Cabinet Member Report
Decision Maker:
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
Date:
2 September 2013
Classification:
For general release
Title:
6 & 6a Crompton Street – Proposed improvements
Wards Affected:
Little Venice
Key Decision:
No
Financial Summary:
Capital expenditure of £347,000 funded from the
Children’s Services ‘Unforeseen & Non-school
budget for 13/14 of £1m.
Report of:
Tri-borough Executive Director of Children’s
Services
1.
Executive Summary
1.1
This report seeks approval to undertake the rebuilding of two areas of
Children’s Services building at 6 & 6a Crompton Street, to create two secure
receptions for the Youth Offending Team (YOT) and Westminster Adolescent
Leaving Care Team (WALC) respectively.
1.2
In accordance with paragraph E2 appended to the Westminster City Council
Financial Regulations July 2012, Cabinet Member approval is required for all
projects costing over £250,000.
1.3
For budgeting purposes the works have been estimated at £347,000.
2.
Recommendations
2.1
That the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People approve the
construction of the works necessary to create the two reception areas in the
building at 6 and 6a Crompton Street
2.2
That the approval of these funds is in accordance with paragraph E2 of the
Finance Regulations.
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3.
Reasons for Decision
To provide sufficient levels of security and control at the building’s two
entrances for the staff, the young people and the visitors who use the building.
4.
Background
4.1
The building known as 6 & 6a Crompton Street was built in the 1970’s as
residential children’s home. It was later altered to incorporate two women’s
refuge flats at the Edgware Road end of the building.
It is now used by Westminster Children’s Services as a youth offender referral
centre and a centre for young people leaving the social care system. These
two operations are known as the Youth Offending Team (YOT) and the
Westminster Adolescent Leaving Care Service (WALC) respectively.
Apart from reversing the alterations for the flats the building was not significant
adapted to suit the requirements of this different usage.
4.2
The two business units are independent and use two separate entrances within
the one building. The external doors have had electronic access controls and
intercoms fitted, but they are not considered to be secure reception operations,
with safe levels of supervision and door control, as would be expected for
these two Children’s Services operations.
4.3
In 2012 there were several occasions where the both the staff, and the young
people who use the building, where put at risk in circumstances that
demonstrated that the current reception areas were not sufficiently secure or
controlled.
4.4
Cazenose Architects were engaged to produce a design to improve the two
reception functions, working with the YOT and WALC managers. However, the
briefing process highlighted a number of operational deficiencies in other areas
of the building, to the extent that a viable business case could be made to
move the two services to another building, with a more suitable internal layout.
4.5
In this context suitability refers to the specific operational requirements of the
two teams and if another site were sought its locality would be a critical. Firstly
the YOT young people from the surrounding estates consider Crompton Street
to be ‘on neutral ground’. Any alternative site would require planning
permission and is likely to encounter objections from local residents and
businesses opposed to such a service being situated next door to them.
4.6
Therefore the scope of this report is restricted to providing a solution to the
problems that arose in 2012, specifically the need for two new secure
receptions and entrances.
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4.7
The new reception works are proposed to consist of:
 The construction of two reception suites of rooms, including external
entrance lobbies.
 Access control, decoration and furniture
 The rerouting of a number of electrical and low voltage cables that clash
with the building works.
4.8
In addition, there are long-standing problems with the building’s lack of internal
ventilation and overheating in summer.
Therefore proposed heating and ventilation works are:
 Install thermostatic radiator valves onto the existing radiators
 Install a modern control panel to manage the boilers’ operation, so that it
responses to outside and inside temperatures
 Rebuild and improve the first floor ducted ventilation system.
These works are only viable in the light of the medium term use of the building,
but in that context are essential.
4.9
In the longer term separate business cases are proposed to relocate both
operations to new premises, but the details of those cases will be dependent
on nature of the operations at the time and are therefore not included in this
report.
5.
Financial Implications
5.1
The cost of the project has been estimated at £347,000 and the cost of each of
elements is shown below.
Cost estimate for Cabinet Member Report
1.
Reception construction works
1.1
Stage C estimate - YOT (Cazenose Architects)
£
177,100
1.2
Stage C estimate - WALC (Cazenose Architects)
£
42,900
2.
Heating & ventilation improvements
£
60,000
3.
Relocating power & data cabling to suit the builder's work
£
10,000
4.
Construction contingency - 10%
£
29,000
5.
Design and management fees - 8%
£
23,200
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6.
Statutory fees allowance
Total for budgeting purposes =
£
4,800
£
347,000
5.2
These costs will be met from the Children’s Services 13/14 budget, T247500,
Children’s Reactive Capital Projects, which has been approved by CRG at
£1m. Currently the only other proposed use of this funding is the works at
Warwick Community Nursery which is forecast at £100k. The remaining money
will be available to fund any subsequent reactive works required in the
remainder of the 13/14 financial year.
6.
Legal Implications
It is not anticipated that there will be any legal implications arising from these
works.
7.
Equalities Implications
It is not anticipated that there will be any equalities implications arising from
these works.
8.
Consultation
The staff at 6 and 6a Crompton Street has been fully consulted throughout the
process.
If you have any queries about this Report or wish to inspect any of the
Background Papers please contact:
Glenn Wass, gwass@westminster.gov.uk, tel: 020 7641 2326
Alan Wharton, awharton@westminster.gov.uk, tel: 020 7641 2911
BACKGROUND PAPERS:
None
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For completion by the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
Declaration of Interest
I have <no interest to declare / to declare an interest> in respect of this report
Signed:
Date:
NAME:
State nature of interest if any …………………………………………………………..……
…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
(N.B: If you have an interest you should seek advice as to whether it is appropriate to make a decision in
relation to this matter)
For the reasons set out above, I agree the recommendation(s) in the report entitled 6 &
6a Crompton Street – Proposed improvements and reject any alternative options
which are referred to but not recommended.
Signed ………………………………………………
Cabinet Member for Children and Young People
Date …………………………………………………
If you have any additional comment which you would want actioned in connection with
your decision you should discuss this with the report author and then set out your
comment below before the report and this pro-forma is returned to the Secretariat for
processing.
Additional comment: …………………………………….……………………………………
……………………………………………………………………..……………………………
If you do not wish to approve the recommendations, or wish to make an alternative
decision, it is important that you consult the report author, the Head of Legal and
Democratic Services, Chief Operating Officer and, if there are resources implications,
the Director of Human Resources (or their representatives) so that (1) you can be made
aware of any further relevant considerations that you should take into account before
making the decision and (2) your reasons for the decision can be properly identified and
recorded, as required by law.
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Note to Cabinet Member: Your decision will now be published and copied to the
Members of the relevant Policy & Scrutiny Committee. If the decision falls within the
criteria for call-in, it will not be implemented until five working days have elapsed from
publication to allow the Policy and Scrutiny Committee to decide whether it wishes to
call the matter in.
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Appendix A
Other Implications
Resources Implications – see main report
Business Plan Implications – see main report
Risk Management Implications - none
Health and Wellbeing Impact Assessment including Health and Safety
Implications - none
5. Crime and Disorder Implications - none
6. Impact on the Environment - none
7. Equalities Implications - none
8. Staffing Implications – see paragraph 9 of guide - none
9. Human Rights Implications - none
10. Energy Measure Implications - none
11. Communications Implications - none
1.
2.
3.
4.
Note to report authors: If there are particularly significant implications in any of the
above categories these should be moved to the main body of the report.
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