To approve payments to Hoople for services as specified in the Hoople service level agreement for 2019/20 and establish the overarching agreement (the Hoople Services Contract) which sets out the contract between Hoople and the council for 2019/20 onwards following the expiry of the prior agreement.

Hoople provides a range of service to the council, including revenues and benefits, finance, human resources, ICT, training and education, and reablement services, they also assist the council in its management of ICT applications that are provided to the council by others. These services support the operation of the council across all directorates. The cost to the council of services provided by Hoople in 2019/20 is expected to be £5.699m. The services that Hoople are to deliver in each financial year are described in an annual plan, which is known as the Hoople service level agreement or the ‘Hoople SLA’. As a teckal company those services are to be provided to the council at cost with no profit element. For 2019/20 the overarching agreement (the Hoople Services Contract) which sets out the contract between Hoople and the council is to be re-established following the expiry of the prior agreement. The expired agreement has been reviewed for any contractual mechanisms, which refer to processes that are still deemed to be active. These being moved into a current document overarching the annual Hoople SLA document.  Amongst other things that agreement sets out the payment mechanism through which payment will be made to Hoople. That payment mechanism is entirely compatible with the arrangements that are necessary for the council to maintain the teckal exemption under which this provision must operate. As such approval of the new overarching agreement is also sought in order to enable Hoople to be paid for the services specified in the Hoople service level agreement for 2019/20, or the agreed variant thereof. This new overarching agreement will then be the subject of regular review.

The recommendations put forward enable the client/provider relationship between the council and Hoople to continue on a sound contractual footing, they enable the services that Hoople are commissioned to provide to be fully described, adjusted as may be required to support the council’s operations and then paid for to the extent that they have been provided.

That:

(a)   the acting assistant director for highways and transport be authorised to finalise the Hoople Services Contract, taking the form in Appendix 1 the term of which will run until terminated, the annual value of which will be in accordance with each year’s Hoople SLA;

(b)  the Hoople Services Contract be reviewed on a frequency no less than 5 years.

(c)   subject to finalising the Hoople Services Contract, the acting assistant director for highways and transport be authorised to finalise and sign the Hoople SLA for 2019/20 attached at Appendix 2 at a value of c£5.669m;

(d)  the acting assistant director highways and transport be authorised to agree, in accord with the Hoople Services Contract, and the authority obtained by relevant budget managers, any in year adjustments to the Hoople SLA for 2019/20;

(e)   the acting assistant director for highways and transport be authorised to approve payments to Hoople in accord with the Hoople Services Contract for those services planned as the SLA for 2019/20, this within the approved annual budgets for the services therein;

(f)    until such time as the Hoople Services Contract is signed off, the acting assistant director for highways and transport be authorised to approve payments to Hoople in accord with the contractual obligation established by the 2018/19 Hoople SLA; and 

(g)  In the event that a Hoople SLA for 2020/21 is not agreed by 1 April 2020, the acting assistant director for highways and transport be authorised to approve payments to the value of £2m to Hoople for the period up to end June 2020 in accordance with the Hoople Services Contract for those services that Hoople must continue to deliver to maintain the council’s operational capability.

To approve a loan from school balances of £45,000 to Goodrich Church of England (VC) Primary School for a cabin style building to facilitate a new nursery provision in accordance with the council’s scheme for financing schools.  The school loan scheme provides a valuable way of enhancing school buildings without using the council’s limited capital budgets.

That:

(a)       A capital loan of £45,000 to Goodrich Church of England (VC) Primary School be approved at 0% interest, repayable from April 2021 at one annual instalment of £6,428.58 followed by six annual instalments of £6,428.57 for a new permanent nursery building.

To make the Little Birch and Aconbury neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Little Birch and Aconbury neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)        The Little Birch and Aconbury neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Pixley and District Group neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Pixley and District Group neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)        The Pixley and District Group neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Goodrich and Welsh Bicknor neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Goodrich and Welsh Bicknor neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)        The Goodrich and Welsh Bicknor neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Bishopstone Group neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Bishopstone Group neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)       The Bishopstone Group neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)       The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Almeley neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Almeley neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)       The Almeley neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)       The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To make the Aymestrey neighbourhood development plan as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire and approve the consequential updates to the countywide policies maps.

To fulfil the legal duty to make /adopt the Aymestrey neighbourhood development plan and update the countywide policies map as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire. Council delegated authority for the making of the neighbourhood development plans, and consequential amendments to the countywide policies map, to the cabinet member infrastructure.

That:

(a)        The Aymestrey neighbourhood development plan is made as part of the statutory development plan for Herefordshire; and

(b)        The required consequential changes are made to the countywide policies map.

To upgrade or renew equipment, outlined in the MSC Global report, which forms part of the Herefordshire CCTV system up to a capital budget of £184,000.

That:

(a)       approval is given to implement the CCTV infrastructure upgrade and renewal as identified in the report MSC Herefordshire Report V1.4 at a capital cost of not more than £184k;

(b)       Global MSC be commissioned to write a specification and project manage the upgrade and renewal of equipment as identified in the report MSC Herefordshire Report V1.4 at a cost of £6,246; and

(c)       the acting assistant director for technical services be authorised to take all operational decisions, including award of contract, to implement the above recommendations.

The application was refused contrary to the Case Officer’s recommendation.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

The Committee deferred consideration of the application.

The Planning Committee noted the date of the next meeting.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.

The application was deferred pending further information.

The application was approved contrary to the Case Officer’s recommendation.

To approve the receipt of One Public Estate (OPE) funds of £335k which have been awarded to Herefordshire Council as the accountable body following a bid to the Cabinet Office for OPE Phase 7 central government monies in respect of funding to bring forward the following projects: Urban Village Development, to undertake masterplanning and feasibility work to release land for key worker housing, etc; Refurbishment of the Lionel Green Building, Hereford Hospital, to enable the relocation of services and release other premises for redevelopment and to provide funding for a One Public Estate Programme Manager.

Herefordshire Council will receive the funds as the lead authority in respect of One Herefordshire   group of public sector organisations further to the original award under OPE Wave 5, which was subject to an earlier decision dated 27 July 2017. The funding award is split between direct grant (non-repayable - £135k) and sustainable grant (repayable - £200k). Approval to receive the funds will enable the S.151 Officer to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to enable the transfer of funds to the council.

That:

(a)        further to a successful bid  to the cabinet office the council accepts receipt of OPE Phase 7 funding of £335k as the accountable body on behalf of the One Herefordshire group of public sector organisations.

The application was approved in accordance with the Case Officer’s recommendation.