Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director, Finance and Customer Services

Recommendations:

That Cabinet:-

1.    Approves the programme of works to design and fit the LED and Solar PV works to the five Council buildings listed in Section 2.5 of this report to be delivered through a procurement process.

2.    Approves the appointment of a partner to support and advise on the development of the remaining operational estate and to deliver the decarbonisation works contained in this report, to the five Council buildings, to be identified through a procurement process.

3.    Approves the use of grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and a contribution from the existing Council capital decarbonisation project to deliver the proposed works to the Council’s operational property, as set out in exempt Appendix 1.

4.    Approve a procurement process to be undertaken to establish a heat delivery contract to provide a heat source to the proposed Council owned properties.

5.    Approve that a report will be to be submitted to Cabinet following this process that will detail the outcome of the procurement, its financial feasibility and recommendations for heat delivery for the five buildings listed within Section 2.5.

Consideration was given to the report which noted that the Council declared a climate emergency in October 2019. In 2020, Cabinet resolved to be nett zero as a Council by 2030 and as a borough by 2040. A significant challenge in delivering the action plan was the reduction in emissions from its own buildings, which could include any or all of the following, such as LED lighting, improved insulation, double glazing and solar panels. Government funding was received to enable the decarbonisation of buildings and Cabinet approved £6.4m to begin the decarbonisation work.

Approval was sought for the work needed in five buildings, which included, the Town Hall, Riverside House, Civic Theatre, Clifton Park Museum and the Orchard Centre. In addition to the decarbonisation of the buildings there was a need to find an alternative heat source for the buildings from those currently used. A head source network could be considered but in order to connect to one, the Council would need to secure a partner, as there wasn’t a heat source network in the borough currently. The report was seeking the procurement of a partner but due to the nature of the procurement specific requirements were needed which were listed in the exempt appendix.

The Leader clarified that Cabinet were approving a programme of works to design and fit LED and solar panel to the five council buildings mentioned. To approve the appointment of a partner to support and advise the development of the remaining operational estate and deliver decarbonisation works contained in the report. To approve the use of the Government grant funding from the public sector decarbonisation scheme as well as the funding put aside to deliver the proposed work and to approve the procurement process as to establish a heat source network or heat delivery contract to provide a heat source to Council owned buildings.

Resolved: That Cabinet:

1.    Approved the programme of works to design and fit the LED and Solar PV works to the five Council buildings listed in Section 2.5 of this report to be delivered through a procurement process.

2.    Approved the appointment of a partner to support and advise on the development of the remaining operational estate and to deliver the decarbonisation works contained in this report, to the five Council buildings, to be identified through a procurement process.

3.    Approved the use of grant funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme and a contribution from the existing Council capital decarbonisation project to deliver the proposed works to the Council’s operational property, as set out in exempt Appendix 1.

4.    Approved a procurement process to be undertaken to establish a heat delivery contract to provide a heat source to the proposed Council owned properties.

5.    Approved that a report would be to be submitted to Cabinet following this process that would detail the outcome of the procurement, its financial feasibility and recommendations for heat delivery for the five buildings listed within Section 2.5.