Agenda item

(a)           (Housing & HGGT – Cllr N Bedford)  To award the refurbishment works contract at The Broadway (C-025-2024-25).

(b)           Appendix A (Restricted/Confidential)

Please be advised that the meeting may need to go into private session, if required, since Appendix A (Tender Report) is restricted/confidential, as detailed under item 20 (Exclusion of Public and Press).

(1)           That the Cabinet agreed Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) award the refurbishment works contract at The Broadway to Mulalley and Co, with the agreed financial cap of c£4.8mn as detailed in restricted Appendix A – Tender Report.

(2)           That the Cabinet agreed officers and advisers be instructed to finalise negotiations with Mulalley and Co with a view to commencing works in October/November 2024.

The Housing & HGGT Portfolio Holder (Councillor N Bedford) introduced the report which was seeking to award the works contract to Mulalley and Co. The Broadway estate required external refurbishment and maintenance works because of weathertightness and security issues. This would include full replacement of roof coverings, window replacements, balcony and walkway repairs and compliance work.

Councillor S Murray remarked it was important to get this project right, so the refurbishment only spanned one Christmas. This was why he had submitted a list of questions that the Housing Services Director (S Balu) had answered, which had been published as a supplementary agenda before this Cabinet meeting. Minimising the impact on the flats and businesses by doing the works in thirds would help. Having a sinking fund for maintenance would have been better.

The following questions were raised by Loughton councillors, which were answered by the Housing Services Director (S Balu) unless stated otherwise.

·     Many businesses had struggled post-Covid, but no sinking fund had been built up over the years. Would the Council take away from this that having a sinking fund regime was good estate management? The Portfolio Holder replied that discussions were being held around having sinking funds on other Council owned properties to build up for the future.

·     Would there be a designated project officer? Tunde Afolabi-Brown was to be the project officer on site.

·     How would the Council move from estimated bill timescales to the actual bill? Once this report was agreed, the actual charges would be worked out.

·     Would the Council allow the longest repayment times under the law? The Council would always allow the longest repayment times allowed under the law.

·     What if there was a dispute? The Council would look at dispute resolutions and talk with people on an individual basis to work these out.

·     A direct interface was needed with tenants over repayments to enable ward members to intervene so people were dealt with fairly, but would repayments be operated by a third-party supplier? The Council had taken advice on service charges and the Council would still be the landlord for its lessees, so this was not going to a third-party supplier. 

·     Would there be signage on the changes to keep businesses and people informed? A Communications strategy would be launching soon to keep people informed, as well as on site signage about which shops were operating.

·     Could a summary of the key parts of the service charges be circulated to help members understand? The Council would not be circulating details of the service charges out of respect to individuals’ personal circumstances and did not want to contravene the GDPR laws.

·     Reassurance about security during the works was sought. The Portfolio Holder appreciated these concerns and that details would be circulated to members, as security was a prime risk for the Council, as well as our tenants. The Service Director continued that key was the contractor’s approach to the works to try to minimise the impact of security on residents.

·     One-hour free parking at The Broadway would encourage traders during the disruption. The Portfolio Holder did not see how the Council could offer this unless officers could come up with an incentive scheme.

·     Would there be a contractor site office on The Broadway? Yes, the contractor would have an on-site presence.

·     Would there be sufficient access for pedestrians and vehicles during the works? The Portfolio Holder replied access to the shops would be maintained, as detailed in the agenda report.

The report set out the options considered, if any, and the reasons for the recommendation and the decision.

The Leader thanked Councillor S Murray for his questions that had been helpful and allowed answers to be provided in advance of the meeting.

Decision:

(1)            That the Cabinet agreed Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) award the refurbishment works contract at The Broadway to Mulalley and Co, with the agreed financial cap of c£4.8mn as detailed in restricted Appendix A – Tender Report.

(2)            That the Cabinet agreed officers and advisers be instructed to finalise negotiations with Mulalley and Co with a view to commencing works in October/November 2024.