Decisions

The provision of a winter gritter fleet is critical to ensuring the County Council can meet its statutory duty to maintain the highways and to ensure that, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe passage along a highway is not endangered by snow or ice. The contract awarded for these services in 2021 is due to end in April 2022 and a new contract is required.

In accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders on Procurement and Contracts and the key decision made by the Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, the Assistant Director (Highways, Transport and Planning) will be asked to award and enter into a three year contract for the provision of a leased winter gritter fleet.

The Assistant Director (Highways, Transport and Planning) has approved an award to Econ Engineering Ltd. for a three-year contract for the provision of a leased winter gritter fleet at a cost not exceeding £0.570m per annum. Contract to commence 04 June 2022 and to end 04 June 2025, with no option to extend.

Following consideration of the report, Cabinet resolved to:

1.   Approve the appointment to the Sussex Health and Care Assembly of the Cabinet Member for Public Health and Wellbeing as the County Council’s representative for the remainder of the County Council term to May 2025 and the addition of the Assembly to the list of outside bodies.

2.   Approve the proposals for appointments to the NHS Sussex Integrated Care Board set out in paragraph 2.1.

3.   Agree that the detail of governance arrangements for the Assembly and the Board be settled by the Director of Law and Assurance in liaison with the other local authorities and NHS agencies involved together with any consequential changes from the legislation referred to in the report that may be needed to the constitution and terms of reference of the Health and Adults Social Care Scrutiny Committee and the Health and Wellbeing Board.

The call-in deadline is 26 May 2022.

Over the coming five years, the County Council will be continuing to deliver a high-quality built environment through the planned Capital Programme. An essential part of this programme is to ensure the continued skilled technical expertise necessary to develop and deliver the design proposals for the projects.  A procurement process is required to put in place a new Multi-Disciplinary Consultancy contract when the existing contract comes to an end in July 2023 and to delegate to the Director of Place Services the authority to award the contract.

The Cabinet Member for Finance and Property has endorsed:

1.      the procurement of a Multi-Disciplinary Consultant to provide the project management, technical and cost management advice and expertise for capital projects by a mini competition run through the Crown Commercial Services Framework Referenced RM6165 for Construction Professional Services; and

2.   Delegated authority to the Assistant Director Property & Assets the award of a call-off contract to the successful bidder, to commence July 2023.  A further decision report will be published in due course.

The County Council has a statutory duty to provide sufficient school places for all children who need a place.

Following a review of pupil projections for starting primary school in the Haywards Heath locality and specifically the Lindfield area, it determined that it was necessary to provide for a bulge class of 30 pupils at Lindfield Primary Academy in September 2021. The additional 30 pupils were accommodated in the ICT suite and music room which was temporarily remodelled to accommodate the class.  The proposal is to create an additional classroom at the school to provide permanent provision for the additional pupils.

In November 2020 the Cabinet Member for Education and Skills approved the allocation of Section 106 funding for education infrastructure capital projects, including £0.619m for additional primary places in the Haywards Heath locality (decision ES10 (20/21) refers).  Since this decision, it has been identified that the need for places is to be met at Lindfield Primary Academy which sits within the Haywards Heath planning area. Following completion of the feasibility study, it has been identified that the project to expand Lindfield Primary Academy will exceed £0.5m requiring an individual key decision.

Therefore, an allocation of S106 funding from the Capital Programme will be sought to enable the works to be taken forward and to make provision for current fluctuations in the market. The budget will fund all associated fees and furniture and equipment.

The Assistant Director (Property and Assets) has approved the total allocation of £1m of received S106 contributions to fund the necessary works, as set out in paragraph 2.2 of the report, to enable suitable provision for accommodating the bulge class of 30 pupils at Lindfield Primary Academy.