Issue - meetings

i.             Extract of draft minute of Cabinet to follow.

THAT CABINET RECOMMENDS TO COUNCIL: 

To approve an additional capitalbudget of £1m funded from CIL (Town Forum £200k, District £800k CAB 3360 refers) to enable the proposed new build KGV Pavilion, bringing the total budget for this project to £3.3m.

ii.             Extract of draft minute of Winchester Town Forum held 22 September 2022 (reconvened from 15 September) to follow – included as background information for Council.

THAT WINCHESTER TOWN FORUM:

Approves an additional £200,000 Town CIL funding, bringing the total funding from Town CIL to £450,000.

Councillor Learney (Cabinet Member for the Climate Emergency) moved that the recommended minute of Cabinet be approved and adopted (seconded by Councillor Tod, Leader & Cabinet Member for Asset Management).

Council noted that the corresponding draft minute of the Winchester Town Forum (also held 22 September 2022) had been included in the agenda pack as background information.

Council proceeded to ask questions on the matters in the recommended minute of Cabinet and the report.

RESOLVED:

That the recommended minute of Cabinet held 22 September 2022 (as follows) be approved and adopted:

That an additional capitalbudget of £1m funded from CIL (Town Forum £200k, District £800k, Report CAB 3360 refers) to enable the proposed new build KGV Pavilion, bringing the total budget for this project to £3.3m, be approved.

1.      That expenditure of up to £3.3m under Financial Procedural Rule 7.4 be approved, subject to Council approval of the revised budget.

2.      That authority be delegated to undertake value engineering with all bidders to ensure the new build KGV Pavilion is built within the revised £3.3m budget, but if necessary authority be delegated to the Strategic Director: Services to undertake a new procurement exercise to obtain bids by contractors for the new build KGV Pavilion.

3.     That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director - Services to appoint the relevant contractors and to negotiate and agree contractual heads of terms with the contract appointment.

4.     That authority be delegated to the Service Lead: Legal to prepare and enter into all relevant agreements, negotiate the contractual agreements and see them to completion to enable the proposed new build KGV Pavilion. 

That it be recommended to Council:*

5.     To approve an additional capitalbudget of £1m funded from CIL (Town Forum £200k, District £800k CAB 3360 refers) to enable the proposed new build KGV Pavilion, bringing the total budget for this project to £3.3m.

*NB Council decisions are not subject to call-in.

Councillor Ferguson introduced the report, highlighting the importance of the pavilion to the Winchester City Flyers and other local teams from across the district, in addition to its wider use by the local community.  The request for additional budget was due to the national inflationary increases significantly raising the cost of materials and labour and these increases were expected to continue.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Horrill addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below:

Supported the proposals for the new pavilion in principle but highlighted the large budget involved and queried whether alternative options had been considered?  Requested that possible options for alternative grants and funding be investigated at the same time as the project progressed. Regarding the future governance of the pavilion, asked how open access could be assured? Thanked cabinet for the response to her queries regarding the allocation of district community infrastructure levy (CIL) under the previous agenda item. 

Councillor Ferguson and the Corporate Property Surveyor responded to the points raised above including confirming that alternative options considered were set out in previous reports, including reducing the size of the building.  However this would also result in additional costs and the resulting building might not fulfil the requirements of the football and cricket teams.  It was confirmed that options for additional funding sources were being pursued and that a local community group would be established to take part in the future governance of the pavilion. 

Cabinet noted that at its reconvened meeting that evening, Winchester Town Forum was also being asked to agree an additional £200,000 Town CIL funding towards the pavilion project, bringing the total funding from Town CIL to £450,000.

Cabinet agreed to the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

recommended (to council):

To approve an additional capitalbudget of £1m funded from CIL (Town Forum £200k, District £800k CAB 3360 refers) to enable the proposed new build KGV Pavilion, bringing the total budget for this project to £3.3m.

RESOLVED:

1.           That expenditure of up to £3.3m under Financial Procedural Rule 7.4 be approved, subject to Council approval of the revised budget.

2.           That authority be delegated to undertake value engineering with all bidders to ensure the new build KGV Pavilion is built within the revised £3.3m budget, but if necessary authority be delegated to the Strategic Director: Services to undertake a new procurement exercise to obtain bids by contractors for the new build KGV Pavilion.