Agenda, decisions and minutes

To confirm the minutes of the meeting held on  21 July 2020.

Minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2020 were agreed by Members present and signed by the Chair.

Minutes of the meeting held on 21 July 2020 were agreed by Members present and signed by the Chair.

To receive any apologies for absence.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor G Sutton. 

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor G Sutton. 

To receive any declarations of interest

A member with a disclosable pecuniary interest or a personal 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, if the interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest, or a personal interest which is also prejudicial

(ii)            may not participate in any discussion or vote on the matter (and must withdraw to the public seating area) unless they have been granted a dispensation.

A member who discloses at a meeting a disclosable pecuniary interest which is not registered in the Members’ Register of Interests, or is not the subject of a pending notification, must notify the Monitoring Officer of the interest within 28 days of the disclosure.

Disclosable pecuniary interests, personal and prejudicial interests are defined in Part 2 of the Code of Conduct for Members

[If a member is in any doubt as to whether they have an interest which should be declared they should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer before the start of the meeting]

There were no declarations of interest.

There were no declarations of interest.

An opportunity for members of the public to make statements and ask questions in accordance with the rules as to Public Participation.

There was no public participation

There was no public participation

There were no referrals to Cabinet

There were no referrals to Cabinet

There were no referrals to Cabinet

The forward plan was noted with the following change:

-       Add Equality and Diversity Strategy to December

The forward plan was noted with the following change:

-       Add Equality and Diversity Strategy to December

That Cabinet consider the budget monitoring position for each of the above accounts and:

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND;

1.    Recommend to Council approval of the revised capital programme to move £7.3m slippage identified at Quarter 1 into financial year 2021/22 as detailed in Appendix C.

2.    Recommend to Council approval of supplementary revenue budgets as follows:

·         Supplementary budget of £140k in The Forum premises budget to fund the costs of ensuring the building is safe for staff to return under Coronavirus.

·         Supplementary budget of £60k in the Premises Insurance budget to fund additional costs of Uninsured Losses, to be funded from the Uninsured Losses reserve.

·         Supplementary budget of £253k in the Building Control service to fund the final settlement of Work in Progress following the transfer of the service to Hertfordshire Building Control. This is to be funded from the Management of Change reserve.

·         Supplementary budget of £33k in the Garage service, funded from the Invest to Save reserve, to fund a specialist project manager to lead on improvements to the garage letting process.

3.    Recommend to Council approval of supplementary capital budgets as follows:

·         A capital budget of £90k in the Waste and Recycling Capital budgets for new Wheeled Bins.

·         Additional budget of £400k in the Fleet Replacement Budget, to fund additional vehicles.

·         Capital budgets of £24k and £19k to fund electrical upgrade works at Berkhamsted Civic Centre and Victoria Hall Tring respectively.

·         Capital budget of £15k for essential roofing improvements at The Denes.

Decision

That Cabinet consider the budget monitoring position for each of the above accounts and:

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND;

1.    Recommend to Council approval of the revised capital programme to move £7.3m slippage identified at Quarter 1 into financial year 2021/22 as detailed in Appendix C.

2.    Recommend to Council approval of supplementary revenue budgets as follows:

·         Supplementary budget of £140k in The Forum premises budget to fund the costs of ensuring the building is safe for staff to return under Coronavirus.

·         Supplementary budget of £60k in the Premises Insurance budget to fund additional costs of Uninsured Losses, to be funded from the Uninsured Losses reserve.

·         Supplementary budget of £253k in the Building Control service to fund the final settlement of Work in Progress following the transfer of the service to Hertfordshire Building Control. This is to be funded from the Management of Change reserve.

·         Supplementary budget of £33k in the Garage service, funded from the Invest to Save reserve, to fund a specialist project manager to lead on improvements to the garage letting process.

3.    Recommend to Council approval of supplementary capital budgets as follows:

·         A capital budget of £90k in the Waste and Recycling Capital budgets for new Wheeled Bins.

·         Additional budget of £400k in the Fleet Replacement Budget, to fund additional vehicles.

·         Capital budgets of £24k and £19k to fund electrical upgrade works at Berkhamsted Civic Centre and Victoria Hall Tring respectively.

·         Capital budget of £15k for essential roofing improvements at The Denes.

Corporate objectives

Ensuring efficient, effective and modern service delivery.

Deputy Section 151 Officer:

This is a Deputy S.151 Officer report.

Monitoring Officer:

No comments to add to the report.

Advice

Councillor Elliot introduced the report to members. He stated that since the report was written, significant data has been made available which has updated the forecast pressure and is superseded by the Covid-19 update report next on the agenda. The report has been taken to Finance and Resources OSC for information.

Recommendations agreed.

1.    That Cabinet note:

(a)  The projected financial impact of Covid-19 for 2020/21 as set out in section 1 of the report.

(b)  The service updates provided in section 2 of the report.

Decision

1.    That Cabinet note:

(a)  The projected financial impact of Covid-19 for 2020/21 as set out in section 1 of the report.

(b)  The service updates provided in section 2 of the report.

Corporate objectives

The financial impact and the Council’s response to Covid-19 will impact all of the Council’s Corporate Objectives.

Monitoring Officer comments

The Monitoring Officer continues to monitor the key issues raised by legislative changes and relevant government guidance and ensure that effective policies and procedures are in place to assist services to continue to deliver during the pandemic and subsequent recovery phase.

S151 Officer comments

The Financial Implications section of the report have been written by the S151 officer and will continue to be monitored as actual costs become clearer.   Members will be regularly updated on the financial implications of Covid-19 as they develop.

Advice

S Marshall ran through the main highlights of the report. In light of the announcement on restrictions announced by the Prime Minister today, the implications of this will be explored at the Incident Management Team this week. There was a clear message today about continuing to work from home but there is still a need to still provide local services. S Marshall paid tribute to teams who have worked hard throughout the crisis and adapted to new ways of working particularly the Environmental Health team who have assisted with the Track and Trace programme over the summer and the demand will increase on this service over the winter months.

Councillor Williams provided an update on the Old Town Hall. He said he attended the Housing & Community OSC meeting where the committee discussed the possibility of reopening the hall. The configuration of the hall and its financial viability make it a huge challenge to try and reopen safely with a meaningful programme and therefore, a decision has been taken to not reopen the Old Town Hall before the end of the calendar year. This decision will be review in January 2021. There will be an opportunity to redeploy the staff to other departments.

S Marshall added that there are various roles across the council that are critical to the covid-19 response that the staff can be redeployed in to. This will take into account the staff’s existing skills such as health and safety, admin work and communications.

Councillor Tindall referred to page 38, paragraph 2.25 about the LEP and was concerned that there was no mention of small businesses. He asked for further information on how the LEP was helping businesses.

S Marshall said they had a comprehensive programme and the LEP is working closely with businesses and the Economic Development Team at Dacorum. There are packages on the LEP website and they are engaging with businesses and have access to various forms of funding such as self-funding and crowd funding. The LEP is leading on the economic recovery cell on behalf of the Hertfordshire public sector and the key aspects are updated weekly with all the council Chief Executives.

Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item CA/77/20

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND;

1.    a £6m loan to the partner authorities of the West Herts Crematorium Joint Committee (WHCJC), and a supporting Deed of Contribution and Indemnity  and delegate authority to the Corporate Director , Finance and Operations in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources to finalise terms of the required legal documentation.

2.    That Cabinet delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Finance and Operations in consultation with the Assistant Director, Corporate and Contracted services to agree a land management or lease agreement with one or all of the partner authorities of WHCJC for the proposed crematorium site on Bedmond Road.

Decision

RESOLVED TO RECOMMEND;

1.    a £6m loan to the partner authorities of the West Herts Crematorium Joint Committee (WHCJC), and a supporting Deed of Contribution and Indemnity  and delegate authority to the Corporate Director , Finance and Operations in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Finance and Resources to finalise terms of the required legal documentation.

2.    That Cabinet delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Finance and Operations in consultation with the Assistant Director, Corporate and Contracted services to agree a land management or lease agreement with one or all of the partner authorities of WHCJC for the proposed crematorium site on Bedmond Road.

Corporate objectives

Ensuring Economic Growth and Prosperity

Monitoring Officer:  

The loan will be documented in a formal loan agreement made between Dacorum as the lender and the partner authorities of Watford, Hertsmere, St Albans and Three Rivers District Council as the borrowers. Dacorum’s liability for its proportionate share of the loan in the event of default is documented in the supporting Deed of Contribution and Indemnity.

Deputy S.151 Officer

The comments of the Deputy S151 are included in the body of this report.

Advice

Councillor Elliot introduced the report to members and this project was a joint venture with the West Herts Joint Crematorium Committee. If agreed, this report will agree a loan of £6m for the building of the crematorium over the next 20 years. The land is owned by Dacorum so we will receive income from the site plus we are charging interest on the loan at 2%. The recommendations delegate authority to the Assistant Director of Finance and Resources and the Portfolio Holder to finalise the legal documents after the outcome of the planning application.

N Howcutt said the first recommendation referred to the lease of the land and we have worked in partnership with the four other members of the West Herts Joint Crematorium Committee on this project.

Councillor Williams noted the financial aspects of the report and said this would be a good social facility for residents of Dacorum especially with severe capacity issues at Garston.

Recommendations agreed.

1.    That the main contract to construct 10 x social rented Houses at Land Adjacent to the corner of Coniston Road and Barnes Lane, Kings Langley be awarded to Bugler Developments Ltd. 

2.    That delegated authority be approved to the Council’s Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) to execute and complete all legal agreements ancillary to the JCT Design & Build Contract and/or reasonably required to complete the Project, including (but not limited to):

a.    all professional appointments;

b.    collateral warranties; and

c.     Agreements under

S.38, & S.278, of the Highways Act 1980;

S.247, Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

S.104 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and

S.50 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

Decision

1.    That the main contract to construct 10 x social rented Houses at Land Adjacent to the corner of Coniston Road and Barnes Lane, Kings Langley be awarded to Bugler Developments Ltd. 

2.    That delegated authority be approved to the Council’s Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) to execute and complete all legal agreements ancillary to the JCT Design & Build Contract and/or reasonably required to complete the Project, including (but not limited to):

a.    all professional appointments;

b.    collateral warranties; and

c.     Agreements under

S.38, & S.278, of the Highways Act 1980;

S.247, Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

S.104 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and

S.50 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

Corporate objectives

Delivering Affordable Housing

Monitoring Officer:  

The proposed contract award follows a competitive and compliant tender process which demonstrates that the Council is receiving value for money for the contract.

Deputy S.151 Officer

The Coniston Road development is part of the approved HRA capital programme and the costs of this contract are in line with the approved budget for this project.

Advice

Councillor Williams said any questions relating to the financial information would need to be asked within part 2. He said the recommendations of this report assumed that the financial information had been noted by the Cabinet.

D Barrett said this report was to seek approval to appoint a contractor for the site at Coniston Road which would consist of 10 new homes. The tender process had 18 bids and once scores had been moderated, three were taken forward for interview. Bugler Developments Ltd were the successful contractor who provided a strong, quality bid who could deliver the project in budget.

Councillor Anderson said he felt this was a wonderful project and would be the first council houses in Kings Langley for 40 years. He asked about the provision of solar panels and whether these could extend across all units.

D Barrett said that was the intention. They are currently checking the performance of solar panels in different locations. The scheme also has electric vehicle charging points at each property so they are future proof. We are taking a fabric first approach to ensure external walls are insulated to reduce heating bills.

Recommendations agreed.

1.    That the main contract to construct 36 x social rented units at Eastwick Row, Hemel Hempstead be awarded to Jarvis Contracting Limited.

2.    That delegated authority be approved to the Council’s Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) to execute and complete all legal agreements ancillary to the JCT Design & Build Contract and/or reasonably required to complete the Project, including (but not limited to):

a.    all professional appointments;

b.    collateral warranties; and

c.     Agreements under

S.38, & S.278, of the Highways Act 1980;

S.247, Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

S.104 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and

S.50 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

Decision

1. That the main contract to construct 36 x social rented units at Eastwick Row, Hemel Hempstead be awarded to Jarvis Contracting Limited.

2. That delegated authority be approved to the Council’s Assistant Director (Corporate and Contracted Services) to execute and complete all legal agreements ancillary to the JCT Design & Build Contract and/or reasonably required to complete the Project, including (but not limited to):

a.    all professional appointments;

b.    collateral warranties; and

c.     Agreements under

S.38, & S.278, of the Highways Act 1980;

S.247, Part III of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990;

S.104 of the Water Industry Act 1991, and

S.50 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991.

Corporate objectives

Delivering affordable housing

Monitoring Officer:  

The proposed contract award follows a competitive and compliant tender process which demonstrates that the Council is receiving value for money for the contract.

Deputy S.151 Officer

The Eastwick Row development is part of the approved HRA capital programme and the costs of this contract can be met from within approved New Build Housing budget.

Advice

Councillor Griffiths introduced the report to members.

D Barrett added that this scheme was to provide 36 units; 34 1 and 2 bed flats and two 3 bed houses. This was a two stage tender process and 11 companies came forward with 4 submitting legitimate tenders. The proposed contractor, Jarvis, submitted a strong bid. This scheme is different to other projects as the location sits right under existing tenants and there has been a strong emphasis on site logistics and engagement with the local community.

Councillor Tindall declared that he was the ward councillor for this scheme. He said the residents of Eastwick Row are pleased to see the new build scheme but are concerned about the one access road in and out. He said he would be grateful if the council and the project officer could take particular care with construction traffic.

D Barrett said the team were aware of it and was a strong feature of submissions from contractors. The team are planning a communication strategy with residents and will work with the ward councillors.

Councillor Griffiths said great care and attention would be needed when the team start issuing communications to residents. The communication plan would be delivered in partnership with Jarvis.

Councillor Williams said there was huge scrutiny currently on fire safely in tower blocks and asked for reassurance that the new tower block would be built with non-combustible cladding and would include a sprinkler system.

D Barrett said the materials are non-combustible and there are sprinklers in the building alongside a fire management plan.

Recommendations agreed.