Decision details

The Cabinet will be asked to approve proposals relating to the Council’s membership of a Pan-London Vehicle (PLV) for Commissioning, led by London Councils, which will bring local authorities together in a new jointly owned legal vehicle to plan and commission provision for London children. The PLV will initially focus on Secure Welfare provision, as there is currently no provision in London, and will have the scope to work more broadly across children’s commissioning, firstly with a focus on high-cost low incidence provision and subsequently wider residential provision. All projects would be agreed through the jointly owned vehicle by the participating local authorities.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Agree in principle that the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham becomes a member of a not-for-profit company, limited by guarantee, provisionally to be known as the Pan London Vehicle, to:

(a)  develop and then oversee the running of London’s secure children’s home provision for a five-year period from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2028, with a break-point after three years once the refreshed business case has been developed as well as the service pricing structure, commissioning approach, operating model, practice model and the SCH’s location is confirmed. Once the provision has launched, membership shall be at a fixed annual cost of £20,000 (subject to inflation adjustment) unless an alternative model for funding the PLV, not requiring annual subscription, is agreed by members during the development phase, and

(b)  collaborate with other PLV members on future joint commissioning programmes.

(ii)  Commit in principle to joint oversight and risk/benefit sharing of the secure children’s home provision, through the PLV, for a five-year period to 31 March 2028 (with a three-year break clause), that includes the build, service development and service commissioning phases, subject to ratification from Legal and Corporate Procurement after the revision of the SCH business case, and renewable on a 10-year cycle thereafter (with a break clause at the end of the fifth year); and

(iii)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, Children and Adults, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children’s Social Care and Disabilities and the Chief Legal Officer, to make the final determination on the Council’s membership of the PLV, following completion of the revised SCH business case and, if appropriate, enter into all the legal agreements, contracts and other documents on behalf of the Council required to implement and run any aspect of the PLV arrangements, including exercising any break clause on behalf of the Council.