Issue - meetings

Mr S Mitchell (Senior Commissioner) was in attendance for this item

(1)        Mr Mitchell introduced the report and said that the Covid-19 pandemic had delayed the procurement process for the Community Based Wellbeing Services contracts. The procurement process would restart in September 2020. A revised timetable would be required and as such, an extension to some grant and contract agreements into the 2021/2022 financial year.

a)    In response to a question, Mr Mitchell referred to the third phase of the procurement programme which would be a re-procurement of the Carers Short Breaks contract. He said that the third phase would start from the beginning of next year and in order for the work that needed to be undertaken to go through the procurement process, a significant amount of consultation work needed to be undertaken to grasp an understanding of what carers were seeking in terms of support.

b)    In response to a question which related to Age UK Canterbury, Mr Mitchell said that it would be part of the second phase of the procurement programme as the approval would seek grant arrangements to continue up until approximately October 2021. He added that he could not foresee who the future providers may or may not be at this stage of the process.

(2)        RESOLVED that the decision proposed to be taken by the Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care and Public Health to:

a)    extend all required grant arrangements to cover Phase 2 of procurement until 30 September 2021;

b)    extend existing grant agreements to Edenbridge Voluntary Transport Service, Sevenoaks Volunteer Transport Group, Hospice in the Weald and Heart of Kent Hospice, for the full duration of the procurement programme (to end March 2022);

c)    extend the Carers Short Breaks contract, to Crossroads Care Kent, until 31 March 2022; and

d)    delegate authority to the Corporate Director of Adult Social Care and Health to take other relevant actions, including but not limited to entering into and finalising the terms of relevant contracts or other legal agreements, as necessary to implement the decision,

be endorsed.

Mr Burden abstained from the recommendation and asked that this be recorded in the minutes.