Cabinet Member: Councillor Lowry

The City Council will asked to approve the capital budgets to achieve decant of the Civic Centre.

The minutes of Cabinet held on 3 September 2013 will be submitted together with the public report considered at Cabinet.  (Please see also agenda item 17 below).

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) presented the Cabinet recommendation seeking approval of the appropriate capital budget to achieve decant of the Civic Centre arising from the redevelopment of the Civic Centre and future accommodation requirements (Cabinet minutes 38, 38a and 45 referred).

The attention of councillors was also drawn to the private report containing confidential information which had been circulated and was referred to in minute 55 below. 

Councillor Tuffin seconded the proposal.

Councillors Lowry, Peter Smith and Bowyer and the officers (Alwyn Thomas (Senior Commercial Lawyer) and Les Allen (Transformation Programmes Manager)) were thanked for their work on this project.  

Following a debate, the proposal was put to the vote, 

Agreed the appropriate capital budgets to achieve decant of the Civic Centre, as identified within the private report referred to in Cabinet minute 45 and minute 55 below.

The Director for Place and the Interim Director for Corporate Services will submit a report seeking authority to award the contract for the redevelopment of the Civic Centre and adjoining car park to the preferred bidder, to agree where services and staff will be relocated, the financial resources and to ask the City Council to agree capital resources.

The minute of the Co-operative Scrutiny Board of 21 August 2013 is also submitted.

Background papers to this report can be accessed at the Council’s website Council and Democracy/Councillors and Committees/Library/Cabinet background papers or using the following hyperlink –

http://tinyurl.com/bdqgk2r

Anthony Payne (Director for Place) and David Trussler (Interim Director for Corporate Services) submitted a report seeking authority to award the contract for the redevelopment of the Civic Centre and adjoining car park to the preferred bidder, to agree where services and staff will be relocated following an options appraisal, to agree the financial resources and to ask the City Council to agree capital resources.

Councillor Lowry (Cabinet Member for Finance) introduced the proposals and computer generated images of the proposals relating to the Civic Centre were shown to Cabinet. It was emphasised that the proposals were subject to further work and planning considerations and Councillor Lowry hoped that the public would be provided with an opportunity to express their views.    

Cabinet Members welcomed –

Cabinet Members’ attention was also drawn to the separate private report, referred to in minute 45 below, which included commercially sensitive information.   

Alternative options considered and reasons for the decision –

As set out in the report.

Minute 53 of the Co-operative Scrutiny Board of 21 August 2013 was also submitted endorsing the recommendations in the written reports and seeking an update in three months’ time with further information to be provided as set out in the minute.

The Chair expressed his gratitude to Les Allen (Transformation Programmes Manager) and Alwyn Thomas (Civic Centre Project Director) (who were in attendance at the meeting) for their work on this project.    

Agreed –