Decision details

Sewage treatment works in Moulsford

Decision Maker: Cabinet

Decision status: For Determination

Is Key decision?: Yes

Is subject to call in?: Yes

Purpose:

Purpose: to approve commencement of procurement for a new sewage treatment plant 

Decisions:

Cabinet considered the report of the head of HR, IT and technical services.  This set out a case to procure a new sewage treatment plant at Moulsford.  The council was responsible for running and maintaining this plant. 

 

David Turner addressed Cabinet, expressing concern that Thames Water had chosen not to adopt the replacement plant.  He suggested that the council should write to the government seeking a review to require water companies to adopt community sewage treatment works.  The leader agreed that this should be raised with the government and asked officers to draft a letter that he and David Turner, the leader of the opposition, could jointly sign. 

 

The report set out the following options:

1.    taking no action

2.    upgrading the existing treatment works

3.    connecting the private drainage system to the Thames Water sewer on the east side of the River Thames at South Stoke at an estimated cost of £2.36 million

4.    replacing the treatment works at a cost of £300,000 (funding previously allocated to the provisional capital programme)

 

Cabinet considered that the existing treatment works had exceeded its design life span and needed replacement rather than upgrading.  The cost of connecting to the Thames Water system was considered too high.  Cabinet therefore agreed to replace the treatment works. 

 

Cabinet also noted that the council would contact the housing association SOHA to seek a contribution towards the capital cost of the work. 

 

RESOLVED:

 

(a)     To begin a procurement process to identify a suitable supplier for a new replacement sewage treatment works at Moulsford;

 

(b)     Subject to the winning tender being within capital allocation, to delegate the award of the contract to supply and install a new sewage treatment works to the head of HR, IT and technical services in consultation with the cabinet member for technical services.  Decision to award to be recorded and fully documented using ‘record of officer decision’ documentation;

 

(c)     To note that the transfer of budget for the project from the provisional to the approved capital programme will be undertaken using an individual cabinet member decision once actual costs are known; and

 

(d)     To request officers to draft a letter, to be signed jointly by the council leader and the leader of the opposition, expressing the council’s concern and disappointment that there is no mechanism to require water companies to adopt community sewage treatment works and requesting that this situation is reviewed. 

Report author: Ben Coleman

Publication date: 24/07/2017

Date of decision: 15/06/2017

Decided at meeting: 15/06/2017 - Cabinet

Effective from: 24/06/2017

Accompanying Documents:

 

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