RESOLVED that Cabinet –
a) formally receives the Monitoring Officer’s report and in response, notes the update on progress, increased contractual costs and additional budgets required to complete the project;
b) continues to support, acknowledging the risks highlighted, the principle of the Spendells house site being retained and reconfigured for the provision of temporary housing accommodation;
c) notes the financial implications incurred but that the most cost effective route forward is to complete the scheme and the contract in place;
d) allocates an additional £0.850m capital and £0.01m revenue from reserves to facilitate the completion of the project;
e) authorises the additional contractual works to be undertaken and recorded through contract management, as set out in the report (A.6);
f) acknowledges that managers have been reminded of the internal control arrangements in place and the need for these to be followed in order to ensure such contract instructions are not proceeded with in future without the necessary approvals in place;
g) requests that the Portfolio Holder for Housing and Planning provides corporate oversight of the completion of the project within the approvals in place;
h) notes and endorses the instructions and actions of the Chief Executive, as set out within the Addendum Report;
i) requests that Officers provide an update against the instructions and actions taken by the Chief Executive as soon as practicable; and
j) acknowledges the potential alternative to using HRA Reserves highlighted within the Addendum Report and requests that the Section 151 Officer keeps the options under review during the year and reports back to Cabinet as necessary.