Agenda

To take any questions or statements from members of the Public.

To receive declarations of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interests or other registrable or non-registrable interests from Members in respect of any item to be considered at the meeting.

The Committee is asked to confirm as a true record the Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 23 July 2024 (attached) and to authorise the Chair to sign them.

On 28 October 2024, the biggest changes to public sector procurement for over a decade will take effect with the issue of the Procurement Act 2023. The legislation, brought in after Brexit, has a significant impact on how the council undertakes its procurement.

As a result of these changes the Contract Standing Orders (‘CSOs’), which form part of the council’s Constitution, have been reviewed and updated to ensure that the council will comply with the latest legislation.

This report provides background information to the CSOs and the new Act, their purpose and the key changes.

The report also recommends updates identified through the review which do not directly relate to the new Act.

To allow payments to be made to residents who have applied for support funding, in accordance with the legacy from Chute Ede trusts.

This report seeks funding of up to £25k to install pay and display equipment at Hook Road Car Park as an interim measure between the end of life of the current equipment and the start of any proposed developmental works at Hook Road.

To report to the committee the decisions taken by the Chief Executive and Directors on the grounds of urgency, in compliance with the requirements of the Constitution.

The Council has a significant number of temporary accommodation units located in the borough, of which more than 50% is owned and managed by Town & Country Housing (TCH). The agreement which covers this arrangement requires updating.

At its meeting on 30 July 2024, Council resolved to refer Motion 2 (attached at Appendix 1) to this Committee for consideration.  Motion 2 proposed for Council to:

a.    Reclassify the description of Horton Cemetery from “amenity woodland” to “sui generis”.

b.    Obtain an expert valuation of Horton Cemetery from the District Valuer, providing them with a full report produced by the Friends of Horton Cemetery.

c.    Initiate the compulsory purchase of Horton Cemetery and return it to community ownership.

This report considers the above Motion 2 proposals and outlines the legislative framework of the Compulsory Purchase Order (CPO) process.

The Committee is asked to consider whether it wishes to pass a resolution to exclude the Press and Public from the meeting in accordance with Section 100A (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 on the grounds that the business involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 3 and 5 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act (as amended) and that pursuant to paragraph 10 of Part 2 of the said Schedule 12A the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

The report has not been published as it deals with information in relation to the financial or business affairs of the Council or a third party.

The report has not been published as it deals with information in relation to the financial or business affairs of the Council or a third party and information respect of which a claim to legal professional privilege could be maintained in legal proceedings.