Issue - meetings

1.       That up to £3.25m of HRA capital expenditure in 2024/25 be approved, using the existing retrofit budget, for the retrofit of 21 Swedish cottages and up to 150 loft insulation top-ups and associated works.

2.       That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director - Services to be authorised to award and enter into a JCT Standard Building Contract to retrofit 21 Swedish Cottages and improve the loft insulation in up to 500 properties with Synergize Ltd.

3.       The Strategic Director - Services to be authorised to negotiate and agree contractual 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 successful delivery of the Retrofit Works.

Councillor Westwood introduced the report which sort approval to enter into a contract to retrofit 21 Swedish cottages and up to 150  loft insulation top-ups and associated works.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillors Horrill and Lee addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

Councillor Horrill

She stated that there was cross-party support for the retrofit programme and welcomed the proposal to agree an approved contractor.  She asked a number of detailed questions on the report including the anticipated impact and provision for tenants whilst works were carried out, whether further detail about the reduction in energy bills was available and what lessons had been learned from the pilot work on five Swedish properties.

Councillor Lee

He emphasised the urgent need to improve the energy efficiency of homes and believed that the EPC C rating was too low to achieve this within the timescale required.  He requested an update on the response to his Council question on 30 November 2023 regarding the sustainable procurement review in the light of the nature emergency.  He requested assurances that contracts be flexible enough to allow, for example natural insulation materials, should this become financially viable.

Councillor Westwood, the Strategic Director and the Retrofit Manager responded to the questions raised, including confirming that a bespoke solution for tenants of properties undergoing works would be provided.  The Corporate Head of Finance confirmed that the sustainable procurement guide had been reviewed and a new impact assessment would be included within all committee reports to reflect the declaration of a nature emergency.

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

RESOLVED:

1.             That up to £3.25m of HRA capital expenditure in 2024/25 be approved, using the existing retrofit budget, for the retrofit of 21 Swedish cottages and up to 150 loft insulation top-ups and associated works.

2.             That authority be delegated to the Strategic Director - Services to be authorised to award and enter into a JCT Standard Building Contract to retrofit 21 Swedish Cottages and improve the loft insulation in up to 500 properties with Synergize Ltd.

3.             The Strategic Director - Services to be authorised to negotiate and agree contractual 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 successful delivery of the Retrofit Works.