Content

Cabinet:

(1) 
noted and approved the Resource Plan in exempt Appendix 1 of the
report for the New Schools (Leyton) PFI Project (Lammas School) as
follows:

§  
approved funding of up to £95,000 from
corporate contingency for the asset condition surveys;
and

§  
noted that resource costs of £58,000 for
Project Management / Technical and Commercial support in 2024 will
be funded by the Infrastructure and Projects Authority
(IPA).

(2) 
delegated authority to the Corporate Director of Property and
Delivery:

§  
to proceed with the procurement of technical
advisers, staff and surveys to support the PFI expiry process and
discharge necessary functions arising from the early survey noted
at paragraph 3.4 of the report;

§  
to award contracts provided they are within the
resources available in the resources plan to meet such
commitments.

(3) 
delegated authority to the Strategic Director of Resources to
increase the future budget for New Schools (Leyton) PFI Project
(Lammas School) expiry activities up to a maximum allocation of
£500,000 for future expenditure as determined. 
 

Options & Alternatives Considered

The allocation of resources set out in this report will ensure that
Lammas School, and those covered by the other PFI Project
Agreements through lessons learnt, governance structures and
upskilling of the Schools’ Asset Management Team, are
returned in good condition and provide a suitable environment for
the education of pupils in the Borough.

If the Expiry process is not allocated additional resource or
expertise, this will result in delays to the implementation of the
condition survey’s findings, the failure to identify the full
extent of the works required and the school potentially being
returned in a sub-standard condition. The Council could also be in
breach of its obligation under the Schools Agreement with the
Academy Trust and could face scrutiny from the DfE and IPA who have
a keen interest in the Expiry process and who have undertaken
surveys and made recommendations to ensure the smooth transition to
Expiry.