Bracknell Forest Council
Record of Decision
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Work Programme Reference
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I106498 |
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1. |
TITLE: |
Procurement of Buckler’s Park Community Hub Operator
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2. |
SERVICE AREA: |
Chief Executive's Office
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3. |
PURPOSE OF DECISION
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To seek approval for conducting a procurement exercise to identify an operator to manage the new community hub, playing courts, changing rooms, car parking and associated landscaping at Buckler’s Park in Crowthorne.
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IS KEY DECISION |
Yes
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5. |
DECISION MADE BY: |
Executive
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6. |
DECISION:
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i. The strategic procurement plan attached at Annex A to appoint an operator to manage the new Bucklers Park Community Hub with the adjacent courts, the associated car parking and car park landscaping on a ‘not-forprofit’ or charitable basis.
ii. The cost/quality weighting in favour of quality at 60% and 40% cost is approved.
iii. The contract award decision will be delegated to the Chief Executive in consultation with the Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection.
iv. The lease and other operational arrangements are delegated to the Assistant Director: Chief Executive’s Office in consultation with the Executive Director: Place, Planning & Regeneration and the Executive Member for Culture, Delivery and Public Protection
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7. |
REASON FOR DECISION
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1. On 19th October 2021 the Executive agreed that the council would take the freehold of the Bucklers Park Community Hub from CALA in a single transfer on 1 April 2022 (or soon thereafter) in accordance with the S106 for the Buckler’s Park community hub with the adjacent courts, the associated car parking, allotments, and landscaping (excluding SuDs and Orchard).
2. The Executive also agreed that the management arrangements for the community hub, including courts, car parking, associated landscaping, and allotments (excluding SuDs and Orchard) be overseen by the Council’s Community Engagement and Parks and Countryside teams, through running a procurement exercise to find an operator.
3. The weighting is balanced in favour of quality at 60% and 40% cost due to the importance of securing an operator who can manage the hub competently and financially sustainably with high levels of community engagement to maximise health and wellbeing outcomes for the local community as well as offering a ‘value for money’ approach to management and services offered.
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8. |
ALTERNATIVE OPTIONS CONSIDERED
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1. Several alternative options have been considered for the management of the community hub and these were set out in the report to the Executive in October 2021. They included working in partnership with Crowthorne Parish Council to enable the council to take on the ownership and management of the hub however the Parish Council are not able to commit to doing so at this time.
2. The Council was under no obligation to take on the hub so as an alternative, we could have sought that the developer finds another organisation to take on the hub. The council would have less control over the type of organisation, amount of community activity, its affordability and quality of the provision taking place at the hub.
3. Another alternative option considered was the council receiving the freehold transfer and develop a resident led charitable community association to lease the hub and facilities to. However, the facilities at the site are more complex for this centre which will have multiple internal and external facilities including playing courts. The council would also have to invest significant community development work to set up the resident led community association and its success is reliant on sufficient volunteers stepping up to get and stay involved long term in the running of the association.
4. Another alternative option that was considered was that the Council receives the freehold transfer and then manages the community facility in-house. A feasibility would need to be undertaken to assess the viability of managing the facility which would include staffing & capacity, and caretaking costs, business rates, running costs and maintenance costs set against the potential income for the facility. Operating the facility in-house by the Council will create a business rates liability which would not be payable by a charity.
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9. |
DOCUMENT CONSIDERED: |
Report of the Chief Executive
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10. |
DECLARED CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: |
None
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Date Decision Made |
Final Day of Call-in Period |
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24 May 2022 |
31 May 2022 |
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