Agenda item

The Deputy Chief Executive and Section 151 Officer presented a report on the subject of Levelling Up and the appointment of a contractor for the project.

Cabinet was reminded that Bromsgrove had been awarded £14.5 million in Levelling Up funding.  The majority of this funding would need to be spent by September 2025, although a portion would need to have been used by the end of March 2025.  The update followed a report that had been considered by both the Overview and Scrutiny Board and Cabinet in July 2024, at which stage the demolition of the Windsor Street site had been about to commence.

Following the previous report, Kier Group Plc had been granted a further 10 weeks for their works to be delivered at the former Market Hall site. 

The public realm works were being delivered by Worcestershire County Council on behalf of Bromsgrove District Council as part of the Levelling Up project.  These public realm works connected the former Market Hall site to the Windsor Street site.  Worcestershire County Council was on track to deliver these works by December 2025.

At the Windsor Street site, City Demolition had been awarded the contract as agreed and engaged to deliver works at the site.  City Demolition had taken ownership of the site in late July 2024.  Prior to that date, there had been issues with anti-social behaviour at this location and this had been an ongoing concern.  However, by 9^th September 2024, 70 per cent of the site had been demolished.  Once the demolition process was completed, fencing would remain in place to help deter further anti-social behaviour.

By the date of the Cabinet meeting, the project was on track to be delivered, with Levelling Up funds due to be spent according to deadline.  However, timescales were tight, with a leeway period of only three weeks available.  There was a risk that if these deadlines were not met, the Council, as responsible body, would have to cover additional costs on top of the 10 per cent that had been required in the original bid.

During consideration of this item, the Leader highlighted that the report had been pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Board held on Tuesday 10^th September 2024.  Whilst the Board had not made any recommendations on this subject, there had been extensive and robust discussions at the meeting regarding the content of the report.  Cabinet thanked the Overview and Scrutiny Board for their contribution in respect of pre-scrutiny of this matter.

Once the report had been presented, Members discussed the following points:

·             The stage that had been reached in the planning process for the former Market Hall site.  Officers confirmed that this had already gone through the planning process.

·             The arrangements for project management of the Levelling Up scheme and the extent to which these arrangements complied with the approach that had been suggested by the Audit, Standards and Governance Committee’s Task Group in 2023.  Cabinet was reassured that there would be a return to monthly meetings of the Levelling Up Programme Board in order to monitor progress with the project.

·             The need for Members to be kept informed of any unexpected occurrences in respect of this project as and when these emerged.

In concluding their discussions regarding this item, Members considered the wording of the proposals detailed in the report.  There was agreement that the wording should be altered to emphasise the need to minimise the overall costs arising from works on the former Market Hall site.  In this context, the following alteration to the wording was proposed by the Leader:

“The appointment of Kier Group plc for the delivery of the Market Hall works contract be approved at a maximum as set out in this report and that officers work to minimise overall costs from this level.”

This alteration to the wording of the resolution was approved by Members.

RESOLVEDthat

1)          Cabinet note the challenges and work undertaken to date detailed within this report.

2)          The appointment of Kier Group plc for the delivery of the Market Hall works contract be approved at a maximum as set out in this report and that officers work to minimise overall costs from this level.

(During consideration of this item, Members discussed matters that necessitated the disclosure of exempt information. It was therefore agreed to move to exclude the press and public prior to any debate on the grounds that information would be revealed Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information)).