Hampshire County Council Buildings, Land and Procurement Panel Meeting

All Members were present at the meeting.

Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest in any matter considered at the meeting they must declare that interest at the time of the relevant debate and, having regard to the circumstances described in Part 3, Paragraph 1.5 of the County Council's Members' Code of Conduct, leave the meeting while the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with Paragraph 1.6 of the Code. Furthermore Members were mindful that where they believed they had a Personal Interest in a matter being considered at the meeting they considered whether such interest should be declared, and having regard to Part 5, Paragraph 5 of the Code, considered whether it was appropriate to leave the meeting whilst the matter was discussed, save for exercising any right to speak in accordance with the Code.

No declarations were made.

The minutes of the meeting held on 20 July 2021 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

No deputations were received for this meeting.

The Chairman made no announcements on this occasion.

The Panel considered a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services regarding the management of Hampshire’s built estate (Item 6 in the Minute Book).

The report outlined the County Council’s repair and maintenance priorities for 2021/22 for the corporate and schools’ estates. It also gave an update on the delivery of the County Council’s current Decarbonisation Programme as well as other activity to progress the County Council’s climate change agenda.

RESOLVED:

The Panel recommended that the Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Estates and Property:

1. Notes the confirmed funding allocations for the 2021/22 repairs and maintenance programmes for the corporate and schools estates and approves the revised high level budget allocations.

2. Notes that the detailed programmes of works within each budget allocation will be approved by the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services under Chief Officer financial delegations.

3. Approves the addition of the named schemes listed below to the 2021/22 capital programme, fully funded from the 2021/22 Schools Condition Allocation grant:

·         Anton Junior School, flat roof upgrade £380,000

·         Bishopswood Infant School, flat roof upgrade £320,000

·         Bishopswood Junior School, flat roof upgrade £400,000

·         Brighton Hill Community School flat roof upgrade £280,000

·         The Clere school – upgrade boilers in main block and sports hall £350,000

·         Cupernham Junior School, flat roof upgrade £450,000

·         Glenwood School, pitched roofing upgrade £380,000

·         Mill Rythe Infant School, flat roof upgrade £400,000

·         Oakridge Junior School, flat roof upgrade £400,000

·         Park Gate Primary School, flat roof upgrade £380,000

·         Portchester Community School – flat roof upgrade £260,000

·         Poulner Junior School, flat roof upgrade £320,000

·         Springwood Junior School patent glazing upgrade £620,000

·         The Vyne school – pitched roof upgrade £260,000

·         Wickham Primary School flat roof upgrade £380,000

4. Approves the project appraisals for the above capital projects set out in Appendix 3.

5. Notes the progress made on the Decarbonisation Programme, the forecasted reductions in carbon emissions arising from this work and the scale of future funding that will be required to maintain this progress towards net-zero.

6. Notes the update on the construction industry market conditions and associated impacts on work being delivered across the County Council’s built estate.

The Panel considered a report of the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services seeking approval to spend under the new private sector partner consultancy arrangements (Item 7 in the Minute Book).

The Director outlined the main points of the report and advised that The SCF  Consult Framework provided a compliant and efficient route to procure private sector partner resources and professional services to supplement the County Council’s Property Services in-house resource and expertise.

RESOLVED:

The Panel recommended that the Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Estates and Property approves spend up to a maximum of £80m over 7 years under the South-East and London lot of the SCF Consult Framework to procure private sector partner resources and professional services to support the delivery of property and construction related projects and programmes of work on behalf of the County Council and its external client partners.

The Panel received a presentation from the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services on Property Services’ design and delivery of building projects (Item 8 in the Minute Book).

Members heard details of how the County Council designed and delivered building projects across the county and with external clients. This included six major school projects being successfully completed and opened this year, providing 2135 school places and improvements of existing provision. 

The Director also outlined the County Council’s decarbonisation programme and its action plan for the next 12 months.

RESOLVED:

That the presentation be noted.

The press and public were excluded from the meeting during the following item of business, as it was likely, in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings, that if members of the public were present during this item there would have been disclosure to them of exempt information within Paragraph 3 of Part I Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, and further that in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, for the reasons set out in the report.

The Panel considered an exempt report from the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services (Item 10 in the minute book) regarding Property Services asset decisions and to recommend approval by the Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Property and Estates.

Members were informed of various transactions across the estate, including acquisitions. The Panel was supportive of the proposals within the report.

RESOLVED

The Panel recommended that the Executive Member for Commercial Strategy, Estates and Property:

a)    Approves the asset transactions set out in the schedule at Appendix 1.

b) That the Director of Culture, Communities and Business Services, Assistant Director – Property Services, be delegated authorisation to settle the detailed terms and conditions.