Issue - meetings

To consider a report by the Director of Operational Services regarding the collaboration agreement for the Great Fen.

Agreed in principle to the entering of a Collaboration Agreement subject to its redrafting to include reference to all potential costs such as severance or personal injury claims in Clause 7 and amendments to Section 14 confidentiality to enable scrutiny and open transparency in the management of the project.   Also authorised the Director of Environmental and Community Services, after consultation with the relevant Executive Councillor, to sign the resulting revised Collaboration Agreement.

Further to Minute No. 08/94 consideration was given to a report by the Director of Environmental and Community Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) to which was attached a draft Collaboration Agreement in respect of the Great Fen Project. 

The Cabinet were advised that the Collaboration Agreement would strengthen the existing Memorandum Agreement by defining the relationship between the partners, setting out the projects aims and objectives and summarising certain managerial/financial matters. 

In discussing the contents of the Collaboration Agreement Members’ attention was drawn to the conclusions reached by the Overview and Scrutiny Panel (Environmental Well-Being) on the matter.  In that respect, Executive Councillors concurred with the Panel that Clause 7.1 did not refer explicitly to all potential costs such as severance or personal injury claims and the confidentiality provisions in Section 14 might prevent scrutiny and transparency in the management of the project.  Executive Councillors were of the opinion that the Collaboration Agreement should be redrafted to reflect these sentiments. Whereupon, it was

RESOLVED

(a)  that the principle of entering into a Collaboration Agreement in respect of the Great Fen Project, for a renewable five year fixed term, be approved; and

(b)  that the Director of Environmental and Community Services, after consultation with the relevant Executive Councillor, be authorised to sign the resulting revised Collaboration Agreement.

To receive a report by the Director of Environmental and Community Services on the Great Fen Collaboration Agreement.

(Councillor D B Dew, Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport was in attendance for this item. Councillors P L E Bucknell and E R Butler, members of the Overview and Scrutiny Panels (Social Well-Being and Economic Well-Being respectively) were also in attendance).

Following an introduction by the Executive Councillor for Planning Strategy and Transport, the Panel considered a report by the Director of Environmental and Community Services (a copy of which is appended in the Minute Book) summarising a proposal for the Council to enter with other organisations into a Great Fen Collaboration Agreement. A copy of the draft Collaboration Agreement had been circulated with the report.

The Panel accepted that the Collaboration Agreement offered the most appropriate governance arrangement between the various partners at the present stage of development of the Great Fen Project and was advised that the Agreement would be reviewed once the Project moved into a trading position. The Panel also expressed its ongoing support for the Council’s involvement in the Project, which enabled the views of the local community to be represented and provided a democratic focus for the Project.

Having regard to the Collaboration Agreement itself, Members felt that whilst Clause 7.1 appeared to be intended to cover all of the salary costs of the Project Manager, it did not refer explicitly to all potential costs that might occur such as severance or personal injury claims.  The Panel suggested therefore that the wording could be more precise to avoid future ambiguity. Members also raised a concern that the confidentiality provisions in Section 14 of the Agreement might impede future scrutiny and transparency in the management of the Project.  The Panel felt that the section should be re-drafted to ensure that scrutiny was not precluded.  Further to this, the Panel sought an annual report to be presented to partners on progress towards the achievement of the Project’s aims and objectives. 

RESOLVED

that the Cabinet be advised of the Panel’s views on the Great Fen Collaboration Agreement.