a) to note the completion of the Careline/Helpline transfer on 7 August 2025 and the implementation therefore of the Cabinet’s 21 February 2025 resolution in respect of the future of the Council’s Careline service;
b) to note that on 24 September 2025 the Corporate Director – Operations and Delivery, in accordance with the Property Dealing Procedure, agreed and entered into a Licence agreement with Amphora Trading Limited for the use of accommodation at Barnes House on the terms set out in the Licence Agreement (as attached at Appendix 1 to the report);
c) to agree additional time to 31 October 2025 for the finalisation of the three remaining legal agreements relating the Careline/Helpline transfer comprising the Service Transfer Agreement, Services Agreement and Data Sharing Agreement and for the Corporate Director – Planning and Community to use best endeavours to conclude this matter as early as possible within the additional agreed time; and
d) to agree final factual adjustments to the ‘Breakdown of projected budgetary implications’ to mainly reflect known costs in respect of CCTV monitoring infrastructure/ licenses and external legal fees (as detailed in this report) and for the Corporate Director – Planning and Community to proceed to administer and monitor that expenditure (set out in Appendix 1 to the report) as necessary.

To record (through parts a) and b) of the decision) implementation of the Cabinet’s 21 February 2025 decision in respect of the future of the Careline service and the entering into of a licence agreement with Amphora for the use of Barnes House, but to grant (under part c) of the decision) additional time for the finalisation of the three remaining legal agreements for the Careline/Helpline transfer – having not been possible to finalise those agreements within the original six-week period post-transfer agreed by the Portfolio Holder for Partnerships under part d) of her 23 July 2025 resolution.
The proposed additional period to 31 October 2025 represents a timescale within which it is considered likely that the agreements will be finalised and within which the interim technical arrangements described in this report are expected to have come to an end.
Part e) of the Portfolio Holder’s 23 July resolution was to agree to expenditure from the agreed £0.746 one-off implementation budget and authorise the Corporate Director – Planning and Community to administer and monitor that expenditure as necessary. Part d) of this decision is to seek agreement for a final adjusted position on projected expenditure that responds to the known costs around CCTV monitoring infrastructure and legal support.

Recommendations a) and b) of the report provide a factual update in respect of the Careline/Helpline transfer completing on 7 August 2025 and the Barmes House licence agreement being formally entered into on 24 September 2025; for which there are no alternative options for consideration.
Part c) grants an additional period of six-weeks for the finalisation of the three relevant legal agreements to 31 October 2025. This represents a period of time within which it is considered likely that the agreements will be finalised and within which the interim technical arrangements described in the report are expected to have come to an end. The alternative of a longer timescale is not considered necessary given the nature of the outstanding matters which are of a minor legal and technical nature and which, at the time of writing, are understood to have been addressed in principle. A shorter timescale would increase the risk that a further extension of time might be required if, for whatever reason, those matters have still not been finalised and resolved.
Part c) relates to factual adjustments to the projected breakdown of expenditure mainly to reflect known costs in relation to CCTV monitoring infrastructure/licenses and external legal fees. To not make these adjustments would leave the Council with an inaccurate picture in respect of the projected budgetary position and one that does not reflect up to date information.