The Council has sought support from Local Government East (LGE) via their Talent Bank of individuals with expertise in local government matters.
The support has been sought in respect of the drafting of a housing strategy and support with other strategy/policy drafting and advice and support to senior managers.
The estimated cost of the support required is £20,356 that will be funded from underspends within existing salary budgets for the Housing service, arising as a consequence of vacancies.
An officer decision is required before a contract with LGE can be entered in to.

To directly appoint Local Government East to provide support to the Council in respect of the drafting of a housing strategy and other policy / strategy drafting and advice and support to senior officers.

Option 1 - not seeking support - given pressures associated with preparing a new housing strategy, a significant vacancy having arisen within the Housing Service along with other pressures facing senior officers in the service it is likely that not seeking support will leave the drafting of the strategy falling behind anticipated timeframes.
Option 2 - to run a procurement exercise to find an external organisation to provide the support required. Initiating a full tender process for such a contract would be time-consuming, leading to service delivery gaps until the contractor is appointed. Additionally, it is likely to incur higher costs compared to the proposed arrangement.
Option 3 - Direct Employment: While ideal, recruiting high-quality professionals for fixed-term positions in Tendring is challenging due to the existing salary structure.
Option 4 - proposed approach - Alternative Compliant Frameworks: Options like the East of England Local Government Association (EELGA) Talent Bank may be suitable for specific assignments requiring particular skill sets such as this one. However, they may not offer the comprehensive coverage for 'business as usual' roles that the ECC Service Solution framework for temporary workers guarantees.