Agenda item

(To receive a report from the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection, which seeks approval to enter into a Collaboration Agreement legal agreement and to enter into a works contract with Willmott Dixon to construct a new Blue Light Campus)

That the Executive:

1)    approve in principle that the Council enter into a Collaboration Agreement with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire and the East Midlands Ambulance Services NHS Trust generally on the terms described in the Report

2)    approve in principle that the Council enter into a works contract with Willmott Dixon to construct the new Blue Light Campus on South Park Avenue, Lincoln generally on the terms described in the Report

3)    delegates to the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection, in consultation with a sounding board consisting of Councillor M J Hill OBE (Leader of the Council), Councillor B Young (Executive Councillor for Community Safety and People Management) and Councillor C N Worth (Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services), authority to determine the final form of and enter into the Collaboration Agreement and  works contract referred to above and authority to approve and enter  into all further legal documentation necessary to give effect to the Collaboration Agreement.

Consideration was given to a report from the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection, which provided an overview of progress to date on the Lincoln Blue Light Campus Project; sought approval to enter into the Blue Light Collaboration programme legal agreement; and sought approval to enter into a works contract.

The County Property Officer; Principal Lawyer and Development Programme Manager presented the report and in doing so, highlighted that the report described the background to and benefits of the proposed Blue Light Collaboration Programme between the County Council, the Police and Crime Commissioner and East Midlands Ambulance Service.

Members were provided with an opportunity to ask questions, where the following points were noted: -

·         It was confirmed that there were no software packages currently available to enable joint call handling between County Council's Fire and Rescue; the Police and Crime Commissioner; and the East Midlands Ambulance Service.  However, if the software becomes available, this was something which would be explored to ensure further integration.  It was noted that at present, the call handling for the East Midlands Ambulance Service was undertaken on a regional basis;

·         It was queried how a potential withdrawal by one of the key service partners from the project would be handled.  Members were assured that although this was an unlikely event as all of the key delivery partners were committed to the programme, variations could be made within the contract on design of the building subject to it not impacting on the planning application.  The remaining partners would be required to discuss a way forward in this event;

·         Officers confirmed that they would clarify what information the Lincolnshire clinical commissioning groups had received on the programme;

·         Officers confirmed that the proposed investment would be capital expenditure and not from revenue budgets.  The programme would allow longer term savings to be achieved across the key delivery partners.  Although the aim of the co-location was not necessarily to improve the performance times for East Midlands Ambulance Service, the ongoing utilisation of Fire and Rescue's co-responders would continue to improve performance times.

The Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Management Committee advised that the Community and Public Safety Scrutiny Committee had considered a report on the Blue Light Campus and Collaboration Agreement at its meeting on 1 March 2017.  It was noted that the Committee had supported the recommendations contained in the Executive's report and its comments were tabled at the meeting.

RESOLVED

That the Executive:

1)    approve in principle that the Council enter into a Collaboration Agreement with the Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire and the East Midlands Ambulance Services NHS Trust generally on the terms described in the Report

2)    approve in principle that the Council enter into a works contract with Willmott Dixon to construct the new Blue Light Campus on South Park Avenue, Lincoln generally on the terms described in the Report

3)    delegates to the Executive Director of Finance and Public Protection, in consultation with a sounding board consisting of Councillor M J Hill OBE (Leader of the Council), Councillor B Young (Executive Councillor for Community Safety and People Management) and Councillor C N Worth (Executive Councillor for Culture and Emergency Services), authority to determine the final form of and enter into the Collaboration Agreement and  works contract referred to above and authority to approve and enter  into all further legal documentation necessary to give effect to the Collaboration Agreement.