Agenda and draft minutes
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APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE To receive any apologies for absence. Minutes: There were no apologies for absence. |
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DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 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
Minutes: There were no declarations of interest. |
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Please be advised that the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has further agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this urgent decision. This is because the decision is urgent and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests due to the fact that emergency accommodation is required for homeless households arising from the ongoing public health emergency created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all circumstances and that it should be treated as a matter of urgency. This is in accordance with Part 4, Section H, and Paragraph 18 of the Council Constitution. Minutes: The Cabinet Member considered the report which sought approval to extend the contract for the provision of accommodation and services with the following organisation, as allowed under Contract Standing Order 10.02.1(b):
London Hotel Group Ltd T/A Ibis Styles Hotel, 543 Lea Bridge Road, E10 7EB - 63 units of accommodation for up to six months, from 1 April 2021 to 30 September 2021.
It was noted that people experiencing homelessness had some of the poorest outcomes of all our residents. They were more likely to be unemployed, have unmet physical and mental health needs, and were at risk of a preventable early death. As a borough, the Cabinet Member noted that we were committed to ending street homelessness and ensuring that vulnerable people had access to high quality supported accommodation that helped them rebuild their lives after homelessness.
The Cabinet Member RESOLVED
To approve the extension of the contract for emergency Covid-19 accommodation for vulnerable rough sleepers with London Hotel Group Ltd T/A Ibis Styles Hotel. The cost of the extension period from April to September 2021 being £525,404.
Reasons for decision
As part of the response to the Covid-19 global pandemic, Haringey Council is committed to providing temporary accommodation and subsistence to single homeless adults who are rough sleeping or at imminent risk of rough sleeping. This commitment acknowledges the particular vulnerabilities and inequalities they face and will ensure they are able to adhere to government guidelines around self-isolation, where they would not ordinarily have the accommodation or financial means to do so.
The Covid-19 Emergency Accommodation Board have been governing this work, which has already rapidly mobilised a range of accommodation and subsistence options for vulnerable homeless people. This report outlines a procurement decision which has the pre-approval of that Board.
Alternative options considered
Conduct a full RFQ process The need for additional temporary accommodation and subsistence is urgent and unprecedented. It was deemed unfeasible to conduct a lengthy procurement process when the need was urgent and immediate and it is now understood after four months of hotel acquisition arrangements that this hotel is unique in its location and offer therefore a procurement process wouldn’t be a valuable use of time.
Do nothing The Council could elect not to use its discretionary powers to source accommodation for vulnerable homeless people during the Covid-19 situation. However, to do so would be to ignore its commitments to adult safeguarding, public health and rough sleeping as well as wider responsibilities to public safety.
The Chair of Overview and Scrutiny has further agreed that the call-in procedure shall not apply to this urgent decision. This is because the decision is urgent and any delay in implementation caused by the call-in procedure would seriously prejudice the Council's or the public's interests due to the fact that emergency accommodation is required for homeless households arising from the ongoing public health emergency created by the Covid-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee has agreed that the decision is both reasonable in all ... view the full minutes text for item 78. |