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 Cabinet Member referred to the filming at meetings notice.

RESOLVED:

The filming at meetings notice was noted

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).

There were none.

There were none.

There were none.

A proposal to extend existing contracts with four suppliers was considered —DCK Construction Limited, ICB General Build and Civil Engineering Ltd, Foster Property Maintenance Ltd, and Milestone South East Ltd—for the continued provision of repair services aimed at reducing the backlog of disrepair cases across the borough.

It was noted that, as a social landlord, the Council is responsible for maintaining its social housing stock, which is subject to legal claims for disrepair. These contracts had originally been established to address a long-standing issue with such claims, enabling the Council to engage repair contractors to carry out the necessary remedial works.

Each contract had a maximum spend of £499,999 and was set to run for a period of up to two years. The contracts commenced on 4 November 2024 and were scheduled to expire on 4 November 2025, with an option to extend for a further year until 4 November 2026.

Officers reported that the allocated contract values were expected to be exhausted by late Q1 or early Q2 of the 2025/26 financial year. As such, an extension of the contract value was required to align with the approved budget and ensure that service delivery remained uninterrupted.

RESOLVED:

That the Cabinet Memver:

3.1 Pursuant to Contract Standing Orders 18.03.3 & 2.01(d) approved extensions of contracts to four suppliers: DCK Construction Ltd, ICB General Build and Civil Eng ltd, Foster Property Maintenance Ltd and Milestone South East Ltd.

3.2 Approved each of the 4 existing contracts are extended; by 100% for DCK Construction Ltd and Milestone South East Limited, and 43% for ICB General Build and Civil Eng Ltd and Foster Property Maintenance Ltd, based on the existing run rate, whilst the service and procurement work to put in place a long-term contract.

3.3 Noted that the extension would allow the service to put in place suitable medium to long term contracts, following a procurement exercise expected to be completed by Q4, to prevent service delivery and financial risks associated with failure to complete work at an adequate scale and frequency.

Reasons for decision

4.1 It is essential to maintain continuity of high frequency repairs completions in disrepair cases, as this is the main action by which legal costs are reduced. If we have to stop work for any period of time, there will be increased legal expenditure.

4.2 It is a strategic objective of the Council to clear the historic works backlog and then maintain pace with newer cases, to achieve a lower cost per case. Failure to extend contracts to enable time for wider re-procurement and arrange suitable medium to long term contracts will prejudice the achievement of this objective, and risk the significant progress already made.

4.3 Approximately 35% of last year’s gross spend was attributed to capital works. Accordingly, it is anticipated that additional budget will be generated during this financial year and up until the re-procurement exercise concludes, thereby funding Q4 of that new procurement from capital receipts, with the remainder of that procurement to be funded  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Item 8 is likely to be subject to a motion to exclude the press and public be from the meeting as it contains exempt information as defined in Section 100a of the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended by Section 12A of the Local Government Act 1985); paras 3 and 5, namely information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and 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 contain exempt information as defined under paragraph 3, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972

The exempt report was considered by the Cabinet Member.