Issue - meetings

Appendices A and B to the report are in the exempt section of the agenda at Item 13.

Further to Minute 21 (19 July 2016), the Cabinet Member for Finance, Growth and Investment presented a report on the development of full business cases in respect of Home Services, a Council wholly-owned company which would provide a repairs and maintenance service to the Council and local corporate / institutional landlords, and Traded Services, a Council wholly-owned company for the delivery of catering, cleaning and several other services to schools.

The Cabinet Member referred to some of the challenges and opportunities associated with Home Services and Traded Services and commented that, alongside the Be First and other innovative strands of the Ambition 2020 Programme, the Council was well placed to realise its vision as London’s growth opportunity.

The Leader concurred with the view that the workforce was the Council’s greatest asset and he was confident that the services would flourish under the new arrangements.

The Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Approve the Home Services Full Business Case at Appendix A to the report;

(ii)  Approve the Traded Services Full Business Case at Appendix B to the report;

(iii)  Agree the establishment of a new wholly-owned Council Company, in accordance with the proposals set out in the report, to manage both Home Services and Traded Services;

(iv)  Delegate authority to the Chief Operating Officer, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Finance, Investment and Growth and the Director of Law and Governance, to implement all steps leading to the establishment of the new company in line with the proposals;

(v)  Delegate authority to the Director of Law and Governance to execute all the legal agreements, contracts and any other documents on behalf of the Council to implement the setting up of the new company; and

(vi)  Delegate authority to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, to nominate the individuals to be appointed to the Shareholder Executive Board of the new company.