Issue - meetings

Cabinet Member: Travel and Development Strategy

Forward Plan Ref: 2021/233

Contact: Julian Richardson, Senior Engineer (Road Agreements Team C&W) Tel: 07825 052736

Report by Corporate Director Environment & Place (CA8).

To seek approval for delegated powers to negotiate alternative Section 278 bond solutions with recognised Public Bodies to the Corporate Director for Environment & Place.

The Cabinet is RECOMMENDED to delegate powers to negotiate and put in place alternative solutions to a conventional Section 278 Agreement Bond with Public Bodies to the Corporate Director for Environment and Place in consultation with the Director of Finance.

Recommendations approved.

Cabinet had before it a report seeking approval for delegated powers to negotiate alternative Section 278 bond solutions with recognised Public Bodies to the Corporate Director for Environment & Place.

Councillor Duncan Enright, Cabinet Member for Travel & Development Strategy, introduced the report and invited Bill Cotton, Corporate Director Environment & Place, to describe the details.

Bill Cotton stated that it was normal to seek a bond from third party partners involved in public highway works to give assurance that work will be done to a high enough standard.  If it was not, then the money from the bond was there to rectify the matter.  It has been the practice to seek the same from public sector partners such as Network Rail or the Department of Education but this gave rise to budget problems for them as they had to find extra funding.

It would be much more efficient for the tax payer if we do not take those bonds from trusted public sector partners.  It is proposed that he, as Corporate Director Environment Place, in consultation with the Cabinet Member and the Director of Finance, could agree those exceptions and that any over £5m would be reported to Cabinet.

Councillor Enright added that this should reduce administration costs and it was important to note that public bodies were not going to go bankrupt and different remedies could be sought should there be problems.

The Chair put the recommendations which were agreed.

RESOLVED: to delegate powers to negotiate and put in place alternative solutions to a conventional Section 278 Agreement Bond with Public Bodies to the Corporate Director for Environment and Place in consultation with the Director of Finance.