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 information as set out in the agenda and advised that the meeting was being filmed.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Seema Chandwani. Apologies for lateness were received from Councillor Isidoros Diakides.

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 22 below. New items of exempt business will be dealt with at Item 30 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.

In relation to item 9, to consider the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Review on High Road West, Councillor Ruth Gordon noted that she had been the Chair of the Housing and Regeneration Scrutiny Panel when the High Road West item had commenced. She clarified that she had not been involved in compiling the report or the recommendations for this item and that she would be taking part in the discussion and voting.

Councillor Isidoros Diakides declared a personal interest and non-pecuniary interest in relation to item 14, delivering a Wood Green Enterprise Hub, as he was a Council representative in relation to an organisation that was currently located in one of the buildings discussed. He clarified that he would not be taking part in the discussion, and voting in accordance with section 6.1b of the Member Code of Conduct and would leave the room for the duration of this item.

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 23: Exclusion of the Press and Public. No representations with regard to these have been received.

This is the formal 5 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.

None received.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2021 as a correct record.

RESOLVED

That the minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 7 December 2021 be approved as a correct record.

To consider any requests received in accordance with Standing Orders.

The Cabinet considered a deputation put forward by Paul Burnham and Keith Dobie, supporting the recommendation outlined in the Overview and Scrutiny review at item 8 that there should be an independent review of the Love Lane demolition ballot. They contended that the ballot had not been run in a free and fair way and to  the standard expected when these were agreed in 2018 by the GLA.

The deputation highlighted the following:

• Instances of door- to- door vote collection by officers which was not in keeping with the requirements of the ballot.  Recorded evidence of this had been provided to Councillors.
• Residents on the estate being able to decide how to vote without landlord[Council] intervention which they believed had occurred.
• Cabinet responsible as policy makers for the ballot process and not officers.

The deputation continued to refer to a letter from Damian Tissier Independent Tenant and Leaseholder Adviser (ITLA) for the Love Lane Estate between 16 April 2013 and 8 October 2021 which had been sent to all Councillors. Mr Tissier had worked with residents at Love Lane Estate and supported the deputation’s view that the ballot had not been run in a fair way. He outlined in his letter that residents on Love Lane state had not been provided with accurate and unbiased information when they cast their vote. The deputation asked the Cabinet to consider why the guarantees in the landlord offer and the Chief Executive’s letter to residents were shredded when Lendlease submitted its planning application in the time period after the ballot closed.

The deputation referred to the commitments made to and secure and temporary accommodation tenants of new homes on the regenerated estate. However, in their view,  the recent planning application showed that new private homes would be built first, in the 10-to-15-year, programme and questioned the timing of the homes for Council tenants being built.

The deputation argued that Lendlease, the Council’s development partner for the High Road West Regeneration, were already setting out that the scheme was not as profitable as indicated in original plans . The deputation warned that this reduced profitability margin would lead to viability issues with significant implications for the Council’s housing plans. The deputation believed that ultimately Lendlease did not want to build Council homes and predicted that there will not be enough homes built and that the key commitments made to residents such as  a single move would be broken and residents will be double moved to accommodate the phases of the scheme.

The deputation questioned whether the guarantees made to residents were taken forward in good faith and subsequently broken or whether the Council made these guarantees through negligence. In the deputation’s view the Council knew that Lendlease could not be relied upon to deliver the scheme in accordance with the commitments made.

The deputation called for the Cabinet to consider the close percentage range between those residents in favour and those against the demolition of the Love Lane Estate and the factors highlighted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 699.

For Cabinet to consider the report by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee on ‘Matters arising from Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Independent Review of the Love Lane Estate Ballot’.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee introduced the item which asked Cabinet to consider ‘matters arising from Overview and Scrutiny Committee - Independent Review of the Love Lane Estate Ballot’.

It was noted that the Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 29 November 2021 had heard evidence from a deputation which had questioned the validity of the estate ballot that had taken place for Love Lane Estate. The Overview and Scrutiny Committee was recommending a review into the conduct of the Love Lane Estate ballot. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny commented that he had noted the reasons for the rejection of this recommendation that had been set out by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making, and Development but asked that this was reconsidered. He stated that this was a historic ballot as the first of its kind in Haringey and that he believed that an independent review would be appropriate to ensure that the ballot had been conducted properly.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny recommended that Cabinet considered taking forward an independent review of the conduct of Love Lane Estate ballot.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-       In relation to the evidence heard, it was noted that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny had received submissions directly from some residents and that a deputation from a resident’s group had been presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

-       The Leader stated that evidence and allegations relating to the ballot should be submitted to the Council through the normal channels, such as the complaints procedure, so that it could be formally considered. She added that the deputation to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee had not been from residents of the Love Lane Estate.

The Cabinet response to this Overview and Scrutiny recommendation was provided in Appendix 3 of the report at Item 9 and resolution included below.

High Road West Scrutiny Review to be introduced by the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee

Cabinet Response to the Scrutiny Recommendations to be introduced by the Leader of the Council.

In introducing the Scrutiny Review on High Road West, The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny referred to the Cabinet response to the 15 recommendations set out at 121 to 13 of the agenda pack.

The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny welcomed the agreement of 10 of the 15 recommendations. He continued to raise the following issues in relation to the five recommendations that were partially agreed, calling for Cabinet to fully and unequivocally agree recommendations 1, 10, 11 and 12.

-       The response to Recommendation 1 on rent levels for tenants transferring to a property in estate regeneration staying at the same level without diminution, the response indicated that there would be a 10% increase on the rent. The response did not further provide an indication of whether services charges would be increased and this could presumably be assumed.

-       Recommendation 5 – noted the four strands to this recommendation concerning facilities and construction. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny accepted the partial agreement to green spaces and car parking recommendations and reasons provided that these were protected programmes.

-       Recommendation 10 concerned the businesses on the Peacock industrial estate and where the Committee had agreed that there was not adequate consultation with on the regeneration. The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny explained that when embarking on regeneration schemes, where it would be unviable for businesses to move out or where there was legitimate concerns about the loss of freehold, the Council should design regeneration/ place making schemes to ensure mixture of businesses, including light industrial business.

-       Recommendation 11 concerned compensation to business so they did not suffer due to relocation. It was not clear why this was not agreed

-       Recommendation 12 called for the same principles that underpin the GLA’s resident Ballot to apply to businesses. This could be in the form of consultation and that regeneration plans are drawn up with their active input.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place - Making and Development responded, at this point in the meeting, to the separate Overview and Scrutiny recommendation put forward at item 8, concerning the independent review of the Love Lane Estate Ballot and also to the main Scrutiny review of High Road West, containing  15 recommendations at item 9.

With regards to the recorded evidence circulated to Councillors from residents concerning the ballot process, the Cabinet Member had listened to the transcript three times and did not hear evidence of untoward activity. There was also an overall caution given of not circulating resident’s names and addresses as a data breach. There were allegations in the recordings regarding  anti-social behaviour and its motivation  which were not agreed with and considered an offensive campaign. The Cabinet Member emphasised that from the evidence she had seen there was nothing that would merit recommending an independent review.

With regards to rental increase, this was included in the Landlord offer and before the ballot was taken forward so  Council obliged to follow this. Service charges were pooled across all  ...  view the full minutes text for item 701.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

Report to consider the award of contract to the preferred bidder for the demolition of the Tangmere housing block on the Broadwater Farm estate once vacant possession is achieved. This follows the Cabinet decision taken on 13 November 2018 to demolish the Tangmere and Northolt blocks.

The Cabinet Member for or House Building, Place-Making and Development introduced the report which sought approval to award a contract for the demolition of the Tangmere block on the Broadwater Farm Estate, following a compliant competitive tender process. The value of this contract was 2,043,115.00.

The Cabinet Member stated that, subject to a successful yes vote in the ballot of residents, the proposal would deliver 300 council homes and improvements to public areas of the estate. It was noted that all previous tenants had been rehoused and that the leasehold interests had been acquired. It was anticipated that the demolition would commence in March 2022 and that there would be some savings in terms of the security costs for the vacant building.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-       It was enquired whether the demolition of Tangmere and Northolt blocks could take place at the same time and whether this could happen later than currently scheduled. It was explained that this may not be possible as there were ongoing negotiations with some leaseholders in the Northolt block, that the demolition would have to be coordinated with the contractor, and that there was a need to coordinate all works across the estate. 

-       In relation to the carbon impact of the demolition, it was explained that the contractor would be required to undertake an audit of the process to determine what could be reused or repurposed. It was noted that there would likely be additional planning considerations, such as an environmental impact assessment. It was added that there may be environmental requirements in relation to demolitions but that the details would need to be confirmed with the Planning Team.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from Councillor Barnes:

-       In relation to the ballot question for residents, it was noted that this would be designed to be a straightforward question. It was explained that the detailed wording had been delegated to the Director of Housing, Regeneration, and Planning and that details of the Cabinet report relating to this decision would be sent to Councillor Barnes. It was noted that the wording of the ballot question was still under development but that this would be published and shared once finalised.

-       In relation to the qualitative score of the selected tenderer (Tenderer A), it was explained that this tenderer had also delivered similar projects to a high standard and there was confidence that they had the necessary experience and ability to deliver the project. It was added that there would also be performance monitoring throughout the contract.

-       In relation to the strength of community engagement, it was commented that there had been significant engagement with residents and that there was demand for the project to commence.

Following consideration of the exempt information, it was

RESOLVED

1.    Pursuant to Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1(d), to approve the award of a contract to Tenderer A for demolition services (as described in the report) for the sum of £2,043,115.00.

2.    To  ...  view the full minutes text for item 702.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

To approve entering into an agreement with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing, and Communities to receive grant funding of £1,000,000 from the Estate Regeneration Fund to support the delivery of the Broadwater Farm Estate Improvement Programme.

At 7.36pm - Cllr Diakides entered the meeting and also declared a personal and non -pecuniary interest in item 14 as set out above.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place - Making and Development introduced the report which sought Cabinet approval to enter into an agreement with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) to receive grant funding of £1,000,000 from the Estate Regeneration Fund to support the delivery of the Broadwater Farm Estate Improvement Programme.

It was noted that the Broadwater Estate Improvement Programme represented the largest investment in the estate’s history and would deliver on resident priorities, including circa. 300 new high quality Council homes, a safe and welcoming neighbourhood and more opportunities and services for residents.

The following information was provided in response to questions from Cllr Hakata, and Cllr Barnes.

-       Noted the aim of putting the local community at the heart of the design process for the new blocks replacing Tangmere and Northolt. The engagement process had started and would continue with translators supporting engagement in community languages to ensure all communities in the estate were involved. There was also a community design group already established and was seeking particular input from women and young people living on the estate. There were also community groups that enthusiastically wanted to be part of the plans for the design being engaged with.

-       With regards to any risk to funding, should the timetable slip or not report against the required milestones, there was no risk as the grant was covering capital funding already spent on acquiring homes in Tangmere and Northolt.

-       In response to the query about funding, if there was a ‘no vote’ outcome to the estate ballot, the Council would lose funding from the GLA which would mean no scheme and this would not be a good position for the Council or residents. The Council would be striving to ensure that residents were content with the scheme and the benefits offered.

            RESOLVED

1.          To approve the receipt (as provided for under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 17.1) from the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities of £1,000,000 in capital funding through the Estate Regeneration Fund, to be used as a funding contribution towards the costs of leasehold acquisitions within the Tangmere and Northolt blocks.

2.          To approve that the grant sum is added to the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget.

Reasons for decision

The decision to accept the grant would support the delivery of the Broadwater Estate Improvement Programme which is expected to deliver circa. 300 new high quality Council homes, a safe and welcoming neighbourhood and more opportunities and services for residents.

Alternative Options Considered

The Council could decline the grant allocation. This option was rejected because the Broadwater programme is a demanding scheme in terms of viability and the level of funding required to fully implement the programme. The £1,000,000 of capital funding from DLUHC’s Estate Regeneration Fund will assist the Council to proceed to deliver the programme.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation.

The award of a construction contract for the delivery of the Civic Centre project enabling works, which includes the removal of asbestos, redundant building services, and soft strip out of the building. The report will also provide a general update on the project, the milestone programme, budget, and the project delivery plan.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Transformation introduced the report which sought to award a construction contract for the delivery of the Civic Centre project enabling works, which included the removal of asbestos, redundant building services, and soft strip out of the building. The report also provided a general update on the project, the milestone programme, budget, and the project delivery plan.

The Cabinet Member explained that the Civic Centre was an important, Listed Building and that the proposals would both improve the building and provide accommodation for approximately 900 council staff. The Cabinet Member noted that the proposals would deliver good value for money, future savings in relation to energy and maintenance, and flexible work spaces.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-       It was noted that it was important for the Civic Centre to be representative of the borough and its values. It was explained that the building would be designed to the highest environmental standards and would take into account new ways of working, including hybrid and locality working.

-       It was commented that the council aimed to provide services in house and it was noted that the project would allow for spaces to be used flexibly in case of insourcing or other changes.

-       In relation to the presence of a bunker on site, it was explained that the Civic Centre was a Listed Building and that all elements would be reflected in the Statement of Significance. It was added that surveys had informed the current designs and that solutions for the building were being considered, such as the location of plant equipment and heating. It was noted that there was also a steering group and that the designs were being co-designed to consider ways to utilise the space.

-       The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Well-Being drew attention to the presence of locality working which was referenced in the report and would be an important part of service delivery in the future.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from Councillor Barnes:

-       In relation to the cost of different options, it was clarified that the earlier report which was presented to Cabinet in November 2021 considered refurbishment of Alexandra House in the short term before the Civic Centre was re-opened and Alexandra House was let. It was noted that the current options provided a like for like comparison as much as possible. It was explained that the business case looked at the same consistent lifespan for both options. It was highlighted that the higher costs for retrofitting an existing building presented additional challenges compared to a new building that could be specifically designed to meet need.

-       It was noted that the car park option was £0 in one of the papers. It was clarified that there was an opportunity to let Alexandra House via option 2, through vacating for council back office use, meant that some income would come from this. It was explained that the options sought to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 704.

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

The award of a construction contract to the preferred bidder for the Wood Green Youth Hub main fit out works. This report will inform Cabinet of the procurement process completed to appoint a contractor. The report will also update Cabinet on progress to date, the design development and co-design programme, the programme milestones and the project budget.

Cllr Diakides left the meeting at 19.55.

The Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children and Families introduced the report which sought authority to award a construction contract to Diamond Build Plc for the delivery of the Wood Green Youth Hub fit out works. The contract allowed the project to move closer to the operational opening of the facility.

The Cabinet Member outlined that the facility would create a focal point for young people in the community, allowing the young people to develop practical skillsets, promote creativity, provide a safe space for socialising and to obtain advice and support.

It was noted that Wood Green Young Voices (WGYV) had played a major role in design development, with a full Co-Design programme being completed in conjunction with the development of RIBA design stages 1 – 4 (feasibility to detailed design). The Cabinet Member advised that it had been incredibly important to ensure the users of the facility have had the ability to shape the project to ensure their needs are met.

The Cabinet Member commented that the project had progressed well and was ready to move into the next stage of project delivery to allow the physical works to commence on site. This would allow the operational opening of the facility to be completed ahead of the 2022 school summer holidays.

There was a question from Cllr Hakata on the risk of the Youth Hub not being ready for opening in July 2022. In response, it was noted that there could be issues with the current volatility in the building works market, and risk associated with delivery construction contracts. To mitigate this delay, the Capital Works team would be placing orders for materials as soon as possible. The team would also continue to monitor risks. There had already been some works to remove cross contamination at the premises and also fire safety issues addressed to contain some of the risks.

Following consideration of exempt information at item 26:

RESOLVED

1.           

2.           

3.           

1.          To approve an award of contract to Diamond Build Plc for the sum of £1,069,792.00 in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1(d).

2.          To approve the issue of a letter of intent to Diamond Build Plc, which will be limited to £100,000.

1. 

Reasons for decision

6. 

Young people living or attending school in and around Wood Green are at risk. Noel Park is in the 10% of the most deprived areas nationally with young people disproportionately affected. They are at risk of gang and knife crime with impacts felt across families and communities. Some of the Local Authority’s highest Early Help referring schools are in the west of the borough, with many pupils living in the Noel Park ward. Haringey has been working with a range of community partners and the police to embed measures to tackle issues early.

In addition to pre-existing challenges in Wood Green, young people have been disproportionately affected by the Covid 19 crisis through parental job losses and school closures. The project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 705.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

The report seeks approval to undertake a procurement process to deliver and operate a Wood Green Enterprise Hub at 40 Cumberland Road, London, N22 7SG.

Cllr Diakides remained out of the room for this item.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development introduced the report which sought approval to undertake a procurement process to deliver and operate a Wood Green Enterprise Hub at 40 Cumberland Road, London, N22 7SG.

The Cabinet Member stated that there was strong demand for workspaces to support local people, entrepreneurs, and creative industries. It was explained that three floors of the existing building were used for council purposes but that these could be conducted from alternative locations. It was suggested that the building would be leased to a workspace provider and that any desired social value requirements could be included in the lease tender. It was added that some external funding was available to refurbish the premises so that all five floors could be refurbished to accommodate different types of workspace. 

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-       It was confirmed that social values would be embedded in the tender.

-       It was also noted that space would be protected for small businesses who were existing tenants of the building. Hakata – mentioned orgs

RESOLVED

1.    To agree to undertake a procurement process to secure a workspace operator for 40 Cumberland Road who will deliver the Enterprise Hub.

2.    Following the conclusion of the procurement process, to delegate authority to the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning, after consultation with the Lead Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development to:

(i)            Enter into a contract with the preferred operator following the completion of the procurement process

(ii)          Enter into an agreement for lease with the preferred operator as a result of the above contract award

(iii)         Allocate £0.780m of grant funding, in accordance with the grant terms and conditions, which will be reflected in the above contractual agreements for the redesign, refurbishment and fitout of 40 Cumberland Road

Reasons for decision

As 40 Cumberland Road is no longer needed for operational purposes, an opportunity has arisen to support the Wood Green economy by developing a new Enterprise Hub on the site. The approach set out in this report provides more space for more local businesses and protects the position of existing businesses / tenants on site.

The decision to lease 40 Cumberland Road for the purpose of an Enterprise Hub will deliver a range of tangible Community Wealth Building and social value benefits to Wood Green which will prioritise local business growth and job opportunities, promote diversity and inclusion, and support a placemaking approach to Wood Green by supporting the wider business ecosystem.

The approach also allows the council to meet its delivery obligations to the GLA with regard to external funding, and will result in a financial return to the council, alongside reducted operating costs.

Alternative options considered

Regarding the building

Do nothing: the existing situation is not tenable. The building has been identified as surplus, is in need of investment, and existing tenants have no security. This option has been discounted.

Disposal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 706.

Report of the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care, and Wellbeing.

Cabinet is requested to approve the signing of legal agreements with the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) and Healthlink in connection with the delivery of the health centre at the Welbourne Development.

Cllr Diakides entered the meeting at 20.07

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Well-Being introduced the report which sought approval to enter into a number of lease agreements which were outlined in the report to enable the NHS to provide a modern primary care service including a GP surgery at the new Welbourne Health Centre to open in 2023.

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

-       With regards to potential complications, the report and decision, in essence allowed the NHS to draw down funding in order to open the Health Centre. However, in order to complete the fit out, there was a need to have a lease with that entity, before the building was handed back to the Council by the developer. In these circumstances the Council had put in some guarantees to make sure that, if the building was not returned to the Council, in a sensible time frame, there would be financial penalties. The report set out a long-time frame for this handover until 2024 but there were no particular issues to warrant concern.

-       The two tables at 1.1 and 1.2 were referred to and it was noted that the building was very close to completion and had some strong legal agreements in place for securing NHS funding. Once the building was fitted out and ready, these agreements would give way to the standard lease agreements with the usual caveats are in place. There were also some added protections to the agreements to ensure protected as a health provision before the Council by default came back to holding the facility. Also the time frame allowed for the fit out, would help ensure this was completed to meet health centre requirements.

-       Responding to the need to have a backstop agreement for potential delays, this was negotiated in the spirit of partnership. This was as long as possible to minimise any risk that the Council could be incurring with the end date set as 2024 but the fit out expected by the end of 2022.

-       Regarding the risks with the construction market and Covid, the action of NHS partners, and contract with experienced fit out partner, would provide mitigation and there were the usual contingencies in place of budget and timeframe.

-       It was likely that the Health Centre would open in 2023, and the Hale village Primary Care contract provision was in place until such time the Welbourne centre was ready.

RESOLVED

1. To take a long lease for a term of 999 years of the Health Centre area (in shell and core) from Argent Related prior to practical completion of the Welbourne site development; this lease will fall away after practical completion of the Welbourne Centre building as per table 1.1 paragraph 6.11

2. To grant a lease of the Health Centre to HealthLink for a term of 125 years, prior to practical completion of the Welbourne site development and subject to Argent Related granting the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 707.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

This report makes recommendations towards the next stage of the housing delivery programme, including accepting the Greater London Authority (GLA) grant from the 2021-26 Affordable Housing Programme and delegating additional authority to vary construction contracts. Cabinet is also asked to remove five sites from the programme.

The Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development introduced the report which made recommendations towards the next stage of the housing delivery programme, including accepting the Greater London Authority (GLA) grant from the 2021-26 Affordable Housing Programme and delegating additional authority to vary construction contracts. It was also requested that three sites were removed from the programme.

The Cabinet Member stated that the housebuilding programme was central to this administration. It was noted that the homes would have high quality design and would be energy efficient, including elements such as solar panels, green roofs, energy efficient products, and air source heat pumps which should reduce heating costs for residents..

The Cabinet Member explained that there were some changes in relation to Right to Buy receipts to include the delivery of new homes in order to reflect new government guidelines. It was noted that additional contingency sums were requested to recognise the significant increase in the costs of construction materials and these were detailed in the exempt part of the report. It was added that the report also sought approval to remove three sites from the list of acquired sites.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from the Cabinet:

-       It was noted that funding was only available for units that replaced homes that had been or would be demolished in exceptional circumstances. It was clarified that this referred to the new programme and did not apply to Broadwater Farm or High Road West.

-       The Cabinet Member for Environment, Transport, and the Climate Emergency and Deputy Leader noted that there was limited available land for housing and that schemes should increase biodiversity and greenery as much as possible.

The Cabinet Member responded to questions from Councillor Barnes:

-       It was confirmed that four schemes would be zero carbon  and that all others would achieve over 50% reductions in carbon, with most achieving over 70%. It was explained that it was aimed to achieve as close to zero carbon as possible for all schemes but that this was not always possible due to the particulars of sites.

-       It was noted that it would not be possible to include the site on Moselle Road as part of the housing delivery programme but that officers could provide an update to Councillor Barnes about the future of the site. 

-       It was confirmed that there was a target to deliver 3,000 homes and that the first completions had been delivered in 2021.

Following consideration of the exempt information, it was

RESOLVED

1.    In accordance with Contract Standing Order 17.1, approve the acceptance of capital grant under the Mayor of London’s 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme, the terms of which are summarised below at 6.14 – 6.15 and available in full at the GLA web site.

2.    Delegate authority to agree the final 2021-26 Affordable Homes Programme grant documentation and contract to the Director of Housing, Planning and Regeneration, after consultation with the Director of Finance and the Head of Legal and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 708.

Report of the Director of Adults and Health. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Wellbeing.

To vary and extend the Housing Related Support contract for Domestic Abuse as follows:

-       Floating Support - from 31 March 2022 to 31 January 2023.

-       Refuge Provision - from 31 March 2022 to 31 January 2024

The Cabinet Member for Health, Social Care and Well-Being introduced the report which sought agreement to implement Contract Standing Order 10.02.1b, to vary and extend the current contract for the Domestic Abuse Refuge and Floating Support Services, provided on the Council’s behalf by Solace Women’s Aid.

The Cabinet Member highlighted that preventing violence against women and girls was a key priority the new statutory duties contained in the Domestic Abuse Act (2021) required a refreshed and expanded response to the supported housing and specialist floating support services available to victim-survivors of domestic abuse. The contract provided the opportunity to meet these requirements.

In response to a question from Cllr Barnes,

-       There was increasing funding in the budget to increase support for women to ensure the Council had the right services in the right places as part of the review and service delivery. In the context of the new requirement of the Act, the Council would make use of the physical spaces and available capital to ensure women do access services in the borough.

-       The Director for Adults and Health added that the Council were very committed to the new duties and increasing provision. The service was also developing provision and working in tandem with victims themselves to make sure that the developed provisions were person centred and identify and meet individuals required support.

RESOLVED

1.          To approve the variation and extension of the current contracts for domestic abuse services, held by Solace Women’s Aid, as allowed under Contract Standing Order 10.02.1b as follows:

-    Floating Support - from 1 April 2022 to 31 January 2023 at cost of £109,269.04.

-    Refuge Provision - from 1 April 2022 to 31 January 2024 at cost of £157,860.31

2.To approve that the aggregated value of the full contract period is as follows:

-    Floating Support - from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2023 (2 years 6 months) will be £351,642.

-    Refuge Provision – from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2024 (3 years 6 months) will be £308,206.

-    Total value £659,847

3. To agree that the funding for this extension will be from the Council’s Housing Related Support general fund budget, in Adults and Health.

4. To note that a 5% contract value uplift has been negotiated with Solace Women’s Aid for the duration of the variation and extension period. This has been agreed in acknowledgement of increased staff costs since contract commencement.

Reasons for decision

The current contract with Solace Women’s Aid has 2 services:

1)    A 60-unit floating support service which is ending on 31 March 2022 and there is currently no option to extend.

2)    A 15-unit refuge provision which ends on 31 March 2022. There is an option to extend for one year until 31March 2023.

It is in residents and the Council’s overall interest to continue to provide these much-needed domestic abuse services in Haringey. An estimated 3 in 10 women will experience domestic abuse at some time in their lives; in Haringey  ...  view the full minutes text for item 709.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills and Corporate Services.

This report will seek a decision on the award of a new contract for the Council's non-domestic water, waste water, and ancillary services that would commence in May 2022.

The Cabinet Member for Employment, Skills, and Corporate Services introduced the report which sought a decision on the award of a new contract for the Council's non-domestic water, waste water, and ancillary services that would commence in May 2022.

It was noted that there was already a contract with the existing provider, Wave, but that it had taken longer than anticipated to complete the onboarding process from the previous supplier. It was considered that the contract provided good value for money and that there would be significant costs associated with moving to a different supplier.

The Cabinet Member for Early Years, Children, and Families noted that 15 schools had opted in to the contract. She welcomed that further schools were anticipated to join and she hoped that as many schools as possible would opt in to the contract.

RESOLVED

To award under framework YPO001008 of the Water, Wastewater and Ancillary Services contract to Anglian Water Business (National) Ltd (trading as “Wave”) from 1 May 2022 until 30 September 2024. The total value of the contract over this period will be up to £1.5m.

Reasons for decision

The current supplier is performing well. Wave is providing regular and accurate billing files and resolving queries promptly. The contract is realising savings particularly through consolidated billing, where one electronic billing file is generated each month containing the billing data for all sites, rather than a paper bill being generated for each site.

It is taking significantly longer than originally anticipated to transfer all of the Council’s non-domestic water supplies from the incumbent supplier, Castle Water to Wave. It has taken a significant level of officer resource to resolve debt balances and supplier issues meaning that not all of the Council’s existing water supplies have transferred to the existing contract.

The price increase from the current contract to the new contract is c0.5%, representing good value for money. The Water retail market costs went up by an average of 2% (2019) and will next be reviewed by OFWAT in 2024. We were not impacted by the 2019 increase (as we were in contract). We feel that a 0.5% increase for this contract (2022 – 2024) therefore reflects the water market.

Based on the existing buildings currently on contract, indicative annual costs would be as in the below table. Additional corporate sites, including the recently in-sourced New River Sports Centre will join the contract and further schools are also expected to join. If other corporate buildings or schools join the Council’s contract, the Council does not expect that these costs will go above the threshold of £1.5m before 30^th September 2024.

The Council may also utilise the ancillary services available through the contract, so the overall contract value will be higher.

The price margins in the non-domestic water markets are heavily regulated by Ofwat so the price difference between suppliers  ...  view the full minutes text for item 710.

Report of the Director for Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for House Building, Place-Making and Development.

The award of contract to Lilstone was granted by Cabinet Member signing on the 1st of April 2021. A discrepancy with the boundary line position required an adjustment to the design which delayed the commencement of works. This variation is to primarily accommodate a change in market conditions for materials and labour as a result of the Covid Pandemic.

The Cabinet Member for Cabinet Member for House Building, Place - Making and Development introduced the report, which sought avariation of contract award by the sum of £128,518.16 in accordance with Contract Standing Order 10.02.1 (b). This would result in a revised total contract value of £1,027,414.08 to allow the continued refurbishment and restoration of the Bruce Grove Toilets into a new café and community hub. This decision would further allow the Grade II listed former public conveniences building to be removed from Historic England’s ‘Heritage at Risk’ Register

The Cabinet Member commented that this would a good new asset for the borough and the delays in the project had been for relating to: Covid, a boundary issue with Network Rail and increase in construction costs.

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

-      Regarding, designing in and including public conveniences in the borough, especially when encouraging more walking, the issue would be the ongoing maintenance and ensuring public toilets were not used for anti-social behaviour. The Director for Housing, Planning and Regeneration added that for this new café and community hub, the end operator would need to make the toilets publicly available.

-      There was a further comment from Cllr Davies about considering schemes in European cities, which allow access to public conveniences through existing high street provisions.

-      With regards to market pressures continuing to increase costs as already the case in this restoration project and the impact this could have, there were precautionary measures factored and contingency available. The Assistant Director for Capital Projects & Property added that this scheme was tendered retrospectively and the report already took into account the market factors outlined.

Following consideration of exempt information at item 28,

RESOLVED

To approve a variation to the original Cabinet Award to Lilstone Limited from £898,892.64 to a revised total contract value of £1,027,414.08.

Reasons for decision

On the 1st of April 2021, Cabinet approved a Contract Award to appointment Lilstone Limited to deliver the refurbishment and extension works at the disused Bruce Grove Public Convenience (BGPC) pavilion building for the total contract cost of £817,175.13 plus a 10% contingency of £81,717.51.

A letter of intent was issued to the Contractor in June 2021, with construction works due to commence on site on the 16th of July 2021. However, as part of the easement negotiations with Network Rail (Neighbouring Landowner), it became known, prior to construction works commencing on site, that there was a discrepancy between the title boundary line and the line used for the design of the new extension to BGPC.

On review of the Council’s and Network Rail’s Title Plans it is believed that the position of the proposed extension exceeds the Council’s boundary, which has led to the construction phase being put on hold on the 30th of June 2021, and the rear extension being redesigned, (as detailed in section 4.5 of Part B).

The time required to complete the revised design and delays  ...  view the full minutes text for item 711.

To note the minutes of the following:

Cabinet Member Signing

7 December 2021

7 December 2021

10 December 2021

17 December 2021

23 December 2021

Urgent Decisions

20 December 2021

RESOLVED

To note the minutes of the following:

Cabinet Member Signing

7 December 2021

7 December 2021

10 December 2021

17 December 2021

23 December 2021

Urgent Decisions

20 December 2021

To note the delegated and significant actions taken by Directors in December.

Noted.

To consider any items admitted at item 3 above.

There were no new items of urgent business.

Note from the Democratic Services and Scrutiny Manager

Items 24-30 allow for consideration of exempt information in relation to items 6, 10, 12, 13, 16 and 19.

TO RESOLVE

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as items 24-30 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 meeting for the consideration of agenda items 24-30 as they contained exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972; Paragraph 3 – information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information; Paragraph 5 – information in respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.

As per item 10.

The Cabinet noted the exempt information and resolutions were agreed as per minutes 702.

As per item 12.

The Cabinet noted the exempt information and resolutions were agreed as per minutes 704.

As per item 13.

The Cabinet noted the exempt information and resolutions were agreed as per minutes 705.

As per item 16.

The Cabinet noted the exempt information and resolutions were agreed as per minutes 708.

As per item 19.

The Cabinet noted the exempt information and resolutions were agreed as per minutes 711.

To approve the exempt minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 7 December 2021.

RESOLVED

That the exempt minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 7 December 2021 be approved as a correct record.

To consider any items admitted at item 3 above.

There were no new items of exempt urgent business.