Arrangements for Future Delivery of Barking Market and Street Trading Management
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Crime and Enforcement presented a report on proposals relating to the future delivery of Barking Market and street trading management arrangements.
It was noted that the current partnership agreement with Charfleets Limited for the running of the Barking Town Centre Market and Street Trading Management Services would expire on 24 April 2015. The Cabinet Member referred to the options appraisal which had been carried out by officers and advised that the preferred option was to bring the management arrangements in-house for an interim period of two years. That proposal would also involve a formal review being carried out after 18 months to assess the benefits of the in-house arrangements which would, in turn, inform a decision on whether to retain the in-house arrangement or to procure an initial three-year contract with a service provider.
The Cabinet Member confirmed that the proposals in the report supported the objectives of the Barking Town Centre Strategy 2014-18 agreed by Minute 21 (25 September 2014) and the Council’s new vision and priorities.
Cabinet resolved to:
(i) Agree that the management of Barking Market and Street Trading Services return to an in-house service on an interim basis at the cessation of the current contract, with a full review to be conducted after 18 months following which the service shall either continue in-house or be procured in line with the Council’s Contract Rules and EU legislation;
(ii) Agree, in the event that procurement is recommended following the review process, that a procurement exercise be undertaken in line with the strategy detailed in the report, for a contract term of three years with the option to extend for a further year; and
(iii) Delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult and Community Services, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer and the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, to award the new contract following a procurement exercise and to approve any subsequent extension of the contract.