RESOLVED that Cabinet -

(a)  notes the indicative annual costs emerging at this stage in the procurement process, as set out in the Portfolio Holder’s report (B.1);

(b)  notes the financial position that the Council finds itself in and associated risk, uncertainty and associated value for money matters;

(c)   acknowledges that, as a direct implication of the Local Government Reorganisation programme for Greater Essex, the Council should no longer be pursuing a contract term for eight years plus and that a shorter term is necessary;

(d)  notes that through any proposed Local Government Reorganisation, a Shadow Authority for the Unitary Authority could be in place by April 2027, and be able to consider major contracts and liabilities together with the Sovereign Council, but that there is still significant uncertainly around any proposals and timetables;

(e)  notes the contents of the Legal Advice received by the Council’s external solicitors, Sharpe Pritchard, as set out in full in Appendix A to report B.1;

(f)    undertakes an assessment of the risks identified together with the required mitigation measures, as set out in the aforementioned Appendix A and the body of the report (B.1);

(g)  subject to the above, determines whether to recommend proceeding with consideration of Option 1 (being confirmed in Part A following further information being taken into account through the content of that report (A.2)); and

(h)  authorises the Corporate Director (Operations and Delivery), in consultation with the Leader of the Council, the Portfolio Holders for Environment & ICT and Assets & Community Safety, and the Section 151 and Monitoring Officers to exercise a degree of flexibility with regards to the contract term following the dialogue sessions, to ensure the Council can deliver a statutory service from April 2026, to be included within the Invitation to Submit Final Tenders (which includes the detailed specification), without the need to revert to Cabinet.