Issue - meetings

Councillors noted that, in January 2023, the Council had approved a series of recommendations to enable the delivery of the Weyside Urban Village to continue whilst further work was undertaken to consider all mitigation options available to address the potential forecast financial deficit. The recommendation included specific reference to this information being considered by Full Council in July 2023.

The Council was informed that it had not been possible to submit a report to Council in July 2023 due to ongoing work by Officers on the mitigation options.  The Council considered a report which sought to regularise the delegations required to continue the delivery of the project in advance of the aforementioned report and financial forecast being considered by Full Council later this year.

Upon the motion of the Deputy Leader of the Council, Councillor Tom Hunt, seconded by the Leader of the Council, Councillor Julia McShane, the Council

RESOLVED: That the Council agrees

(1)         To the continuation of the project until Officers have completed the required due diligence outlined in the 16 January 2023 report, as follows, and reported back to Full Council later this year:

•     To provide alternative risk assessed option appraisals other than to proceed with the original Full Council approved scheme, including all possible mitigations and alterations to the current funding and specifications, indicating by use of a range of values where specific data is not available, and a full explanation of assumptions with reasons, sufficient to enable Members to make a fully informed decision on how it wishes to proceed.

•     To update the project with the latest assumptions, indices and valuations and report back to Council.

(2)   To delegate to the Strategic Director of Place, in consultation with the Lead Councillor for Regeneration, and Lead Councillor for Finance and Property, authority to enter into such other contracts and legal agreements connected with Weyside Urban Village as may be appropriate in compliance with Procurement Procedure Rules and within the approved budget.

Reasons:

·    To ensure that statutory service agreements and construction contracts can be entered in to for the delivery of services and infrastructure for the development and to ensure that Homes England Housing Infrastructure Fund (HIF) milestones are achieved.  

·    To ensure that the Council can perform its obligations under the Thames Water Utilities Limited (TWUL) agreement.

Item of Urgent Business

In accordance with Section 100B(4) Local Government Act 1972, the Mayor agreed that this matter should be considered at this meeting as an item of urgent business by virtue of the special circumstances described below.

Special Circumstances

The special circumstances in this matter, that has led the Mayor to agree to take the matter as an urgent item at this meeting, despite the item being open to public inspection for 3 clear days before the meeting, rather than 5, are:

(a)   that previous advice given by external solicitors advising that work relating to Weyside could continue under the previous delegations as there was an implicit authority had  ...  view the full minutes text for item 47