Issue - meetings

The Board considered a report of the Director of Adult Social Services which informed them that the contract with The Salvation Army for the delivery of supported housing services at Brennan Lodge had been terminated.

        The Board was advised that the service was originally commissioned to provide a single homeless service in Widnes. The service was procured in 2014/15 and opened in July 2015. The Salvation Army were commissioned to deliver the service following a robust procurement process, and following contract award, they joined the steering group responsible for the property development. 

It was noted that, due to ongoing issues and areas of concern identified within the scheme, and as detailed in the report, an action plan was devised for the relevant Officers to update and complete. The service audit review was completed in June 2016, and although it confirmed that there had been slight improvements, repeated errors still existed within the procedural practice and case file management that had not been previously addressed.

The report set out three possible options for Brennan Lodge, which were; to fully lift the suspension of the service; to continue with partial suspension; or to terminate the contract with the current provider. Members were advised that the Local Authority had served formal notice on The Salvation Army, giving three months notice to terminate the contractual agreement.

RESOLVED: That the Board note

1)    the report;

2)    that the contract with  The Salvation Army has been terminated; and

3)    that a re-procurement process has commenced, the outcome of which will be reported to the Executive Board.