Agenda item

The report will seek Cabinet Member approval to appoint the recommended contractor T&B (Contractors) Ltd to deliver adaptation and refurbishment works at Marcus Garvey Library for the total contract cost of £2,092,266.55. The report will also seek Cabinet Member approval to issue a letter of intent prior to the formal contract signature for 10% of the contract value.

The principle of refurbishing Marcus Garvey Library was agreed by Cabinet on the 17^th March 2015.£3m Capital funding was approved by Cabinet to support building (adaptation and improvement) works to Marcus Garvey library to refurbish and upgrade the building and support the inclusion of a customer services centre within the library, whilst maintaining library space and facilities.

A report was tabled seeking Cabinet Member approval to appoint the recommended contractor T&B (Contractors) Ltd to deliver adaptation and refurbishment works at Marcus Garvey Library for the total contract cost of £2,092,662.55. The report also sought approval from the Cabinet Member for Resources and Culture to issue a letter of intent prior to the formal contract signature for 10% of the contract value which is £209,266.26.

A list of six companies was generated from Constructionline and the companies were invited to submit a proposal in response to an Invitation to Tender. Five responses were received and evaluated. The tender was based on a 60 % quality and 40 % price bid and contract period of 16 weeks.

The Cabinet Member noted that the adaption and improvement works did not require planning permission, with the exception of an entrance being installed to the rear of the building, which was due to be considered at Planning Committee. Refusal to grant planning permission for the door would not undermine the scheme as a whole; as the plans had been designed so that this feature was able to be cut out of the design without affecting the feasibility of the overall works. In order to under the programme of works, the library would need to temporarily close for approximately 6 months whilst the works were undertaken.

A number of questions in relation to the report were raised by both members of the public representing the Friends of Marcus Garvey and by Cllr Carter. A summary of those questions and the responses is noted below.

In response to a question regarding the extent to which the proposal enjoyed broad community support, the Cabinet Member responded that with the closure of Apex House, the proposals ensured that there was a customer service centre in Tottenham. Whilst alternative sites were looked into, the costs and timescales were found to be prohibitive. The Cabinet Member also advised that investment into Marcus Garvey was required to improve the facilities and that the works would ensure that the library would get; more study spaces, brand new computers, refurbished lifts, refurbished toilets and refresh the library’s collection of books whilst maintaining the Marcus Garvey Collection. The Cabinet Member reiterated that the Council would limit the amount of space allocated to a customer service centre within the library to around 20%. 

The Cabinet Member also acknowledged that he was aware the concerns of some sections of the local community in relation to the proposals and that he had seen the petition on change.org. The Cabinet Member advised that he was concerned by a number of comments that he had seen both on social media and in relation to the petition that were factually inaccurate, such as a loss of space within the children’s library, loss of desk space or loss of the Marcus Garvey Collection.

Concerns were raised that Marcus Garvey library could be closed due to a high volume of service users using the customers service centre. The Cabinet Member responded that the proposals being implemented at Marcus Garvey were part of a broader Customer Service Transformation programme, the aim of which was to deliver many services quicker and more effectively online, including the launch of a new website and new My Haringey account. The Cabinet Member advised the Library would be equipped with a bank of computers to enable residents to access online services. The Cabinet Member also advised that a shift of more transactional services to online should provide the council with additional capacity to deal with more difficult queries face-to-face and to provide a better service to residents as a whole. It was noted that not all services currently provided at Apex House would be provided at Marcus Garvey, for instance there would be a dedicated housing service set up in the middle of the borough.

In response to a question regarding the corporate governance process and the level of feeling within the community and the potential for this decision to be subject to a Judicial Review, the Council’s Acting Principal Lawyer for Contracts and Procurement advised that the Council’s view was that it has complied with its legal obligations around public consultation and that the proposals had been subject to a robust corporate governance process.The Cabinet Member advised that an initial Equalities Impact Assessment was undertaken as part of the March Cabinet report and that a full EQIA was undertaken once the Council was in a position to procure a contractor for the works. The Cabinet Member advised that by doing this the Council was able then put forward specific designs to the community and include reference to those in the EQIA.

Cllr Carter acknowledged that it may not be possible to provide an answer to all of the questions that he raised due to time constraints. Cllr Cater requested that notice of the requirement to give five clear days notice of the intension to submit a question to a meeting of the Council be outlined clearly on the agenda packs for future Cabinet Member Signings.

In response to a question regarding whether a public consultation had been carried out, the Cabinet Member responded that proposals for Marcus Garvey had not been drawn up in isolation or without context, and that the proposals built on a very detailed report prepared by Activist Group which examined what the Council’s future library service provision should look like. Consultation was undertaken with Marcus Garvey users, along with users across the borough, as part of the Activist Group report. The Cabinet Member reiterated that both Library users and residents were consulted on designs for the library following the decision of Cabinet on 17^th March.

Cllr Carter enquired whether the planning application submitted regarding the additional entrance to the property was a related planning application.

In response to a question on whether the proposal to continue with the works in the event of planning permission for the door being refused was credible, the Cabinet Member noted that officers had previously advised that this was possible and that he trusted the judgement of officers in this respect.

Cllr Carter requested that the design brief given to the architects, Franklin, be made public. 

In response to a question about the length of the book shelves proposed for the refitted Marcus Garvey, the Cabinet Member acknowledged that the designs published on the website did not make the levels of shelving space absolutely clear. Officers responded that book shelves would be installed around the perimeter of the ground floor, alongside more modern stand alone display facilities and that the intension would be to provide a similar amount of shelf space as before. In terms of the first floor, officers commented that either 5 or 6 tiers of shelves would be installed as well as shelves installed around the perimeter of the study space. It was reiterated that the intension was to provide a similar amount of books but with renewed stock including expanded e-book provision.

In response to a question about when the Council would engage in an open and honest dialogue with residents about Marcus Garvey library, the Cabinet Member advised that the Council had been open and honest about its designs and its aspirations and that dialogue with residents would continue throughout the process, including when the library was reopened.  The Cabinet Member reiterated that in order to have a constructive dialogue about what was being delivered it was important that the dialogue was based on the actual proposals and not misapprehensions.

 The Cabinet Member noted that the date for the reopening of Marcus Garvey Library was the end of February.

RESOLVED

I). That the recommended contractor T&B (Contractors) Ltd be appointed to deliver refurbishment and adaptation works to Marcus Garvey Library for the sum of £2,092,662.55.

II). That a letter of intent be issued prior to the formal contract signature for 10% of the contract value to the value of £209,266.26.