Agenda and minutes

(if any) - receive.

Apologies were received from Councillor Judith Holt, Councillor John Crowder substituting.

Members are invited to disclose any interest in any of the items on the agenda at this point of the meeting.

Members may still disclose any interest in an item at any time prior to the consideration of the matter.

There were no disclosures of interest.

The report included in agenda item 5 contains exempt documents, namely Appendices 1 to 4 inclusive as well as the second part of the response to the requisition grounds.  Cabinet will consider whether the public and press should  be excluded from the meeting on the grounds that it is likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public were present during that item there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972; and, if it is decided to exclude the public and press on those grounds, Discussion of public papers can be transacted in public. The Board to resolve accordingly on the motion of the Chairman in relation to any discussion on exempt matters.

The report included in agenda item 5 contained exempt documents, namely appendices 1 to 4 inclusive and the second part of the response to the requisition grounds. The Board resolved that press and public be excluded from the discussion of these items at the meeting on the grounds that it was likely that, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, if members of the public were present during that item, there would be disclosure to them of exempt information within the meaning of paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

Report attached including requisition grounds and response from officers.

A requisition had been received of the recent Cabinet decision on Public Realm Transformation – New Operating Model. This had been signed by the required six Members representing at least two different groups (Councillors Ford, Hawthorn Morgon, Mugglestone, Wilkins and Wiliamson).

Councillor Dervish advised the Board that it was important to ensure that the procurement process for public realm transformation was attractive to the market. The supplier market had recovered following the pandemic and it was therefore the right time to restart the procurement. It was thought best to combine waste collection with street cleansing in the contract and hence seek a joined up approach from the contractor.

The establishment of a Local Authority Company was not considered viable. New governance arrangements would be required and the requisite skill set was not available internally. There would also not be the opportunity to learn from the contractor and the financial risk would remain with the Council. The proposed two-stage competitive dialogue procurement would offer greater flexibility.

The Council would monitor performance but would also expect the contractor to monitor its own performance. Contract officers would monitor performance on the ground and Key Performance Indicators for the contract would also be monitored. Data was also collected on the numbers of streets swept etc. The Director of Neighbourhoods added that performance was a fundamental part of the contract and would be discussed with contract bidders. It was accepted that performance under the existing contract was not where it should be and the national shortage of HGV drivers had compounded this as had the greater amounts of waste created at home during the pandemic. This did not however have any bearing on the procurement of the new contract. Issues around rectification of missed collections would be negotiated as part of the competitive dialogue process with bidders.

It was confirmed that street cleansing and waste collection would be combined within the new contract. Grass cutting services would not be included. Work was in progress with consultants to design the contract specification. This would use best practice and national standards. Targets would be included around areas such as missed collections.

Offices reiterated that a Local Authority company approach would mean no flexibility in resources. Nearby Councils who used this approach had been forced to suspend some services during the pandemic.

It was clarified that there was no London Councils Contract Framework for domestic waste. This could be discussed further with Members outside the meeting. The contract being procured would be a complex document, bespoke to Havering. The contract would include social value issues such as sustainability and community benefits. Government guidance on social value would be followed.

The new contract would aim to ensure that waste collections were completed on time and in a tidy manner as well as ensuring streets were kept to the required state. Technology would be used to ensure efficient responses to issues such as flytipping and graffiti. The forthcoming Environment Bill would require more recycling of food waste etc and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.