The Officer Key Decision meeting scheduled for Tuesday 17 March 2026 was set to discuss an early works package for the refurbishment of Lady Helen Seymour House. This refurbishment is intended to create a 42-bed Rough Sleeping Assessment Centre.

Early Works Package for Lady Helen Seymour House

The meeting's agenda included a report concerning an early works package for Buxton Building Contractor Ltd for the refurbishment of Lady Helen Seymour House. This package is a necessary step to meet the project's completion date of January 2027 and to secure grant funding from the Greater London Authority (GLA) and the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC).

The report indicated that the Corporate Director of Inclusive Economy and Housing, Paul Kitson, in consultation with Cllr Rita Chadha, Lead Member for Adult Health and Social Care, was recommended to agree to enter into an advanced works agreement with Buxton Construction Limited. The proposed early works include site setup, demolition of internal walls, lowering the ground floor, installing hoarding for site security, erecting scaffolding, and addressing highway requirements and statutory fees.

The estimated cost for this early works package was £820,765.65, which would be funded from the overall capital allocation for the project. This allocation totals £10.802m, comprising GLA SHAP capital grant funding, GLA Top-up, Carbon Offset Fund, and prudential borrowing. The project aligns with Newham's Homelessness and Rough Sleeping Strategy, aiming to support people to move off and stay off the streets, and also contributes to the council's Corporate Plan priorities for a healthier Newham and providing homes for residents. The report also referenced the council's Climate Action Just Transition Plan, highlighting principles of increasing equity, reducing emissions, and future readiness.

The report noted that the decision was delegated to the Corporate Director of Inclusive, Economy and Housing following a restructure in August 2025. The decision-making process was also subject to consultation with Cllr Rita Chadha. The report stated that the estimated contract value was below the threshold for works under the Procurement Act 2023, meaning it was not subject to the full regime of that act. The report also confirmed that an Equalities Impact Assessment had been undertaken for the broader Rough Sleeping Integrated Supported Services procurement, which included the potential inclusion of this service, and no adverse impact on equalities was noted.

The report indicated that Appendix A contained exempt information due to legal professional privilege, and therefore was not publicly available.