflation and ask for justification for increases.
  
  
• Officers explained that feedback from the services as they were running which included social workers and those experiencing services as commissioned. It was explained that the development of the DPS allowed for better meeting of needs and created an approved framework. 

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.       Approved the estimated, spend of up to £7.2 million on Home Care, Family Support and Family Therapeutic Support Services over the period of up to 4 years.

2.       Approved the commissioning of Home Care, Family Support and Family Therapeutic Support for 0-18 children and young people, via the corporate DPS pursuant to Regulation 34 of the Public Contract Regulations.

3.       Where contracts were £500,000 and above that require approval by Cabinet as per Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 d) or modified as per CSO 10.02.1 b) (variations and extensions to contracts of £500,000 and above); Cabinet delegated authority to the Director of Children’s Services in consultation with the Lead member for Children’s, Schools and families to award, vary or extend any individual call offs or block contract arrangements under the DPS to successful providers up to £800,000 per award or any individual variation and extension.

REASON FOR DECISION

Commissioning home care and family support services will support the council to meet our priorities for children and young people. Providers commissioned will work with the council to ensure that families receive timely services that can meet their needs, to strengthen families’ resilience, support more effective parenting and behaviour management. In addition, to ensure that adults within the family have the practical skills to keep the home safe and reduce the harm posed to children and young people.  

Haringey’s looked after children's strategy recognises that delivering transformational change requires a strong focus on prevention and early intervention. It outlines the importance of reducing the number of children and young people needing to be looked after by the local authority which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 112.

Report of the Director for Children Services. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families.

This report is requesting approval of the spend to recommission Supported Accommodation via DPS  Axian system with the intention of  block arrangement via individual call offs with local providers

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools and Families introduced the report. It was explained that, as a Corporate Parent, the Council had a statutory duty to ensure sufficiency of accommodation the most vulnerable children and young people. It was explained that the Commissioning this accommodation would ensure the Council is meeting its duties. It was noted that the service would continue to be monitoring and quality assuring providers to ensure the accommodation is of a high standard where children and young people can be supported to prepare for independence. It was stressed that children and young people needed to be supported to maintain relationships and local connections within the Haringey community and ensuring accommodation is within 20-mile radius of the Borough where possible.

• It was explained that there were higher numbers of more complex cases which were being reported, as well as an increased demand from providers, which increased the costs.
• It was explained that authority to sign off individual call-offs had been delegated to Director of Children’s Services as a result of financial regulations and that the authority, below a certain threshold, would be delegated to officers.
• Officers noted that, on some occasions, young people may consider that their accommodation was not acceptable, but that it did meet with the statutory requirements. However, Cabinet Members stressed that it was important that young people were consulted to ensure that they had the best experience. It was additionally noted that young people were involved in quality assurance checks.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Approved the estimated spend of up to £27.2 million over a period of 4 years via the corporate Dynamic Purchasing System

2.     Approved the commencement to procure supported accommodation for 16 and 17 years and 18 plus Pursuant to Regulation 34 of the Public Contract Regulation.

3.      That, where contracts value £500,000 and above require approval by Cabinet as per Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 d) or modified as per CSO 10.02.1 b) (variations and extensions to contracts with value of £500,000 and above, that Cabinet agreed to delegate authority to the Director of Children Services in consultation with the Lead Member for Children’s, Schools and families to award, vary or extend any individual call offs or block contract arrangements under the DPS to successful providers up to £2 million per award or any individual variation and extension.

REASON FOR DECISION

The Children Acts 1989 and 2004 and the Children Leaving Care Act 2000, local authorities have a duty to assess and meet the needs of young people aged 16+ and 18+ who are in care or care leavers. Wherever the young person lives, the duty will rest with the parent local authority to stay connected with care leavers until they are at least 21 (in some instances this is extended to age 25). The local authority has a statutory duty to ensure that every looked after child and care leaver is properly prepared in making the transition to adulthood in a planned and effective way to achieve the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 113.

Report of the Director for Placemaking and Housing. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader).

To seek approval for the appointment of the successful contractors to undertake  lift improvements.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report. It was explained that the current lifts had reached the end of their useful life and that replacement parts were becoming obsolete. It was explained that the modernisation of the lifts would ensure compliance with current lift standards and will provide residents and visitors with a reliable and efficient service when travelling the building. 

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• The Cabinet Member stressed that all contracts provide social value, and that any contracted service provide services such as apprenticeships, work with local community centres and provide other social value.
• Officers explained that the work was at a fixed price but that failure to deliver within the specifics of the contract would result in the forfeit of payment for the contract, and that the Council also held a retention element in case of any defects.
• It was explained by officers that the apportionment of costs would be a standard apportionment spread equally across the number of leaseholders.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Approved the award of the Lift Modernisation Works to 1-40 Bounds Green Court, N11 and 1-24 Woodmead, N17 contract to the company identified in the exempt part of this report for the maximum sum of £544,684 for a period of 33 weeks.

2.     Approved the issuance of a letter of intent for an amount up to 10% of the winning bid value (£544,684) totalling £54,468.

3.     Approved the professional fees and project management costs of £44,714 that represents 7.91839% of the contract sum.

4.     Agreed the total project costs.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The four lifts within this scheme were last modernised in 2004 and are at the age where major improvements are required.  The project will allow works to modernise the facilities whilst also alleviating the risk of breakdowns and delays waiting for replacement parts.

The recommendation is based on a robust evaluation process following a competitive procurement process conducted on Adam Procure Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS).

The evaluation process was carried out in accordance with the Invitation to   Tender requirements and was based on 60% price and 40% quality. The outcome of the evaluation was as follows:

Further details of the tender and evaluation process are outlined in Appendix A, the exempt part of this report.

The recommended contractor A’s submitted tender was comprehensive and included well-chosen comparable examples, a good understanding of the contract’s risks and challenges and a good understanding how to add social value for residents.

 ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED

An alternative option would be the use of the London Construction Programme Major Works framework. However, Haringey Council’s Strategic Procurement advised that the DPS Framework would offer greater competition and would be the optimum route to market. This considered aspects such as the speed of access to pre-approved contractors  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114.

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

To award a contract for the ongoing provision of agency staff, as the existing contract is expiring.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Corporate Services introduced the report. It was explained that the Council was committed to building a motivated, collaborative, and community-focused workforce. However, it was explained that there would be circumstances that necessitate the employment of agency workers, but stressed that this was not the Council’s preferred mode of employment. It was explained that the Council should employ agency workers where there was a strong business need, which would primarily be to help facilitate shorter-term or finite projects, and to address unavoidable skill shortages in order to maintain services to residents. 

It was explained that all directorates were working to ensure that there is a solid reason for every agency assignment and that no new workers were recruited without prior consideration of all alternative options. It was explained that the measures taken over the last year decreased the numbers and level of expenditure on agency workers and this effort would continue to be a strong focus for senior managers. 

It was explained that the contract represented the best value way to engage agency workers, and that it was important to note that there was no minimum spend and no penalties or increased costs if the Council did not spend up to the authorised contract value.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• It was explained that the recruitment of all agency staff was resultant of difficulties to recruit permanently. Discussions had ben had with agency staff to encourage take up of permanent roles, but that this was not always taken up in key areas.
  
  
• Reduced spend of contract significantly, and that the service was working to drive these costs lower. While it was stressed that this may suffer from variation, it was stressed that work was being undertaken to reduce the number of agency staff and the costs resultant wherever possible.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.     Approved the award of a contract for temporary agency provision and permanent agency recruitment support to Matrix on a neutral vendor basis, under Lot 1a – Neutral Vendor of ESPO’S Managed Services for Temporary Agency Resources Framework to appoint a single service provider under the MSTAR4 Framework.

2.     Approved the contract award for 2 years with the option to extend for 2 further periods each of 2 years up to a maximum term of 6 years. Cabinet is being requested to approve the contract spend for the first two-year period of this contract. A further report will be brought to Cabinet prior to the end of this initial period, to authorise the extension period and further contractual spend if required.

3.     Approved the contract spend of £88,636,000 to cover the initial 2-year contract period

          The estimated value is based on current spend and considering future market rates, insourcing and pay increases. As this contract is demand led, if agency demand reduces then  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115.

Report of the Director for Placemaking and Housing. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning (Deputy Leader).

A report setting out Haringey's draft Housing Allocations Policy,  and asking Cabinet for approval to consult on the proposed policy.

The Cabinet Member for Housing and Planning, and Deputy Leader of the Council introduced the report. It was explained that the Council was working to develop fairer housing in Haringey. It was stressed that the housing crisis had pushed thousands of families into homelessness and more than 13,000 are on the waiting list for a Council home. It was explained that Haringey had one of the biggest Council housebuilding efforts in London, building hundreds of new social homes for local people every year. It was explained that the Council was seeking to ensure that the allocation of these homes was as fair as possible and that that homes go to those in the greatest need. The Cabinet Member explained that the Council had engaged with residents over the last year on some changes to the current allocation rules and that the proposal was to go out to a formal public consultation.

In response to comments and questions from Cllr Emery, the following information was shared:

• Cabinet Members stressed that those in priority Bands would be contact by multiple means in order to ensure the maximum chance of contact. It was explained that the suggestion to contact everyone by letter would be expensive and given the current financial climate was not deemed the best use of council resources, and that the service would target those who were most likely to be affected by the policy.

• Officers explained that the age differential for the sharing of rooms was part of the consultation of the policy.
• It was explained that the changes to income and savings thresholds would have an impact on the numbers of people on the housing register, but that the changes would prioritise those in most need, and does bring this in line with government guidelines.

RESOLVED:

That Cabinet:

1.         Note the proposed Consultation Plan

2.         Note the Equality Impact Assessment.

3.         Approve consultation on the draft Housing Allocations Policy (Appendix 1)

4.         Delegate the following to the Director of Placemaking and Housing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing:

a.               Minor changes to the policy prior to consultation

b.               The timing and arrangements for the consultation including options to combine with the consultation on a Local Lettings Plan for new homes in Ashley Road.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The new policy is needed to update the Housing Allocations Policy and to ensure the policy is legally compliant and remains in line with the Council’s priorities.

ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED.

Not updating the policy

This option was rejected as the policy has not been updated since 2015 and needs updating to address new priorities and the legal framework. 

To note the minutes of the following:

Cabinet Member Signings

19 December 2024 – 11.30am

19 December 2024 – 12.00pm

19 December 2024 - 2.30pm

6 January 2025 – 10.00am

The minutes of other bodies were discussed.

RESOLVED:

The minutes of other meetings were noted.

To note the delegated decisions taken by Directors.

The significant and delegated actions reports were discussed.

RESOLVED:

That significant and delegated actions were noted.

As per item 3.

There were none,

Note from the Committees Manager:

Items 20 and 21 allow for consideration of exempt information in relation 9 and 13.

TO RESOLVE

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as items 9 and 13 contains 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 9 and 13 contains 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

To consider the exempt appendix for the Award of Contract for the provision of School Improvement and Governor Services

These minutes are exempt.

To consider the exempt appendix for the Award of Contract for Planned Investment Programme (Lifts) item.

These minutes are exempt.

As per item 3.