Agenda item

The Chairman welcomed the Lead Councillor for Environment and the Lead Councillor for Regeneration. He noted that the Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Service Delivery was no longer present.

The Chairman confirmed which Councillors wished to discuss the exempt information within the appendix to the report submitted to the Committee.  He indicated that the public would be excluded from the part of the meeting dealing with exempt information.

The Lead Councillor for Environment introduced the item.  The Parks and Landscape Manager summarised the background to the refurbishment of the pavilion and the management and delivery of the project.  He informed the meeting that the project completed at approximately £325k over budget and the Council’s net capital contribution at £875,969 or 38 percent of the total cost.

The Parks and Landscape Manager outlined the learning points identified in the report submitted to the Committee, including the business case for the project, governance of the project and partners, management of contractor performance, variations in the project, and the low contingency sum. 

The Lead Councillor for Regeneration suggested to the meeting that the project budget had doubled since 2016.  With reference to the lessons learned from the project, he noted the need for appropriate resourcing of projects, the role of the external project manager, skills shortages within the Council, and the need for better drafting of tender documents.  He suggested there was a lack of officer and technical resources within the Council for its projects and noted the risks of cost-cutting on project management and supervision.  

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Lead Councillor for Housing and Development Control referred to the difficulties of the refurbishment project and praised the completed pavilion. 

A member of the Committee questioned the extent to which information had been classified as exempt and not for publication.  The Parks and Landscape Manager confirmed that the classification of information as exempt was the result of a review of the contract the Council entered into with the contractor.

In reply to a question from a Committee member about accountability and responsibility for missed project targets, the Parks and Landscape Manager indicated that the Council’s new programme and project governance would resolve many such issues in future.

RESOLVED:  That, under Section 100A(4) of the Local Government Act 1972, the public be excluded from the meeting for the consideration of information contained within the Appendix to the report on the grounds that it involves the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraph 3 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Act; namely, information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

The meeting discussed the performance of the contractor, the frequency of cost-overruns on Council projects, the changes in Council staff involved in the project, the lack of resources for a replacement clerk of works, and the end product delivered by the project.  The Lead Councillor for Regeneration indicated that the Council had started to put better project governance into place but there was a need for expertise. 

Following the Committee’s consideration of the exempt information the public was readmitted to the meeting. 

RESOLVED:  (I)  That the account of the refurbishment within the report submitted to the Committee be noted.

(II)  That the learning identified within the report submitted to the Committee be recommended to the Executive for application to other construction related projects.