Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Alan Strickland.

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

There were no items of urgent business.

There were no declarations of interest made.

To confirm and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2014 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2014 be confirmed as a correct record.

There were no deputations, petitions or questions received.

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 17 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.

There were no representations received.

The Leader reminded Members, attending the meeting and putting forward questions about reports on the agenda, of their duty not to disclose exempt information in the public part of the meeting. 

(Report of the Chief Financial Officer. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction). The report seeks agreement from Cabinet, to recommend to Council on 26 February 2014, that it adopts the Revenue Budget for 2014/15, agrees the proposed Housing Rent increases and the Medium Term Financial Plan 2014 to 2017, as outlined in the report.  

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction, which sought agreement from Cabinet to recommend to Council, that it adopt the Revenue Budget for 2014/15 and that it also agree the proposed Housing Rent increases and the Medium Term Financial Plan 2014 to 2017, as detailed in the report.

Cllr Wilson put forward questions about: funding for enforcement as part of the investment in the Planning service[ listed at appendix 3], the reprovision of civic functions and implementation of the default borough wide 20mph limit .

The Cabinet Member for Finance, Employment and Carbon Reduction explained how a  recent zero based budgeting exercise, analysing  the officer base in the council, had  found  a lower number of staff working  in the Planning  team,  in  comparison to  similar boroughs.  Factoring this information and the increase in the number of planning applications coming forward, the investment proposal for improving resources to the Planning service area was a prudent way forward.   It was noted that funding for Enforcement services, from the council’s base budget, had already been agreed at the previous Cabinet meeting in December.

It was noted that the council’s accommodation strategy was an ongoing process and therefore costs were at an estimate stage. As yet, there were no core plans for where civic functions would be located. Once these were devised, they would be consulted upon with the Cabinet and consideration given to how the accommodation plans were to be managed.  In the meantime, there was ongoing work to find appropriate meeting spaces and civic accommodation that can fit 57 councillors, at a lower cost, in the borough.

Analysis of the borough wide 20mph limit consultation was still continuing and would need to be completed before a policy was put forward.  It was the practice to only include agreed policies in budget plans, but funding could still be made available, through the council’s reserves, for implementing the  required street signs.

RESOLVED:

      i.        That the 2014/15 Revenue Budget and the Medium Term Financial Plan 2014 – 2017, including the consequent cash limits as set out in the report (Appendices 1 and 2), be approved for recommendation to Full Council;

    ii.        That approval of the new budget proposals, set out in Section 9 and Appendix 3 of the report, be recommended to Full Council;

   iii.        That approval be recommend to Full Council that a General Fund budget requirement of £281.699m, as set out in Appendix 1, but subject to the final decisions of the levying and precepting bodies and the final local government finance settlement;

   iv.        That approval be recommended to Full Council of a Dedicated Schools Budget at the level of the estimated Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG) of £228.755m (Appendix 4);

    v.        That the need for significant additional savings to be delivered in order to deliver a balanced budget in the years 2015/16 and 2016/17, be noted;

   vi.        That the responses made to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee recommendations following their consideration of the draft budget  ...  view the full minutes text for item 608.

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children). The report seeks approval of a revised flat rate formula to fund all two year old programme places from April 2014.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Children, which sought approval of a revised flat rate formula to fund all two year old programme places from April 2014.

 It was noted that the  Schools Forum were in  agreement to the increase in  the flat rate  formula which would enable more childcare providers in the borough to offer quality  placements  for  two  year olds and meet the projected number of places  needed in the  borough in the coming two years. 

RESOLVED:

1. That a revised flat rate formula of £6.00 per hour, to fund all two year old programme places from April 2014, be approved.

2. That the Schools Forum decision, to identify the additional resources required to sustain the £6.00 per hour funding rate from April 2016 within the Early Years Block of the Dedicated Schools Grant (DSG), be noted.

Alternative options considered

A number of options have been considered but, at the moment, there is such a pressing need to augment the number of places within a very short timescale that this appears to be the most appropriate medium term solution, until the market is further developed. Also this is a statutory requirement under the Childcare Act 2006.

Reasons for decision

Haringey Council has a statutory duty, under the Childcare Act 2006, to fund free early education for all eligible children from the term after they turn two. In meeting this duty, the Council is also required to have in place a formula for funding these early education places. Haringey introduced a single funding formula in September 2013.  The outcome of the decision will be an updated single formula to be implemented from April 2014.

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval of the Better Care Fund Health and Social Care Integration Plan.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, which sought approval of the borough’s Better Care Fund Health and Social Care Integration Plan before submission to NHS England on 14th February 2014. Cabinet noted that the plan had been jointly produced by the council and Haringey CCG,   containing a strong community focus, and setting out a partner shared approach for delivering better local care by having joined up provision across health and social care services.

Cabinet were advised that the plan had been considered and agreed by Haringey Healthwatch, Haringey Health and Wellbeing Board and the CCG.

RESOLVED:

      i.        That the Integration Plan, at set out at Appendix 1 of the report, in readiness for its submission to NHS England on 14 February 2014 be approved;

    ii.        That it be noted that the Haringey Clinical Commissioning Group’s Governing Body had considered and approved the Integration Plan on 30 January 2014, as set out at Appendix 1 of the report;

   iii.        That it be noted that the Health and Wellbeing Board had considered and approved the Plan at its meeting on 11 February 2014.

Alternative options considered

National guidance makes clear that if Haringey is to access the BCF and realise the benefits of integration for local people it must produce and implement an Integration Plan. As a result no alternative option to the Integration Plan is presented. Maintenance of the status quo will perpetuate current inefficiencies in the provision of health and social care, fail to realise value for money gains and not improve people’s experience of service provision. Moreover, it will place Haringey in breach of an important national policy initiative and result in the loss an exciting opportunity to reshape services through the use of the Fund.

Reasons for decision

To maximise value for money (efficiency, economy and effectiveness) and deliver the best possible range of integrated health and social care service to local people and local communities in compliance with Haringey’s Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

(Report of the Chief Operating Officer. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing). The report seeks approval of an award of contract to the successful tenderer for improvement works to the door entry and CCTV systems at 1 to 85 John Keats House and 1 to 85 Thomas Hardy House, Wood Green.

Exempt information pertaining to the report is set out at Item 19 of the agenda.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Housing and Regeneration, which sought approval of an award of contract to the successful tenderer for improvement works to the door entry and CCTV systems at 1 to 85 John Keats House and 1 to 85 Thomas Hardy House, Wood Green.

RESOLVED:

That approval be given to the award of the contract for Door Entry and CCTV works to SCCI Alphatrack Ltd in the Ward of Bounds Green for the tender sum of £361,201.67 (and a client side provisional sum set out in paragraph 3.3 of the exempt part of the report) in accordance with Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07.1 (b) and 9.07.1 (d).

That approval be given to professional fees for this contract in the sum of £34,595.89. 

Alternative options considered

Although consideration was given to the option of maintaining the existing door entry and CCTV equipment, this option was not feasible because the systems are at the end of their useful life. Components are increasingly likely to fail and replacement parts are becoming difficult to source.

Recurrent problems with the systems will result in a loss of service and reduced security for the residents affected.

Reasons for decision

The door entry and CCTV systems that are serving 1-85 John Keats House and 1-85 Thomas Hardy House require replacement because they have reached the end of their useful life, break down frequently and are becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to maintain.

The award of this contract will enable the systems to be replaced with modern door entry and CCTV systems that are more efficient and will provide residents with enhanced security.

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval of an award of contract for the provision of statutory advocacy services.

Exempt information pertaining to the report is set out at Item 20 of the agenda.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, which sought approval of an award of contract for the provision of statutory advocacy services.

RESOLVED:

      i.        That approval be given to an award of contract and arrangements for the joint commissioning of statutory advocacy services to Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA), and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Paid Representatives.

    ii.        That, approval be given to the London Borough of Haringey entering into contractual arrangements jointly with London Borough of Barnet, London Borough of Enfield and an award the contract to VoiceAbility Advocacy.

      iii.            That it be noted that the contract would run for a period of three years with an option to extend for a further period of one year plus one year.

Alternative options considered

The following options were considered:

1)    Procurement of Haringey only services for Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocate Services (IMHA), and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Paid Representative.

2)    Procurement of individual services separately with potentially different providers for each.

3)    Procurement jointly with the three boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey for all three services of Independent Mental Capacity Advocates (IMCA), Independent Mental Health Advocates (IMHA), and Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards (DoLS) Paid Representatives.

The third procurement option for commissioning of the three services across the three Boroughs of Barnet, Enfield and Haringey was chosen. This is because there is a robust market and a good range of providers with experience and the necessary infrastructure in place to be able to deliver cost effective, quality and efficient service across three Boroughs. The arrangements offer efficiency to each of the partners, enabling greater leverage over a single provider to deliver a high quality service.  Each of the three boroughs have worked together with regard to some of these services previously and commission the Barnet, Enfield and Haringey Mental Health Trust to deliver mental health services with the opportunity to improve access to statutory advocacy. 

Reasons for decision

The current contracts for services expire on 31 March 2014. It was therefore necessary to tender these services in order to set in place a new contract and avoid any break in services. To achieve value for money, the commissioning and procuring of these services has been carried out jointly across Enfield, Barnet and Haringey.

As a result of the procurement process, which has been carried out in line with the Council’s Contract Standing Orders and the Procurement Code of Practice, it is necessary to award the contract to the successful tenderers in accordance with CSO 9.7.1(d).

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval of a proposal to enter into a Framework Agreement for the provision of a disabled adaptations for one year as an interim arrangement.

Exempt information pertaining to the report is set out at Item 21 of the agenda.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, which sought approval of a proposal to enter into a Framework Agreement for the provision of a disabled adaptations for one year as an interim arrangement.

RESOLVED:

That, as allowed under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 9.07 (contracts over £250,000), approval be given to the proposal to enter into a Framework Agreement for the provision of disabled adaptations with a single contractor, Effectable Construction Services Limited, for one year for a total estimated value of £3,000,000 as an interim arrangement to Corporate Procurement’s Unit’s (Construction Procurement Group’s) Pan London strategy on disabled adaptations.

Alternative options considered

As part of the London Construction Programme, Haringey is formulating a strategy for construction projects for all of London. Part of this strategy is for the setting up of London wide specialist procurements and Disabled Adaptations is one of these. However, as a Pan-London Adaptations Framework for the less able will not be in place until  late 2014, at the earliest, this option is not yet available.

Another option considered was to continue to use the Minor Works Framework as an interim measure until the London wide framework could be put in place. However, using the Minor Works Framework requires constantly running mini competitions to call off new work orders as they are needed. Apart from being labour intensive, this creates a time delay in carrying out required adaptations and would be detrimental to prompt delivery of service to users. On the other hand, the use of a single contractor would offer prompt delivery with a good level of service and is therefore the recommended option.

Reasons for decision

The proposed single contractor framework agreement for disabled adaptations is required to allow time to enable Haringey to set up a new Pan-London Adaptations contract.

(Report of the Deputy Chief Executive. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services). The report seeks approval to waiver tendering requirements and to approve an award of contract for a period of two years.

Cabinet considered a report, introduced by the Cabinet Member for Health and Adult Services, which sought approval to waiver tendering requirements and to approve an award of contract to BUBIC to provide peer led substance mis – use treatment  ,in the borough, for a period of two years.

The Cabinet Member for Health and Adult services advised Cabinet  that BUBIC was a local community organisation developed by Tottenham residents providing a unique peer led service for improving the lives of residents affected by substance mis – use. Cabinet noted that no other organisation in London was providing a similar service.

RESOLVED:

      i.        That the waiver of the tendering requirements of Contract Standing Order 9.01 (requirement to tender), as allowed under Contract Standing Order10.01.2 (d), be approved.

    ii.        That the award of contract for a period of two years to Bringing Unity Back in the Community (BUBIC) to the value of £330,000 from April 2014 to March 2016 be approved.

   iii.        That it be noted that award of contract is contingent upon BUBIC developing a business model which puts them in a position to undergo a competitive tender process by February 2015.

   iv.        That it be approved that the service be tendered during 2015 resulting in a new contract being in place by April 2016.

Alternative Options Considered for BUBIC

The existing NHS contract comes to an end in April 2014. The option of not renewing this contract and/or undertaking an open tender process for this service was considered but was discounted on the grounds that:

The service is an important component in the effectiveness of the wider integrated substance misuse treatment system acting as an outreach and engagement service to Black and minority ethnic communities, providing peer support, and re-engaging those who have dropped out of treatment.

The service is unique. This is because the service was developed by Tottenham residents who have overcome their drugaddiction problems who wanted to give something back to the community. The outcomes it delivers are largely attributable to the fact that this is a service developed by local ex-service users who know the local “scene” and are able to access sections of the community that mainstream services have difficulty in accessing or engaging.

Two credible independent external sources: Public Health England’s Regional Substance Misuse lead, who has oversight of substance misuse provision in London, and the Senior Policy Advisor of the London Drug and Alcohol Policy Forum were contacted and confirmed that there are no similar providers in London.

On this basis, it was decided that a standard procurement process was not appropriate at this point in time. However, it should be noted that the service will be tendered during 2015 in order to ensure that the market has been fully tested and that the council is achieving maximum value for money in going forward. BUBIC will effectively have a year in which to develop their business model.

Reasons for decision

The BUBIC service is a bespoke service (reasons for this are given  ...  view the full minutes text for item 614.

To noted the minutes of the following:

Ø  Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee – 19 December 2013

Ø  Decision by the Leader – 14 January 2014

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the following meetings be noted:

      i.        Corporate Parenting Advisory Committee – 19 December 2013

    ii.        Decision by the Leader – 14 January 2014

To note significant and delegated actions taken by Directors since the previous meeting.

RESOLVED:

That the significant and delegated actions taken by Directors since the previous meeting be noted.

There were no new items of urgent business.

Note from the Head of Local Democracy and Member Services

Items 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22, allow for the consideration of exempt information in relation to Items  4, 10, 11, 12 and 2 respectively.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting as the items below contain exempt information, as defined under paragraphs 3 and 5, Part 1, schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

RESOLVED:

That the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting, as agenda Items 12 and 13 contained exempt information, as defined under paragraph 3, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972.

To confirm the exempt Cabinet minutes of the meeting held on 16 January 2014 as a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the exempt minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 16 January 2014 be confirmed as a correct record of the meeting.

To consider exempt information pertaining to Item 10 above.

Exempt information pertaining to Item above was considered.

To consider exempt information pertaining to Item 11 above.

Exempt information pertaining to Item above was considered.

To consider exempt information pertaining to Item 12 above.

Exempt information pertaining to Item above was considered.

There were no new items of exempt urgent business.