To seek approval for the authority to become a Home’s England Investment Partner.

To present to the committee the external audit findings report following the conclusion of the 2019/20 external audit work

For the committee to approve the councils 2019/20 statement of accounts following conclusion of the external audit work.

The Essex Arms site was acquired as part of the link road compulsory purchase order and associated side roads order (14 March 2013) and the construction of Station Approach city link road (CLR) along the northern boundary of the site. The land underneath the footprint of the road was needed for the scheme – it is the remainder of the land that was subject to this investigation.

Cabinet have been in discussion with environmental groups who are keen to maintain the site as green space and are considering this as an option for the site.

The investigations carried out so far have demonstrated that the cost and timescales for raising the ground are unlikely to support economic development of the site. These investigations now estimate that the overall cost of raising the ground is unlikely to be recouped from its value as a development site.

The site was identified as possible green space during Cabinet’s master planning exercise for Hereford which included a review of the Station Approach sites. There was broad agreement amongst Cabinet to explore green space as an option for the site.

That Herefordshire Council joins the sub-regional contract, led by Staffordshire County Council, to be awarded to Fostering Network to deliver an Independent Fostering Advice and Mediation service at a total cost of £129,993 (inclusive of VAT) from 1st October 2020 to 30th September 2023.

Herefordshire Councils contribution to the contract is £ 18,627.99 over the same period.

Approval of the playing field drainage works at Colwall CE Primary School, to be undertaken via Balfour Beatty Living Places, at an initial cost of £15,247 plus associated contingency, statutory and professional fees. A total cost up to the value of £20,000.

Fund the £20k from the existing healthy schools capital budget.

To approve Herefordshire Council’s continued participation in the west midlands supported accommodation framework (16/17 year olds) during the extension period from 8 January 2021 up to 11 July 2021.

• We have plans to ‘grow our own’ social workers in both Adults and Children’s directorates to address issue related to recruitment and retention.
• The contract value, £200k, required an open tender process to procure a suitably qualified provide of an approved scheme leading to a degree level qualification in social work

To agree the annual governance statement 2019/20.
The council is required to publish a statement annually which explains to the community, service users, tax payers and other stakeholders our governance arrangements and how the controls we have in place manage risks of failure in delivering our outcomes and reflecting our particular features and challenges. In July 2020, Audit and Governance Committee approved the draft statement for publication with the draft statement of accounts.
The draft statement has been reviewed having regard to the external auditor’s findings and the internal auditor’s annual report and opinion, and includes a summary of progress made against actions agreed in response to the previous year’s statement.

To provide the committee with an update of the councils Corporate Risk Register

• Award Balfour Beatty the contract to complete the damp works at Stoke Prior Primary School up to the value of £2,595 to include contingency of up to £240. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

• To authorise the expenditure of up to £800 from the professional fees allocation as set out in the Cabinet Decision. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

1. Award Balfour Beatty the contract to complete the replacement windows works at St David’s Centre up to the value of £57,749 to include a contingency value of up to £7,880 from the contingency allocation. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.


2. To authorise the expenditure of up to the value of £4,990 from the professional fees allocation as set out in the Cabinet Decision. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

Award Balfour Beatty the contract to complete the damp works to Wellington Primary School up to the value of £4,630 to include a contingency value of £450 from the contingency allocation.

Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

To authorise the expenditure of up to the value of £840 from the professional fees allocation as set out in the Cabinet Decision.

Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

• Award Balfour Beatty the contract to complete the roofing works at Walford Primary School up to the value of £25,450 to include a contingency of up to £3,570. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

• To authorise the expenditure of up to £2,200 from the professional fees allocation as set out in the Cabinet Decision. Responsibility for managing and monitoring the project to be carried out by the Capital Project Manager, within the spend budget.

Approval of the accessibility improvement works at Westfield School, which will be commissioned by the school, following the contract procedure rules and undertaken by GKG Solutions Ltd and Wye Valley Home Improvements, at a total cost up to the value of £38,000 including associated contingency, professional and statutory fees

The works will be funded from the existing individual pupil needs budget

To exercise the option to renew the contract with Action for Children to deliver Herefordshire intensive placement support service (HIPSS) for up to 2 years from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2023 at a maximum cost of £815k.

This would result in a total contract value of £2.01m from April 2018 up to March 2023.

I. Award a contract to McBains Ltd for the provision of a Multi Discipline Design Service for the duration of the Brookfield School Improvement project at a total cost of up to £288,780.70

II. Award a contract to Pick Everards for the provision of a Cost Consultant Service for the duration of the Brookfield School Improvement project at a total cost of £34,301.10

III. The senior project manager will monitor and authorise the spend and manage the internal recharges of Council costs and other professional fees up to a total cost of £116,918.20

The contracts award, internal recharge and professional fees are within the budget of £440,000

Approve grant of licence to occupy in respect of Unit 2 Brunel Workshops Ross on Wye

On 17 September 2020 the Director for Economy and Place under the delegation from the Council of 6 August 2020 confirmed the addition of £7.64m pothole and challenge fund works to he delivered through the public realm annual plan 2020/2021 as follows:

Carriageway Works £ 2,604,000
Structures and Stability £ 3,160, 000
Footways & Cycleway £ 400,000
Countywide Drainage Improvements £ 760,000
Signal, Roadmaking,
Signs & Safety Barriers £ 750,000
Total £ 7,674,000

The carriageway works element was allocated as follows:

A44 Lyonhalls £80,000.00
A480 Station Road Credenhill £104,000.00
Vaisala survey identified works £830,000.00
A4103 Newtown Crossroads £37,500.00
Stanner Phase 1 £68,000.00
Credenhill
(40mph Sign to C1095 run off) £122,500.00
Ullingswick turn to Marsh Farm £162,000.00
Legions Cross towards Pembridge £90,000.00
Burnthouse Green to Pigeon House £140,000.00
Improvments to the
B4348 Carriageway £300,000.00
Resurfacing on
C & U roads Carriageway £670,000.00
(Various sites)

That record of officer decision can be seen on the councils website by following the link below:

http://councillors.herefordshire.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=7176

This record of officer decision alters the allocation of the spend on carriageway works set out above and associated adjustment of the annual plan to enable the surface dressing works identified as Vaisala survey identified works (£830,000) which cannot be delivered in financial year 2020/2021 due to weather constraints to be replaced with the following surfacing schemes:

A44 Docklow to Newhampton Farm 297,500.00
B4347 B4348 Junction to Chanstone Mill 97,500.00
B4347 Pontipina SD Joint to Blackbush 253,000.00
A438 C1097 to Surface Joint (Byford) 90,125.00
A438 Tin Hill to Red Ley 79,900.00
Total £818,025.00

The overall spend on carriageway works is unchanged and the viasalasurvey identified works (£830,000) will be considered for inclusion in next years annual plan which will be subject to a further governance report in due course.

All works under the Pothole and Challenge fund 20/21 capital project will be delivered within the grant allocation of £7.674m

The University of Kent have submitted the most financially advantageous tender and have complied with all other elements of the tender procedure.
The University of Kent scored the highest during the moderated panel tender evaluation process.
The council has a skills gap and challenge in recruiting qualified social workers, this is a challenge mirrored nationally. The council therefore has a plan to ‘Grow Our Own’ social workers in both Adults’ and Children’s directorates to address this issue. The increase in the number of social workers will lead to improved service provision for service users
As a large employer the council makes mandatory contributions to the government apprenticeship levy pot. The University of Kent will draw down the funding directly from the government Apprenticeship levy fund.
The University of Kent is registered on the Register of Approved Training Providers to deliver an approved apprenticeship leading to a degree-level qualification in social work.
The council has conducted a compliant procurement process and an outcome has been identified based on the results of the evaluation carried out by a panel.

A first submission was made directly by the local community to the DfT Restoring Your Railways Fund March 2020. Whilst this was not successful, DfT provided feedback indicating areas where the bid would need to be developed. The technical study subject to this decision will address that feedback and enable an improved bid to be submitted to round 3 of the Restoring Your Railways Fund.

In the event that a revised bid is successful this will enable the council to access development funding from the DfT which would support a business case to be progressed and the potential for the scheme to be considered in the governments new stations programme

Approve grant of licence to occupy in respect of Unit 9 Brunel Workshops Ross on Wye

To agree the recruitment plan, remuneration and selection process for the recruitment of Chief Executive

In late 2019 Hereford was included within the government’s “Towns Fund” Programme. Through the Towns Fund, Government is working with places to address growth constraints and to ensure the country can chart a course of recovery from the impact of Covid-19. The overarching aim of the Towns Fund is to increase economic growth with a focus on regeneration, improved transport, better broadband connectivity, skills and culture.

Each town in the programme is required to submit a “Town Investment Plan” (TIP) which sets out the vision and strategy for the town and includes a selection of projects that will deliver the vision. There are two phases in the process, with a decision gateway at the end of each. First, towns will develop TIPs, which will be assessed by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government to inform a Heads of Terms offer (given the submission is of sufficient quality). Towns will then develop agreed projects and business cases in detail, and government will assess that information before releasing funding for implementation. This second element of the process is not currently part of the Rose Regeneration commission.

The Hereford Towns Fund Board is a public / private organisation set up to drive the production of the TIP. Its formation was a condition of inclusion on the programme and its membership has been determined on the basis of government guidance. The Board, via Herefordshire Council as the accountable body, wish to appoint a consultant that has experience in delivering similar masterplan and visioning documents, engaging with local communities and preparing a strong evidence base.

There was no application process for selection within the Towns Fund programme and Hereford’s inclusion was a government, rather than local, decision. There was no engagement with the council about the process prior to the announcement of the selected towns and launch of the programme, and neither was there any ability to lobby for the inclusion of other towns within Herefordshire.

The Towns Fund Board are required to undertake significant community engagement to provide an evidence base for the Town Investment Plan. The Towns Fund Board identified the creation of a Hereford Towns Fund website as an important communication tool for the Board to use in engaging with the Hereford community. The website will enable the Board to provide information about the Towns Fund process and potential, advertise opportunities for local people and business to get involved, provide a direct “portal” function so that people can submit their ideas for the Town Investment Plan, and detail the Board members, the Board processes and governance.

The procurement procedure was a restricted tender process which was issued to three potential suppliers. Two responses were received back and assessed by the towns Fund Board. Simple Design Works were appointed due to their previous experience, their ability to produce the website within the required time frame and because they were the lowest quote received.

To inform the committee of performance in the areas of complaints, data incidents and requests for information made to the council over the municipal year 2019/20.

To seek the views of the forum on local and national school funding issues, including the recommendations of the budget working group (BWG) on the following matters:
? Herefordshire schools budget 2021/22 including schools consultation paper
? Update from Department for Education (DfE) briefing
? High needs budget 2020/21

Herefordshire Council is not in a position to assist with this request as will not be providing for levels of growth that exceed local needs