Issue - meetings

Report of the Executive Director – Regeneration, Economy and Assets

The Cabinet considered the report of the Executive Director – Regeneration, Economy and Assets indicating that as part of a competitive bidding process co-ordinated through the Combined Authority, Sefton Council would be awarded between £2-£17M of grant funding to retrofit poorly insulated homes for low-income Sefton residents. The exact final award was expected during February 2025. The Council estimated that it might be awarded in the region of £5m, and that once the award was known, officers would report the supplementary estimate accordingly. The funding had come from the Department of Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) as part of the government’s Warm Homes programme and supporting the UK Net Zero Carbon by 2050 target. A request for approval to accept this funding was sought to ensure that Sefton could benefit from the 100% grant funding. Spending this funding was time critical to ensure that residents received the benefits and that no proportion of the funding was returned due to slippage in delivery. The programme was due to be delivered between 1 April 2025 and 31 March 2028 and was split into 3 annual delivery programmes. Due to the level of the grant funding, authority to accept the funding, as well as to secure permission to procure and award works, was required from both the Cabinet and the Council.

It was noted that the Portfolio for the report should be amended to reflect the Cabinet Member – Public Health and Wellbeing and that recommendations (2) and (3) should be amended accordingly.

Decisions Made:

That subject to the Council approving a supplementary capital estimate of £2-17M fully funded by grant funding:

(1)           a supplementary revenue estimate of 10-13% of the revenue amount (fully funded by grant funding) be approved;

(2)           authority be delegated to the Executive Director - Regeneration, Economy and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Public Health and Wellbeing, to sign the grant funding agreement and any associated documentation, with the Combined Authority;

(3)      authority be delegated to the Executive Director - Regeneration, Economy and Assets, in consultation with the Cabinet Member – Public Health and Wellbeing, to appoint a contractor via a direct award from a public procurement regulations compliant framework and enter into the contract once the procurement process is completed in order to undertake the required works; and

(4)      the Council be requested to approve a supplementary capital estimate in the region of £5m, the exact value of which will be confirmed as part of the regular financial reporting, pending an announcement from the Government.

Reasons for the Decisions:

The funding secured was low risk and did not require match funding from the Council. The resultant work would directly support vulnerable residents to live in a healthier and warmer home with lower energy costs. The funding would also support green job creation, a theme that Sefton Council had championed in retrofit immersive training at the Cambridge Road Adult Education Centre and would include in the National Lottery funded SCRAP (Sefton Climate and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 114