Decisions

Direct Award of contract to Lambert Smith Hampton for marketing and lettings of The Billings vacant offices.

To extend the contract for agency staff in the Compliance Team dealing with Private Sector Housing Enforcement, to backfill resources whilst the team continues to support the work for the Homes for Ukraine scheme. The Homes for Ukraine (H4U) budget is being used for this ECF (below) - ECF reference is EC100859. budget owner is Samantha Hutchinson. This has been approved as part of ECF process. ECF:

To enter into a Funding agreement with SCC in alignment with the funding reported to Council on 16th March 2023.

To approve the sale of the land and buildings at 39, 39.5, 40, 40a and 42 Castle Street and 53 Quarry Street, Guildford in line with the following terms and conditions:

Freehold to be sold at Savills auction.

The assets do not pass the Council’s investment criteria and are subject to ongoing repair liability and limited reletting prospects without considerable capital expenditure.

In accordance with the Council’s General Disposal Consent powers, the proposed disposal is to be by way of public auction with the guide and reserve prices to be set in advance which will provide the ‘best consideration reasonably obtainable’.

Each party will bear their own costs in relation to the sale.

The Council’s tenant (Surrey County Council) of the above property has requested that they be given licence to allow the surrender of the Lockwood Centre, 9-13 Westfield Road, Guildford.

For a surrender: GBC to surrender the lease with Surrey County Council who have deemed the property to be surplus to their requirements. Terms are agreed for the lease to be surrendered based on GBC receiving a premium sum of £162,000 plus VAT (equivalent to three years rent). Post surrender GBC intends to let the property (initially most likely as open storage) after demolishing the buildings and securing the necessary planning consent.

To appoint the lowest price surveyors for the valuation of Eastgate Court at 195-205 High St in Guildford

The Safer Street Fund launched in 2020 to allow Local Authorities and Police forces to bid for funding to provide measures proven to prevent neighbourhood crime, including CCTV, street lighting, alleygating and improving the security of properties at risk of neighbourhood crime.

Funding was also available to schemes delivering other interventions aimed at changing attitudes and behaviours in relation to Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the public domain through educational activities and behavioural change programmes. The focus will also be on the night-time economy and working with local businesses to keep women safe and raise awareness of VAWG in local pubs and bars.

In September 2023 Surrey Police were successful in securing funding for initiatives for delivering a range of interventions in Guildford to tackle Anti-Social Behaviour and VAWG over the period from 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2025 through public realm improvements and the provisions of a Street Marshalling Service.

In December 2023 the Police asked Regulatory Services to secure the Street Marshalling Service as they wished to separate the service from Policing.

£85,868 of the Safer Streets fund has been allocated to the Marshalling project, including £4k equipment costs.

Allocation of the funding for Marshalling Services will be provided to the Council by the Police for GBC to manage the contract. Marshals will work in partnership with GBC services, Surrey Police and the Experience Guildford BID with the aim of creating a town wide resource provision that can be deployed at busy times to areas at a time it is needed to support the response to Anti-Social Behaviour.

To ensure the most effective use of funding, the Marshals would be deployed in an intelligence fashion across the town to work in areas where they can be most effective and with a focus on engagement and enforcement of PSPO provisions, Anti-Social Behaviour and other environmental offences to improve the public realm.

The role of marshals is to engage, explain, encourage and secure compliance by providing a visible and supportive reassuring presence. However, we have to accept that their role and the advice being offered may not always be welcomed by the public or operators. There is a risk that certain groups and individuals will be upset at best and at worst become abusive. There may also be a demand for deployment of Marshals in certain areas at certain times creating potential conflict on demand.

Contract award for Madlins to provide Professional Contract Management Services to assist in the delivery of GBC's Fire Door replacement programme

Transfer of Guildford Borough Councils Local Land Charges Register to HM Land Registry.

Appointment of Airey Miller to carry out multi disciplinary services including project management, quantity surveying, structural, civil and services engineering and overheating analysis for the HRA Small Site at 108 Georgelands.

Initial contract value of £25,831.40+VAT

Procurement of an IT Health Check (ITHC) in-line with Public Sector Network (PSN) compliance requirements and a non-exclusive arrangement to support IT web service vulnerability scans in the following 12-months (capped by value).

To authorise the signing of the access agreement to enable the use of the Barnet framework.

To allow GBC to enter into a contract with PWC to carry out an appraisal of potential financing options for the Weyside Urban Village Programme.

Issue contract to

Reeds Ltd

for

Works: To crush and re-surface track at Pilgrims Way to Chantry Wood, Guildford
Cost: £8,825

To review and amend certain dates in the published timetable in regard to the Planning Committee to ensure a 4-week cycle. To make minor adjustments to the committee dates for the efficient progress of the budget papers for 2025. To ensure full coordination with the final Waverley Borough Council timetable for 2024-25.

Extension of scope to existing Airey Miller appointment to include overheating analysis, civil engineering and utility applications at the following HRA Small Sites:
- Land adjacent to 21-23 Dunmore
- Land adjacent to 27 Broomfield
- 17 Wharf Lane

The initial contract value of this additional work is £14,346+VAT

Direct award appointment for an NEC Supervisor.

To enter into a contract with Grant Thornton in respect of Housing RTB Annual Audit £10,000.00

Appointment of Consult Communications to provide public engagement services at the HRA Small Site at Manor House Flats.

Initial contract value of £11,440+VAT

To provide agency services to market vacant industrial unit following forfeiture of lease relating to former tenant.

Procurement of mobile telephony services from BT PLC, to supply mobile telephony connections for the Council.

N/A

To approve the grant of a new lease of unit 16 Midleton Enterprise Park.

Award lots 1 - 7 on day to day housing repairs procured tenders.
lot 1 External works east and west
lot 2 larger works east and west
lot 3 electrical
lot 4 Glazing
lot 5 plastering
lot 6 roofing
lot 7 decorating.

The Council is the freehold owner of a block of flats known as 124 and 138A Carfax Avenue Tongham. Flat 128 was originally sold 22 February 2016 under the provisions of the Right to Buy for a term of 125 years from 1 July 1985 and at a ground rent of £10. The lessee served a notice on the Council in accordance with the Leasehold Reform Housing and Urban Development Act requesting an extension of the term of the lease to make it more saleable on the open market. The sale progressed and the notice to extend the term was assigned to the new owner. Under the legislation, the Council as the competent landlord, is required to grant a new lease to the owner of the flat for an additional term of 90 years on top of the unexpired term of the lease, and on the same terms as the existing lease, save that the annual ground rent will be a peppercorn if demanded.


The consideration for a new lease is governed by the legislation and determined by valuers. The lessee will be required to pay all of the Council’s legal and surveyors costs

The Council requires an S123 valuation to confirm the sale of its land to the east of Blackwell Farm Guildford.

To approve the reviewed rent of the above property leased to South Eastern Power Networks plc (UKPN).

In accordance with the provisions of clause 5 of the lease dated 25 March 2014, the passing rent of £471pa has been reviewed, and it is proposed to increase it to £625.03pa with effect from 1st January 2024.

The rent is to be increased at 5 yearly intervals with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI). The RPI calculation is to be carried out at the end of the year 2023 to establish the amount of rent payable with effect from the 1st January 2024.

A memorandum will be endorsed on the lease recording this review.

If you have any queries, then please contact Fiona Williams who will be happy to provide further information.

To approve the reviewed rent of the above property leased to South Eastern Power Networks plc (UKPN).

In accordance with the provisions of clause 5 of the lease dated 25 March 2014, the passing rent of £392pa has been reviewed, and it is proposed to increase it to £520pa with effect from 1st January 2024.

The rent is to be increased at 5 yearly intervals with reference to the Retail Price Index (RPI). The RPI calculation is to be carried out at the end of the year 2023 to establish the amount of rent payable with effect from the 1st January 2024.

A memorandum will be endorsed on the lease recording this review.