Agenda and minutes

To receive any apologies for absence.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of interest.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families considered the report which recommended accepting grant of up to £3,768,000 from the Department of Education and Department of Health and Social Care to implement the Family Hubs Programme in Haringey. Accepting grant funding will enable the implementation of the programme as described in the report and the development of four new Family Hubs for children and young people aged 0 – 19 and their families.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    In accordance with Contract Standing Order 16.02 and Contract Standing Order 17.1, to approve the acceptance of grant funding from the Department of Education, the terms of which are summarised at section 6 of the report.

2.    To delegate authority to agree the final grant documentation and implementation plan to the Director of Children’s Services, after consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families.

Reasons for decision

The council is committed to developing a Locality Model that is needs led, responding to resident demand, providing multi agency services that are accessible locally. The Family Hubs and Start for Life Programme aligns well with this objective and will provide necessary funding to help support, design and establish local family hubs.

Alternative options considered

Local Authorities can decide not to accept any offer of grant from the Department from Education and Department of Health and Social Care. However, in doing so, this would prevent the Council from being able to implement a locality model which is a key objective within our partnership strategies: Haringey Early Help Strategy and Haringey Early Years Strategy. Therefore, this option was not considered viable.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families considered the report which noted that, on 13^th April 2021, the Cabinet Member approved an award to Cosmur Construction (London) Ltd for Park View School up to £869,431.24. On 10^th March 2022, Cabinet Member approved a variation of contract to Cosmur Construction (London) Ltd for Park View School up to £954,137.87.

It was noted that the variation of works, set out in section 4 have been approved by the Client under change control. On this basis this is a retrospective request. This report sought Cabinet Member approval to vary the contract with Cosmur Construction (London) Ltd for Park View School as allowed under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 16.02 and 10.2.1.b and as set out in section 3.

The additional works provided the Council with greater value for money by including the works within the current contract on site, as opposed to returning with a separate contract, which as a result of the current climate – construction inflation and material shortages - would likely result in inflated market rates and cause further disruption to the schools.

The Cabinet Member sought reassurance that there would be a detailed review on the outstanding works and costs. The Delivery Manager noted that there were ongoing, regular communications with all parties.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

1.    Pursuant to Contract Standing Order 16.02, to approve a further variation of the construction contract to Cosmur Construction (London) Ltd in the sum of £85,668.24 giving a varied contract value of £1,039,806.11.

2.    To waiver Contract Standing Order 3.01d and delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to approve any subsequent variations which may be required in the settlement of the final account up to £50,000.

Reasons for decision

The initial variation of construction supported additional condition works to replace the hall flooring, lighting (bulb replacement only) and redecoration. Works which had been discovered once the works commenced and the contractor was able to fully access and intrusively inspect the hall flooring and lighting. Scaffolding and working crash deck in place for new mechanical works provided greater access to inspect lighting.

A further variation is requested to support additional gantry works for the air handling unit, temporary ventilation supplies over the exam period, raising the height of the new ventilation sock, fire alarm modifications, additional drainage works and adjustments to the design for damp proof membrane. These works have been approved by the Client under change control and are contained within the programme budget.

The additional works provide the Council with greater value for money by including the works within the current contract on site, as opposed to returning with a separate contract, which as a result of the current climate – construction inflation and material shortages - would likely result in inflated market rates and cause further disruption to the school.

The additional work has led to the contractor requesting further time to accommodate all additional work condition works, some of which may not been fully considered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

The Cabinet Member for Children, Schools, and Families considered the report which noted that, on 15^th June 2021, the Cabinet Member approved an award to Mulalley & Company Ltd for Seven Sisters Primary School Phase 1 in the sum of £1,233,949.00. This contract award was varied on 17^th January 2022 to £1,366,875.00 by the Cabinet Member. On 9^th November 2021, the Cabinet Member approved an award to Mulalley & Company Ltd for Seven Sisters Primary School Phase 2 in the sum of £1,264,690.60.

This report sought approval to vary both contracts to Mulalley & Company Ltd as allowed under Contract Standing Order (CSO) 10.2.1.b and (CSO) 16.02.

The additional works provided the Council with greater value for money by including the works within the current contract on site, as opposed to returning with a separate contract, which as a result of the current climate – construction inflation and material shortages - would likely result in inflated market rates and cause further disruption to the schools.

The Cabinet Member asked about the timescale for the project. The Project Manager noted that some works to the water supply needed to be undertaken after the school term finished but the completion date was due to be 21 December 2022. The Cabinet Member noted that the additional costs had been generated by additional works including asbestos removal and it was acknowledged that this was necessary. The Cabinet Member commented that issues such as asbestos were not surprising with older buildings and it was suggested that future reports for school works could include this as a likely possibility.

The Cabinet Member RESOLVED

Pursuant to Contract Standing Order 16.02, to vary the following construction contract awards:

(i)            To approve a further variation of the construction contract for Seven Sisters Primary School Phase 1 to Mulalley & Company Ltd in the sum of £263,125.00 giving a varied contract value from £1,366,875.00 to £1,630,000.00.

(ii)          To approve a variation of the construction contract for Seven Sisters Primary School Phase 2 to Mulalley & Company Ltd in the sum of £58,288.00, giving a varied contract value from £1,264,690.40 to £1,322,978.00.

(iii)         To delegate authority to the Director of Children’s Services to approve any subsequent variations which may be required in the settlement of the final account up to £50,000 for each Phase of the project.

Reasons for decision

During construction of Phase 1, additional condition works were identified which included remedial works to address additional pipework, asbestos removal and additional works to aluminium window reveals.

The additional work has led to the contractor requesting further time to accommodate the additional works, some of which may not been fully considered as part of the original variation request for Phase 1.

Phase 2 works experienced additional works to windows roofs and asbestos. As with Phase 1 this has resulted in the contractor requesting further time to accommodate the additional works.

Whilst elements of cost are yet to be fully evidenced and agreed, these variations of contracts are expected to be sufficient to settle  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.