The Cabinet of Redbridge Council met on Tuesday 17 March 2020, approving the Annual Procurement Plan for 2020/21 and the Building Maintenance Capital Programme for the same year. The meeting also saw the adoption of the Statement of Community Involvement and responses to recommendations from two scrutiny task and finish groups.

Annual Procurement Plan 2020/21

The Cabinet approved the Annual Procurement Plan for 2020/21, which outlines forthcoming planned procurements for contracts exceeding £0.189m for supplies and services, and £1.000m for works. This plan provides an opportunity for the Cabinet to give approval to these procurements. It was noted that the detailed Procurement Business Case for each proposed procurement will be subject to approval by the Contracts Management Board to ensure it meets the Council's objectives regarding value for money, sustainability, and legal compliance. Furthermore, once approved, these procurements will not require further Cabinet approval before commencement. Any procurement not included in the plan, or not approved, will require a Procurement Business Case to be considered by the Contracts Management Board and subsequently approved by the Appropriate Decision Maker.

Building Maintenance Capital Programme 2020/21

The Cabinet approved the allocation of £6.150m for the Building Maintenance Capital Programme for 2020/21. This funding will be drawn from the Education Capital Maintenance Programme (£5.000m), the Corporate Capital Programme (£1.000m), and the Access Initiative Programme (£0.150m). The approved expenditure will be applied to outline schemes detailed in Appendix A of the report, with the understanding that the costs provided are approximate. Authority has been delegated to the Operational Director Regeneration, Property & Planning, in consultation with the Leader and Cabinet Member for Growth and Leisure, to undertake all necessary procurement activities, including awarding contracts, for these schemes. The Operational Director has also been delegated authority to substitute schemes into the programme to manage cost variations and maximise impact, provided the overall budget allocations are maintained. A reserve list of schemes in Appendix B was also approved, with the Operational Director empowered to substitute or add schemes from this list if additional funding becomes available. A report detailing the estimated and actual spend for the scheduled schemes will be presented at the end of the financial year.

Statement of Community Involvement

The Cabinet adopted the Council's Statement of Community Involvement (SCI), a statutory document outlining how the public will be involved in the planning system. The review of the SCI took into account changes in Council resources, legislative updates to the planning system, the availability of social media and new engagement tools, and the introduction of Neighbourhood Planning. Authority was delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Planning and Planning Enforcement, to make any minor editing and formatting changes required before publication.

Private Rented Housing Sector Scrutiny Task and Finish Group - Response to Recommendations

The Cabinet agreed to the officer response to the recommendations made by the Private Rented Housing Sector Scrutiny Task and Finish Group. The Group's final report, received by Cabinet on 11 June 2019, included recommendations such as establishing a Private Sector Housing Panel, providing residents with information on the private rented sector, considering a Task and Finish Group to examine the role of letting agencies, and providing councillors with regular updates and information on the sector. The progress in the action plan, attached as Appendix 1 to the officer report, was noted.

Social Inclusion of Older People Task and Finish Group - Response to Recommendations

The Cabinet agreed to the action plan responding to the recommendations made by the Social Inclusion of Older People Task and Finish Group. This Group was established to examine the social inclusion of older people in the Borough and made thirteen detailed recommendations, which were subsequently approved by the People Scrutiny Committee. All recommendations have been accepted, and the action plan, detailed in Appendix 1 of the officer report, outlines the proposed implementation.

Covid-19 Statement

The Leader made a statement regarding the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Forward Plan

The Cabinet agreed to the items listed in the Forward Plan for 1 April 2020 to 31 July 2020.