Apologies for absence were received on behalf of:

·       Councillor Danny Hassell (Cabinet Member for Housing)

·       Kevin Bartle (Interim Corporate Director, Resources) for whom Hitesh Jolapara (Interim Director of Finance, Procurement and Audit) was deputising.

Members are reminded to consider the categories of interest, identified in the Code of Conduct for Members to determine; whether they have an interest in any agenda item and any action they should take. For further details, see the attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

Members are also reminded to declare the nature of the interest at the earliest opportunity and the agenda item it relates to. Please note that ultimately it is the Members’ responsibility to identify any interests and also update their register of interests form as required by the Code.

If in doubt as to the nature of an interest, you are advised to seek advice prior to the meeting by contacting the Monitoring Officer or Democratic Services.

There were no Declarations of Disclosable Pecuniary Interests.

The unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on 28 July 2021 are presented for approval.

RESOLVED

1.    That the unrestricted minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on Wednesday 28 July 2021 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record of proceedings.

The Mayor made a number of announcements including:

·       Noting the changes made to Cabinet Membership and portfolios and welcoming Councillor Kahar Chowdhury to the Cabinet.

·       There would shortly be an announcement on future plans for the Liveable Streets programme.

·       The Council was looking to house a number of Afghan refugees.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to unrestricted business to be considered.

Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions, and officer responses, were tabled in respect of Agenda Items:

·       6.2 – Integrated Housing and Support Mental Health Schemes

·       6.5 – 3-11 Vallance Road – Disposal

·       6.6 – 122 Back Church Lane – Disposal (further details on this response would be provided in due course)

These were considered during deliberation of the relevant Agenda Items.

In addition, Councillor Mohammed Pappu, Chair of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) highlighted the agenda for the upcoming OSC meeting including on strategic performance, budget monitoring report and digital inclusion. Scrutiny was also soon to hold a review into swimming provision in the borough.

(Under provisions of Section 30, Rule 59 of the Constitution).

Nil items.

DECISION

1.    To agree the variation of the: Reset Outreach and Referral Service delivered by Providence row (contract HAC5384 A) in line with the report.

2.    To agree the variation of the: Reset Recovery Support Service delivered by Change, Grow, Live (CGL) (contract HAC5384 C) in line with the report.  

3.    To note that the Corporate Director will agree the variation of the Reset Treatment Service delivered by CGL (contract HAC5384 B) in line with the report in accordance with the delegation under the constitution. This has been agreed at the Directorate Leadership Team on 26^th July 2021.

4.    To note the contents of this report as an update on recent grants made to LB Tower Hamlets substance misuse service.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, HEALTH, ADULTS AND COMMUNITY (D. RADLEY)

(Head of Service, Substance Misuse (K. Daley)

Councillor Rachel Blake, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Health, Adults and Wellbeing introduced the report. She highlighted that this report had been brought to Cabinet due to the Council successfully winning a government grant to support this work. The proposals included variations to contracts on treatment services, outreach and recovery services.

During discussion, officers were congratulated for their success in winning the grant award. There were also detailed discussions on the posts and related structures/costs. It was explained that a lot of the figures were set by national negotiations.

The Mayor (and Members present) welcomed the report as a good news story. The Mayor moved the recommendations as set out. These were approved unanimously by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To agree the variation of the: Reset Outreach and Referral Service delivered by Providence row (contract HAC5384 A) in line with the report.

2.    To agree the variation of the: Reset Recovery Support Service delivered by Change, Grow, Live (CGL) (contract HAC5384 C) in line with the report.  

3.    To note that the Corporate Director will agree the variation of the Reset Treatment Service delivered by CGL (contract HAC5384 B) in line with the report in accordance with the delegation under the constitution. This has been agreed at the Directorate Leadership Team on 26^th July 2021.

4.    To note the contents of this report as an update on recent grants made to LB Tower Hamlets substance misuse service.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To agree to the direct award of a single contract with Look Ahead Care and Support, for a period of 7 years (3+2+2); with a maximum value of £1,080,891 annually and £7,566,237 for the life of the contract.

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director Health Adults and Communities in consultation with legal services to enter into such appropriate agreements as are required to give effect to the recommendation detailed in paragraph 2.1 of the report.

3.    The contract to bring together the provision of integrated housing and support for the schemes delivered at Commercial Road; Coventry Road and Tabard Court.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, HEALTH, ADULTS AND COMMUNITY (D. RADLEY)

(Interim Senior Mental Health Commissioner (I. Fernandez-Grandon)

Councillor Rachel Blake, Deputy Mayor and Cabinet Member for Health, Adults and Wellbeing, introduced the report. The reason for bringing the report forward was because this was a direct award and the reason for that was because the services were linked to the accommodation provided for the users. The best value of the proposals had been tested carefully and this was a good proposal.

The Mayor noted the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses. The Mayor welcomed the report and proposed the recommendations as set out. These were approved unanimously by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To agree to the direct award of a single contract with Look Ahead Care and Support, for a period of 7 years (3+2+2); with a maximum value of £1,080,891 annually and £7,566,237 for the life of the contract.

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director Health Adults and Communities in consultation with legal services to enter into such appropriate agreements as are required to give effect to the recommendation detailed in paragraph 2.1 of the report.

3.    The contract to bring together the provision of integrated housing and support for the schemes delivered at Commercial Road; Coventry Road and Tabard Court.

DECISION

1.    To note the report of the Environment scrutiny challenge on “examining the Council’s Air Quality Commitments and impacts on residents’ health outcomes” and agree the service action plan in response to the report recommendations.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Director of Public Realm (D. Jones)

(Head of EHTS (D. Tolley)

Councillor Asma Islam, Cabinet Member for Environment and Planning, introduced the report on the Service Action Plan in response to a Scrutiny review of Air Quality in Tower Hamlets. There were nine recommendations from scrutiny and responses were set out in all cases including a number that had already been completed. She thanked Scrutiny for their work on this important issue.

During discussion the action taken in relation to pollution from canal boats was welcomed. The meeting also heard concerns around the Liveable Streets programme and its impact on traffic in some areas. The Mayor reported that managing pollution from cars was important and that the schemes had improved the lives of residents. There would be further announcements in relation to the liveable streets programme shortly including reacting to feedback from residents. Finally, it was noted that the intention of the actions in relation to cars idling was around educating drivers.

The Mayor proposed the recommendation as set out in the report. This was unanimously agreed by the Cabinet Members present, and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To note the report of the Environment scrutiny challenge on “examining the Council’s Air Quality Commitments and impacts on residents’ health outcomes” and agree the service action plan in response to the report recommendations.

DECISION

1.    To agree that contract set out in this report may proceed to procurement in October 2021.

2.    To confirm that contract set out in this report can proceed to contract award by the Corporate Director, Place, after Tender.

3.    To authorise the Director of Legal to execute all necessary contract documents in respect of the award of contract referred to in recommendation 2 above.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Head of Highways & Transportation (M. Mazhar)

Councillor Kahar Chowdhury, Cabinet Member for Public Realm and Highways introduced the report on tendering for the new highways and street lighting contract. This includes maintenance and improvement works.

The Mayor proposed the recommendations as set out and they were agreed unanimously by the Cabinet Members present. It was:

RESOLVED

1.    To agree that contract set out in this report may proceed to procurement in October 2021.

2.    To confirm that contract set out in this report can proceed to contract award by the Corporate Director, Place, after Tender.

3.    To authorise the Director of Legal to execute all necessary contract documents in respect of the award of contract referred to in recommendation 2 above.

The exempt appendices were noted.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

DECISION

1.    To declare that 3-11 Valance Road is surplus  to requirements.

2.    To note the bids received to date (Exempt Appendix A to the report) and authorise the Corporate Director Place to accept the most advantageous offer for the disposal (freehold or long leasehold)  for the site.

3.    To authorise the Director of Legal to enter into any legal agreements considered necessary  to give  effect to the recommendations listed.

4.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Interim Head of Asset Management (S. Shapiro)

(Interim Asset Manager (T. Parsonage)

Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion, introduced the report proposing the disposal of property on Vallance Road. The property had been empty for many years and so it was good that a solution had now been found. It was confirmed that the retention of the buildings for a potential road scheme was no longer required.

It was noted that the overall benefit to the community had been carefully considered and was best met through the sale of the site. The Mayor noted the exempt appendices setting out financial information and the Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses. He moved the recommendations as set out. These were unanimously approved by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To declare that 3-11 Valance Road is surplus  to requirements.

2.    To note the bids received to date (Exempt Appendix A to the report) and authorise the Corporate Director Place to accept the most advantageous offer for the disposal (freehold or long leasehold)  for the site.

3.    To authorise the Director of Legal to enter into any legal agreements considered necessary  to give  effect to the recommendations listed.

4.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment.

The Pre-Decision Questions were noted.

DECISION

1.    To agree authority to market and dispose of the vacant 122 Back Church Lane site on a freehold basis

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director, Place to determine the best route to market.

3.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, PLACE (A. SUTCLIFFE)

(Interim Head of Asset Management (S. Shapiro)

(Interim Asset Manager (T. Parsonage)

Councillor Mufeedah Bustin, Cabinet Member for Social Inclusion introduced the report proposing the disposal of 122 Back Church Lane. She explained that this former school building had been vacant for ten years and feasibility studies had determined that disposing of the property would achieve best value.

The Mayor noted the Pre-Decision Questions and proposed the recommendations as set out. These were agreed unanimously by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To agree authority to market and dispose of the vacant 122 Back Church Lane site on a freehold basis

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director, Place to determine the best route to market.

3.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment.

The exempt appendix was noted.

DECISION

1.    To approve the competitive procurement of IT hardware, software and services to enable the move to the Town Hall in 2022.

2.    To authorise the Interim Corporate Director Resources to enter into such agreements as are necessary to give effect to the matters referred to in this report subject to the Council’s Procurement Procedures. 

Action by:

INTERIM CORPORATE DIRECTOR, RESOURCES (K. BARTLE)

(Director of IT (A. Gorst)

Councillor Candida Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector, introduced the report on proposed new IT infrastructure for use at the new Town Hall.

The Mayor welcomed the report and noted the exempt appendix setting out financial information. He noted that these were costs the Council was likely to encounter regardless of whether it moved to the new Town Hall or stayed in the existing location. Finally, he moved the recommendations as set out in the report. These were unanimously approved by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the competitive procurement of IT hardware, software and services to enable the move to the Town Hall in 2022.

2.    To authorise the Interim Corporate Director Resources to enter into such agreements as are necessary to give effect to the matters referred to in this report subject to the Council’s Procurement Procedures. 

The exempt appendix was noted.

DECISION

1.    To approve the proposed procurement of:

a)    Northgate housing, rents and benefits application support and hosting, starting from 01 April 2022 for 3 years, through a direct award or via a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework, aligning this with the wider housing and revenues project that has recently been approved and is commencing now to gather requirements and will take a considerable time get to the tender stage, award, implementation, and transition. 

b)    Bell Mitel/Wavenet telephony solution starting from 01 May 2022 for 3 years, through a direct award or via the Network Services 2 Framework.

c)    The renewal of 18 further recurring IT contracts each with a total contract spend below £189K for direct renewal routes or via a procurement framework as applicable.

2.    To authorise the Divisional Director of IT Service to award the 20 new contracts referred to above. The total annual value of these contracts is £1.682M and their lifecycle value over next 3-5 years with extensions is £5.307M.

Action by:

INTERIM CORPORATE DIRECTOR, RESOURCES (K. BARTLE)

(Director of IT (A. Gorst)

Councillor Candida Ronald, Cabinet Member for Resources and the Voluntary Sector, introduced the report. She explained that the report was to allow for the continued procurement of a number of software systems as set out in the recommendations and detailed in the report. The total costs were as set out in the last recommendation.

The Mayor welcomed the report, he noted the exempt appendix setting out more details of the financial implications. He proposed the recommendations as set out in the report. These were unanimously agreed by the Cabinet Members present and it was:

RESOLVED

1.    To approve the proposed procurement of:

a)    Northgate housing, rents and benefits application support and hosting, starting from 01 April 2022 for 3 years, through a direct award or via a Crown Commercial Service (CCS) framework, aligning this with the wider housing and revenues project that has recently been approved and is commencing now to gather requirements and will take a considerable time get to the tender stage, award, implementation, and transition. 

b)    Bell Mitel/Wavenet telephony solution starting from 01 May 2022 for 3 years, through a direct award or via the Network Services 2 Framework.

c)    The renewal of 18 further recurring IT contracts each with a total contract spend below £189K for direct renewal routes or via a procurement framework as applicable.

2.    To authorise the Divisional Director of IT Service to award the 20 new contracts referred to above. The total annual value of these contracts is £1.682M and their lifecycle value over next 3-5 years with extensions is £5.307M.

Nil items.

Should the Mayor in Cabinet consider it necessary, it is recommended that the following motion be adopted to allow consideration of any exempt/restricted documents.

“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act, 1972 as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act, 1985, the Press and Public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contains information defined as Exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government, Act 1972”.

EXEMPT/CONFIDENTIAL SECTION (PINK)

Nil items.

The exempt / confidential minutes of the Cabinet meeting held on xxxxxx are presented for approval.

Nil items.

Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee (OSC) to report on any issues  raised by the OSC in relation to exempt/confidential business to be considered.

Nil items.

(Under provisions of Section 30, Rule 59 of the Constitution).

Nil items.

Nil items.