The Director of Housing submitted a report to Cabinet to request that they approve the commencement of a tender process for a four year framework for capital works on leasehold properties and delegate authority to award the placement of contractors on the framework and award call-off contracts to those contractors under the framework as and when works are required.

Cabinet is recommended to:

1.    Approve the commencement of a tender process for a four-year framework for capital works on leasehold properties, subject to the required statutory consultation with leaseholders as detailed in this report  

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive for Communities and Citizens, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to:  

a.    award the placement of contractors on the framework and enter into the framework agreement with the successful contractors; and 

b.    award call-off contracts procured from the framework to deliver capital works required on the leasehold properties throughout the duration of the framework 

c.     finalise any and all contractual arrangements 

3.    To approve the expenditure against the budget for the capital works pursuant to the decision of the Cabinet in December 2024 in respect of the approval of the HRA Asset Management Strategy. 

4.    Note the statutory consultations required with leaseholders when carrying out works on leasehold properties as detailed in this report. 

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Approve the commencement of a tender process for a four-year framework for capital works on leasehold properties, subject to the required statutory consultation with leaseholders as detailed in this report  

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive for Communities and Citizens, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to:  

a.    award the placement of contractors on the framework and enter into the framework agreement with the successful contractors; and 

b.    award call-off contracts procured from the framework to deliver capital works required on the leasehold properties throughout the duration of the framework 

c.     finalise any and all contractual arrangements 

3.    To approve the expenditure against the budget for the capital works pursuant to the decision of the Cabinet in December 2024 in respect of the approval of the HRA Asset Management Strategy. 

4.    Note the statutory consultations required with leaseholders when carrying out works on leasehold properties as detailed in this report. 

The Director of Housing submitted a report to Cabinet to request that they approve the commencement of a tender process for a four-year framework for capital works on leasehold properties and delegate authority to award the placement of contractors on the framework and award call-off contracts to those contractors under the framework as and when works are required.

Councillor Smith presented the report. She said they were planning to spend about £9 million on council properties, in areas including fencing, gates, internal and external communal areas, doors, and windows. She said that the report sets out a tender process, to set up a framework, to handle the procurement of the works and to speed up the process and simplify it. She said that it would make it easier for them to reclaim those costs from their leaseholders.

The Housing Policy and Projects Officer said that the report states that there should be a systematic approach from now on, in terms of sensible recovery of costs related to the HRA budget. He said that there would be a full consultation process once the procurement team agrees on the framework. He said that the costs and quality of contractors would be presented to leaseholders for their consideration and there would be a full democratic consultation process. He said that the report states that the Council would work with each individual leaseholder in terms of repayment and be sensitive to their needs on a case-by-case basis.

Councillor Hollingsworth said that he was supportive of this report. He said that with leasehold properties maintenance was not quite as predictable as one would like. This creation of clear program to cover all leaseholder properties was critical. He said that there are a lot of properties which might be ad hoc, and he asked if those older properties would be included in this program. He asked if they would have a program with a timetable by address available to members and leaseholders.

Councillor Brown said that many of their leasehold properties were tenanted to other people. She asked how they could ensure that those tenants don’t have the costs passed on to them from leaseholders.

The Housing Policy and Projects Officer said that the policy would cover all ad hoc properties. In terms of timetable, by address, he said that yes, they would have one on each financial year once the capital works program was confirmed and that it would be advertised on the Council’s website. Regarding costs being passed on, he said that was something they would take away and consider how they could keep this from happening.

Councillor Smith noted the renter’s right act and how this would impact the situation in Oxford.

Cabinet resolved to:

1.    Approve the commencement of a tender process for a four-year framework for capital works on leasehold properties, subject to the required statutory consultation with leaseholders as detailed in this report  

2.    Delegate authority to the Deputy Chief Executive for Communities and Citizens, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Communities, to:  

a.    award the placement of contractors on the framework and enter into the framework agreement with the successful contractors; and 

b.    award call-off contracts procured from the framework to deliver capital works required on the leasehold properties throughout the duration of the framework 

c.     finalise any and all contractual arrangements 

3.    To approve the expenditure against the budget for the capital works pursuant to the decision of the Cabinet in December 2024 in respect of the approval of the HRA Asset Management Strategy. 

4.    Note the statutory consultations required with leaseholders when carrying out works on leasehold properties as detailed in this report.