Agenda item

1.         The Cabinet:

·         Acceptance of the CLG’s proposal for a 4 year settlement

·         Council Tax Reduction Scheme

·         The Housing Strategy

2.         The Standards Committee

·         Changes to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders

3.         The Overview and Scrutiny Committee

·         Overview and Scrutiny Annual Report 2015-16

The Mayor invited the Leader of the Council to introduce three reports from Cabinet.

The first report recommended that the Council accept the Department for Communities and Local Government’s offer of a four-year funding settlement, as set out in the Cabinet paper tabled as background. This required an efficiency plan, and would allow the Council to access a minimum funding allocation for Revenue Support Grant to 2019-20.

The second report asked Full Council to approve the maintain the current Council Tax Reduction Scheme for 2017-18.

The third report recommended Full Council adopt a revised Housing Strategy to cover the period 2017-22.

The Mayor then asked the Chair of the Standards Committee to introduce her report on proposed changes to the Council’s Contract Standing Orders, as set out in at Part 4, Section J of the Constitution.

Finally, the Mayor invited the Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee to introduce the Committee’s Annual Report.

RESOLVED

In relation to the first report from Cabinet, Full Council approved acceptance to the offer of a 4-year funding allocation for 2016-17 to 2019-20 and the submission of the existing MTFS with additional narrative for 2018-19 and 2019-20 as the Efficiency Plan to the Department of Communities and Local Government before 14th October 2016.

In relation to the second report from the Cabinet, Full Council:

a)    Noted that an Equalities Impact Assessment (at appendix E of the Report to Cabinethad been undertaken in relation to the Council Tax Reduction Scheme and that the findings of this EIA must be taken into account when making a decision regarding the Scheme for 2017/18.

b)    Agreed to adopt the Council Tax Reduction Scheme 2017/18 as contained in Appendix C of the Report to Cabinet and therefore retains the same Scheme agreed for 2013/14 and continued since.

c)    Accordingly, the scheme as summarised in Appendix Aof the Report to Cabinet and set out in full at Appendix C ofthe Report to Cabinet continue to apply for 2017/18:

                      i.        That pensioners will continue to receive support for the payment of Council Tax.

                    ii.        That those in receipt of certain disability benefits continue to receive support for the payment of Council Tax.

                   iii.        For all working age claimants, the extent of Council Tax Support available will continue to be capped at 80.2% of Council Tax liability. In other words, working age claimants will continue to receive the same level of Council Tax Support as 2013/14, this amount representing a 19.8% reduction in the level of Council Tax Support available as compared with the amount of Council Tax Benefit received in 2012/2013.

In relation to the third report from Cabinet, Full Council agreed and adopted the revised and final version of Haringey’s Housing Strategy, attached as appendix 2 to the Cabinet report, having considered the feedback from and the response to the second stage consultation conducted on Haringey’s Housing Strategy, set out in appendix 1 of the attached Cabinet report and the revised and final version of the Equalities Impact Assessment, attached as appendix 3 to the Cabinet report.

In relation to the report from the Standards Committee, Full Council agreed the following amendments to Contract Standing Orders, Part Four of the Constitution, Section J Contract Procedure Rules:

1. Amendments to support the new Procurement Target Operating Model:

1.1. Increase the threshold of delegated powers for Directors to act in the most expedient and efficient manner from £5,000 to £10,000 (CSO 8.02);

1.2. Increase the values for the procurement process requesting at least 3 competitive quotes from between £5,000 and £100,000 to between £10,000 and £160,000 (CSO 8.03);

1.3. Increase the threshold of goods and services contracts requiring advertisement (tender) with an estimated value of £100,000 to a new threshold of £160,000 (CSO 9.01.1);

1.4. Increase the threshold of Works contracts requiring advertisement (tender) with an estimated value of £25,000 to a new threshold of £500,000 (CSO 9.01);

1.5. Introduce a threshold of £500,000 or more for contracts subject to the Light Touch Regime (social care related) requiring advertisement (tender) (CSO 9.01);

1.6. Increase the threshold for the commencement of works, goods or services under a Letter of Intent from £50,000 to £100,000 or 10% of the total contract value, whichever is the higher (CSO 9.07.3); and

1.7. Require approval from the Chief Operating Officer before entering into any joint procurement activity with other contracting authorities (CSO 7.04).

2. Amendments relating to the introduction of new Procurement related technology platforms:

2.1. Mandate the use of Corporate Procurement related systems to include corporate sourcing and contract management systems (defined in CSO 2.02 c);

2.2. Mandate contracts are stored in the Councils Contract Repository (CSO 3.02 h);

2.3. The threshold requiring all contracts valued at £5,000 or more to be entered onto the corporate contracts register, is increased to a new threshold of £10,000 or more and is now required to be recorded in the Corporate Contracts repository (CSO 3.02 m); and

2.4. Amendments to include provision for sealing, award and signing of contracts by electronic means as provided within the Corporate Procurement Systems (CSO 9.02.4 and 9.08.9).

3. Amendments relating to the use of a Dynamic Procurement System:

3.1. Incorporate amendments to facilitate the use of a Dynamic Purchasing System (CSO 9.04).

4. Amendments to support the introduction of new or updated regulations:

4.1. Incorporate amendments to support statutory changes to the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (as amended) (the “Regulations”) (multiple references throughout the document have been added); and

4.2. Incorporate amendments to support introduction of the Concession Contracts Regulations 2016 (the “Regulations”) (multiple references throughout the document have been added).

5. Amendments to address inconsistencies relating to thresholds and Key Decisions

5.1. Increase the threshold for waivers requiring Cabinet approval above £250,000 to a revised threshold of £500,000 or more (CSO 10.01.1 a); and

5.2. Increase the threshold for waivers requiring Director approval below £250,000 to below a revised threshold of below £500,000 (CSO 10.01.1 b).

6. Additional minor drafting amendments to the Contract Standing Orders as required to support the above changes.

7. Extension to the current Consortia drafting (CSO 7.04 d) to make provision for on-going shared services arrangements, whereby procurements may be undertaken by one of the other members of the Consortia on behalf of the Council.

In relation to the report from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Council noted their Annual Report