Agenda and draft minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The Part 1 minutes of the Portfolio Holder meeting that had been held on 5^th March 2010 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, questions to this Committee must be received in writing 4 working days before the date of the meeting.  Therefore please ensure questions are received by the Democratic Services Team by 5pm on Wednesday 15^th August 2018.

No questions had been received.

ES18056

Members discussed the Part 1 report that had been drafted by Joanne Stowell (LBB Assistant Director for Public Protection and Enforcement).

The tender for the Mortuary Services contract had been processed via ProContract in the usual manner. However, despite the closing date for the tender being extended, no bids had been received. The report was therefore required to consider options for the provision of mortuary services in the light of the failed bid, and made recommendations.

The Executive Director of Environmental and Community Services pointed out that this was a niche market, and that the service needed to be provided close to the Coronial District.  The service provider would need to be able to provide the full range of mortuary services, and LBB had to meet the requirements of the Coroner.

The Assistant Director for Public Protection and Enforcement clarified that there was no private sector provider for this service, and that the geographical location of the mortuary was important. 

The report outlined various options, and Members and the Portfolio Holder considered the benefits and risks associated with each one. It was noted that the preferred option was option three, which was outlined in section 5.3 of the report. This was the option to negotiate with the incumbent provider for a 3+3 year contract.

Members noted the benefits of this option:

·  It offered stable service provision

·  It would enable LBB to discharge its statutory duty in the medium term

·  It would provide the current provider with medium term financial stability

·  It would place LBB in strong negotiating position 

·  It would allow for the formation of a Task and Finish Group to assess options going forward

·  The proposed contract period would allow for an appraisal of the suitability of partnering with other authorities should the need arise.

There would be a risk associated with the option in that the King’s Trust was in financial measures, but this would apply to all the options across the board. 

A Member enquired if a better deal could be achieved with a 5 year contract.  The Assistant Director for Public Protection and Enforcement reiterated the benefits of the three year contract period which had been approved by the Commissioning Board. It was also the case that it would not be in LBB’s best interests to be tied in to a 5 year contract.

The Assistant Director for Public Protection and Enforcement expanded on the work of the proposed Task and Finish Group which had been outlined in section 5.1 of the report.

RESOLVED that:

1) LBB negotiate with the incumbent provider for a 3+3 year contract, as detailed in option three of the report.

2) An exemption from tender to maintain the provision of a statutory service by the incumbent provider be approved by the Portfolio Holder.

3) A Task and Finish Group be formed to explore the options for the future provision of the mortuary service, and to make appropriate recommendations.   

The exempt minutes of the meeting that had been held on 5^th March 2010 were agreed and signed as a correct record.

The part 2 report was basically the same as the part 1 report with a few additional paragraphs.

Matters were able to be discussed and resolved under part 1 without the need to enter into separate part 2 discussions.

Therefore the minutes of the meeting have all been written under the part 1 section of the meeting.