Issue - meetings

Further to Minute 48 (17 September 2019), the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement introduced a report on proposed revised terms with Habitat for Humanity (HfH) for the refurbishment of dilapidated, Council-owned flats above shops at 496 Gale Street, 16a Woodward Road and 4-5 Royal Parade, Church Street, Dagenham, to accommodate care leavers identified by the Council’s Children’s Care and Support service.

The Cabinet Member advised that the original proposals were based on the successful delivery of a similar project with HfH at 35b East Street, Barking.  However, delays caused by COVID and the general increase in construction costs referred to earlier in the meeting meant that the original terms were no longer viable.  The Cabinet Member confirmed that the revised terms maintained the original social and community outcomes while ensuring that the schemes continued to represent value for money for the Council.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Confirm the Council’s commitment to the original schemes at 496 Gale Street, 16a Woodward Road and 4-5 Royal Parade, Church Street, Dagenham, based on the identified outcomes and the benefits derived from the East Street pilot project;

(ii)  Agree, in accordance with the provisions of paragraph 6.6 (h) of the Council’s Contract Rules, to waive tendering requirements and directly award the contract to deliver and manage the works on the three properties to HfH;

(iii)  Approve the revised terms of the arrangement with HfH, as set out in the report;

(iv)  Approve an increase to the Capital Programme of £574,000, to be funded by General Fund borrowing, over 2021/22 to 2022/23, as detailed in paragraph 5.11 of the report; and

(v)  Delegate authority to the Strategic Director, My Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Leadership and Engagement and the Strategic Director, Law and Governance, to finalise all the terms and enter into the appropriate contracts and all other necessary agreements with HfH to enable the projects to be delivered.