Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Public Health & Equality

Forward Plan Ref: 2022/130

Contact: Kate Holburn, Head of Public Health Programmes, 07825 052768

Report by Corporate Director for Public Health & Community Safety (CMDPHE4).

A number of additional grants, from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities and Office of Health Improvement and Disparities,  have been provided to Oxfordshire County Council Public Health Team to enhance substance misuse services, including the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG) and the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant (SSMTRG).  In August 2022 a new grant was annouced, which will commence in November 2022, the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Housing Support Grant which Oxfordshire are eligible to recieve.  The income from these grants will fund this service.

The Cabinet Member is RECOMMENDED to approve the commission of a contract, via the appropriate procurement route, for a Supplementary Substance Misuse Service, to work alongside the core Community Alcohol and Drug Service.

The Cabinet Member agreed to approve the commission of a contract, via the appropriate procurement route, for a Supplementary Substance Misuse Service, to work alongside the core Community Alcohol and Drug Service.

NOTE: This meeting started at 10:30am instead of 9:00am due to unforeseen circumstances.

Cllr Mark Lygo (Cabinet Member for Public Health & Equality) introduced the issue as per Executive Summary of the report. 

A number of additional grants, from the Department for Levelling up, Housing and Communities and Office of Health Improvement and Disparities, have been provided to Oxfordshire County Council Public Health Team to enhance substance misuse services, including the Rough Sleeping Drug and Alcohol Treatment Grant (RSDATG) and the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Grant (SSMTRG). In August 2022 a new grant was annouced, which will commence in November 2022, the Supplementary Substance Misuse Treatment and Recovery Housing Support Grant which Oxfordshire are eligible to recieve. The income from these grants will fund this service. The annual contract value will be over £500,000 and therefore is required to be entered in the Forward Plan, in accordance with the Access to Information Rules. This is a key decision and a delegated decision consistent with overall Council policy to deliver agreed strategy/plans within the area of responsibility and within approved budgets. 

Kate Holburn (Head of Public Health Programmes) and Sam Read (Public Health Programme Manager) added the procurement route involving transparent competitive tendering would have to comply with the Council’s Contract Procedure Rules.  The value of the community services under the existing three grants would be in the region of £2 million per annum.

Therefore, this decision would be classed as a key decision. The value was too high for an exemption from tendering under the procurement rules because a direct award would breach the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.

The Cabinet Member AGREED to approve the commission of a contract, via the appropriate procurement route, for a Supplementary Substance Misuse Service, to work alongside the core Community Alcohol and Drug Service.