Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member:

Forward Plan Ref: 2014/146

Contact: Jeremy Hollard, Commercial Delivery Manager, Tel: (01865) 906891

Report by Director for Environment & Economy (CA15).

The Report follows the 16 September 2014 Cabinet Report for A34 Major Improvement Schemes Ref: 2014/116.  This report is provided specifically for Chilton Interchange, and updates Cabinet on the current position of the scheme, and provides the Stage 2 Business Case for approval.

The information contained in Annex 2 is exempt in that it falls within the following prescribed category:

3.         Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and since it is considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information, in that where a tender or bidding process is in progress disclosure would distort the proper process of open competition and would prejudice the position of the authority in the process of the transaction and the Council’s standing generally in relation to such transactions in future, to the detriment of the Council’s ability properly to discharge its fiduciary and other duties as a public authority.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to:

(a)          approve the Stage 2 – Full Business Case for the Chilton Interchange scheme;

(b)          pass Delegated Authority to the Executive Director for Environment and Economy in consultation with the Leader to Award the contract for construction once tender assessment is complete and provided the costs are within the budget envelope.

Recommendations Agreed.

The Cabinet had before them a report which followed the 16 September 2014 Cabinet Report for A34 Major Improvement Schemes Ref: 2014/116.  This report was provided specifically for Chilton Interchange, and updated the Cabinet on the current position of the scheme, and provided the Stage 2 Business Case for approval.

The information contained in Annex 2 was exempt in that it fell within the following prescribed category:

3.         Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information) and since it was considered that, in all the circumstances of the case, the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information, in that where a tender or bidding process was in progress disclosure would distort the proper process of open competition and would prejudice the position of the authority in the process of the transaction and the Council’s standing generally in relation to such transactions in future, to the detriment of the Council’s ability properly to discharge its fiduciary and other duties as a public authority.

In the event the Cabinet did not discuss the Exempt Information contained within the Annex.

Councillor Hards, Shadow Cabinet Member for Finance welcomed the Business Case whilst warning that there was some disquiet amongst the public regarding the validity of the Business Case.  He referred to the need for consultation on safe crossing points, especially at Chiltern Fields which was fairly isolated.

The Leader confirmed that the Business Case for the proposals was strong and that the scheme would provide many benefits for the Science Area.  In response to Councillor Hards, he referred to two pedestrian crossings, on Chiltern East Side and on the village side.  These crossings would be activated by cars coming out of the village and would have yellow boxes in front of them.

RESOLVED:    to:

(a)            approve the Stage 2 – Full Business Case for the Chilton Interchange scheme;

(b)            pass Delegated Authority to the Executive Director for Environment and Economy in consultation with the Leader to Award the contract for construction once tender assessment is complete and provided the costs are within the budget envelope.