To receive any apologies for absence.

·       Apologies from councillors Bramer, Durkin and Stoddart

·       There were also apologies from Councillors James, Davies and Harvey

To receive declarations of interests in respect of Table A, Table B or Other Interests from members of the committee in respect of items on the agenda.

·       Cllr Hitchiner, substituting for Cllr Harvey, declared an interest in item 8 for which a dispensation has been granted by the council’s Monitoring Officer

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November 2025. 

Resolved:       That the minutes of the meeting held on 20 November be approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairperson.

To receive questions from councillors.

There were no questions from councillors.

To receive reports from the Council’s scrutiny committees on any recommendations to the Cabinet arising from recent scrutiny committee meetings.

There were no reports from scrutiny committees for consideration at this meeting.

To inform Cabinet of the outcome of the competitive procurement process carried out in accordance with the Cabinet report approved on 28 November 2024 and the updated Public Realm Services model as set out in Appendix 1; and seek Cabinet approval to award the contract for the provision of the Public Realm Services to the successful bidder.

The Cabinet report marks the conclusion of a process to find and appoint a new contractor for the council’s largest single contract. Council officers were thanked for managing the procurement process, which has been completed on time and under budget. Special acknowledgment is also given to a former councillor John Harrington who initiated the review of the previous contractor, Balfour Beatty, which set the direction for the current changes.

This decision seeks to avoid repeating past approaches, to providing Public Realm Services.  The has council explored five different contractual models and selected a hybrid option. This new model will transfer several key services—such as asset management, network management, locality stewards, highways inspections, design and project management, customer services, communications, fleet management, and health and safety directly into the council.

As a result, 60 roles will move in-house, giving the council greater control and the ability to align activities with its own priorities and strategies. This approach provides the best outcome for Herefordshire.   The successful bidder will be announced in the new year.

The Cabinet discussed questions about:

The environmental standards required of the new contractor.

·       It was explained that government-mandated standards apply to works contracts. The procurement process included specific environmental questions, such as whether the bidder holds a valid ISO 14001 certification (an internationally recognised standard for environmental management systems (EMS)), or an equivalent from a mutually recognised UK organisation. The Cabinet had also looked for additional requirements such as access to competent environmental advice, their legal obligations to report carbon emissions under the Streamlined Energy and Carbon Reporting regulations, and industry recognised sustainability standards.

·       Bidders were also required to submit a draft carbon reduction and management action plan, outlining how they would deliver carbon reduction initiatives by 2030, in line with the council’s commitments.

How the public will see a difference in the new arrangements

• Under the new public realm contract, locality stewards who previously worked for Balfour Beatty will now work directly for the council. Their role will be to inspect roads and identify necessary jobs for the new contractor.  Potholes remain a high priority for the council, as well as our communities, this arrangement means the council can ensure that work is completed within agreed timescales and in accordance with the council’s highways maintenance plan.   Identified works will be reviewed by council staff before being ordered, to make sure the right work is requested and to avoid inefficiencies, such as repeatedly chasing defects along the same road.
• The new contract introduces a clear specification for repairs, for example how pothole repairs should be carried out. Payment will be made on a ‘per-pothole’ basis to illuminate increased costs for the council. The final repair work will be inspected by council staff, specifically highways inspectors, to ensure quality.

What opportunities will there be for the apprenticeships for young people

The council has built a strong social value and skills commitment into the new public realm contract. Specifically, the contract requires:

·       Six contracts per year to be awarded to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 49.

To seek approval from Cabinet to make a Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) and Side Roads Order (SRO) for the acquisition of land and rights required to construct, operate, facilitate and maintain the first phase of the Hereford Western Bypass.

• The proposed Cabinet decision begins the process of acquiring land, aiming first to reach agreements with landowners and their agents through negotiation, to purchase land to pave the way for the Western Bypass – Phase 1 infrastructure project.
• If negotiations are unsuccessful, the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process approved by Cabinet will serve as a backstop to ensure land acquisition stays on schedule.
• Where individual land parcels are acquired through negotiation, they will be removed from the CPO process.
• It was noted that some land was already owned by Hereford Council, while National Highways and Network Rail have interests in smaller parcels.
• The land to be acquired matches that of a previous CPO process concluded in 2019, but that order has now expired.
• If Cabinet approves the new CPO and Side Roads Order (SRO), the draft statement of reasons will be finalised and served on all relevant parties, along with the orders and recommendations as outlined in the report.

Group Leaders were invited to offer their views:

The Liberal Democrat Group outlined their views and noted that:

• They support the Cabinet’s recommendations regarding land acquisition - they view the measures as prudent precautions, ensuring that if there are any difficulties during negotiations for acquiring land, the council will have the ability to trigger further action to secure the required land.
• The group expresses their support for the recommendations to safeguard the process.

The Green Group outlined their views and noted:

• Significant concerns about the Hereford Western Bypass Phase 1 land acquisition process, criticizing the lack of transparency and detail regarding costs, risks, and the strategic business case.
• Additional concerns that the council is borrowing an additional £30 million, leading to a long-term financial burden for local taxpayers.
• Members do not have clear visibility on likely costs or risks of overspending which in turn is frustrated by the absence of a full strategic business case.
• The lack of clarity within the Compulsory Purchase Order process, biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements, and up-to-date transport modelling opens the council up to the risk of being in breach of Department for Transport appraisal guidance.
• That the group would be more supportive if there were realistic prospects of the project staying within budget and if information were provided in a timely and transparent manner.

The Independent for Herefordshire Group outlined their views and noted:

• Concerns about the speed of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process for the Hereford Western Bypass, warning that rushing could lead to mistakes as happened in 2019.
• A challenge to the claims in the report about the bypass removing significant traffic from the A465/A49 junction, citing personal observations and a self-conducted traffic survey that found little evidence to support these statements.
• A contention around the factual accuracy in the report and questions the validity of claims about road collisions and the availability of supporting data.
• A lack of transparency, noting that some referenced data in the modelling had not been published or made available to councillors or the public. They request  ...  view the full minutes text for item 50.