News
Firms vie for £37m school construction contract
County Hall
PEMBROKESHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL has started pre-qualifying firms to build a secondary school and vocational centre.
The two-storey Pembroke Learning Campus building with a floor area of around 180,000 sq ft will include an autism centre and community learning zone.
The building programme is expected to run for three years. Works, which are expected to start in August 2015.
The Council have described the project as: “The construction of a new build secondary school, vocational and autism centre and community learning zone. The building is predominantly two storeys but also has a lower ground floor covering approximately 2750m2. The works will also include external work to include highways works, car parking, drainage, landscaping and sports pitch provision.”
Pembrokeshire County Council will be under considerable pressure to ensure the tender and documentation process is a transparent one. The Council’s extensive difficulties with holding fair tendering processes and efficiently monitoring projects have been under significant public scrutiny in relation to a number of publicly funded projects that utilised part-external funding.
In particular, the Council has been criticised by external bodies both for overstating the economic benefits of development and adopting opaque and confused management structures for dealing with external funding. Lessons that should have been learned from a comprehensive review of the Council’s mismanagement of Town Heritage Initiative projects conducted by researchers from Oxford Brookes University, were not reflected in the Council’s subsequent management of projects using external public funds.
The Council’s job is not made any easier in this instance by an insistence in the tender documentation that only tenders from Ceridigion, Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire will be considered for acceptance. In addition, the tender will not necessarily go to the cheapest tendering developer.
With a lack of public scrutiny practically assured by the Council’s very restrictive interpretation of guidance about commercial confidentiality, the project could result in a massive payday for a builder/developer with a pre-existing relationship with the Council.
Firms have until January 12 to begin the tender process through the Sell2Wales website.
A LAMPHEY man has been sentenced for stealing £1,300 in cash and bank cards from passengers’ bags on the Tenby-Pembroke Dock train.
The court heard that on August 11, Luke Brummit, 46, removed two rucksacks from the luggage rack and searched them.
“The defendant took the bags into another carriage, searched them, and removed a purse and wallet before leaving the bags beneath the seat,” Crown Prosecutor Derek Davies told magistrates.
Brummit also admitted stealing £86.06 worth of items, including two legs of lamb and bottles of beer, from Sainsbury’s in Tenby on September 19.
Defence solicitor Tom Lloyd said Brummit has since taken steps to address his behaviour: “He’s doing better than he’s ever done and is working to improve his conduct.”
Magistrates imposed an 18-month community order, including 20 rehabilitation activity requirement days and a 120-day alcohol monitoring programme. Brummit must pay £1,300 compensation to the victim, £86.06 to Sainsbury’s, a £114 court surcharge, and £85 in costs.
A FORMER refinery worker has been sentenced after harassing his ex-partner by dumping rubbish in her garden and shouting through her letterbox.
Haverfordwest magistrates heard that on June 14, at around 6:20am, Kyle Allerton, 29, arrived at Leah Jenkins’ property in Milford Haven after attempting to call and text her earlier that morning.
“He rang her at around 6:00am, then turned up at her property at 6:22am,” Crown Prosecutor Derek Davies said.
“He shouted through the letterbox, demanding she come to the door or window to talk to him. He then emptied bins over her garden before driving off in a white van.”
Jenkins said in her victim impact statement: “I feel harassed by his actions and worried about what he might have done.”
Probation officer Courtney Colman explained that Allerton had struggled to cope with the end of their seven-year relationship, turning to alcohol as a coping mechanism.
“He was drinking up to ten cans a day, which contributed to his losing his job at the refinery,” she said.
Allerton pleaded guilty to harassment. Magistrates imposed a 12-month community order, including 15 rehabilitation activity requirement days and 10 hours of unpaid work. He must pay a £114 court surcharge and £85 in costs.
A 21-YEAR-OLD motorist has been sentenced for driving on a Pembrokeshire B road and colliding with a parked van and an outbuilding.
Luke Harvey was driving a blue Ford Fiesta along the B4313 at Llanychaer, near Fishguard, at around 11:30pm on May 16, with a male passenger in the car.
“A call was made to the police, reporting that he had hit a van as well as an outbuilding,” Crown Prosecutor Derek Davies told magistrates.
“The people living at the property advised him to stay at the scene, but he insisted on going home. He managed to free his vehicle and drove off towards Fishguard.”
Police traced the car to an address in Fishguard and located Harvey. He pleaded guilty to failing to stop after an accident, using a vehicle without third-party insurance, and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.
Magistrates fined Harvey £120 and ordered him to pay £85 in costs and a £48 surcharge. His licence was endorsed with eight penalty points.
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Andrew Lye
December 27, 2014 at 4:48 pm
Only firms from Pembs, Carms and Ceredigion can tender?What a restrictive practise!How many could tender?What if a company from further afield could do it much better and cheaper?I thought we were in times of austerity….I don\’t have much confidence, I\’m afraid.miss as if someone is already lined up.
Andrew Lye
December 27, 2014 at 4:50 pm
Seems as if someone is already lined up.
(that’s what the last line should read)
tomos
December 27, 2014 at 10:57 pm
disagree andrew, good to see Pembs. supporting local businesses and local ppl – not sure it’s legal though after all seem to remember when HUGE contracts were given to foreign companies and ppl complained that these organisations were supporting foreig companies the defence was that it was EU Law to open the process to all and they were having to obey the law but when did PCC ever worry about obeying EU Law 🙂
Anthony griffiths
December 28, 2014 at 12:12 am
We are in austerity caused by these pathetic tories! The state has a moral obligation to provide an acceptable eduacational , modern complex! Down with these rotten tories! Rotten to the core!
John Hudson
December 28, 2014 at 9:25 am
My understanding is that our Councillors “got bounced” into supporting a successful £150m outline bid under the WG’s 21st Century Schools programme. PCC’s bid was the largest award of all Counties, and meant the Council had to stump up 50% of the total capital programme or £75m, subject to detailed projects.
The aim of the programme would appear to be driven by the demographic needs of the future school populations where fewer, larger “centralised” schools are required to avoid surplus places in existing out of date school buildings.
The 21st Century Schools programme is a priority of the Council and will be funded by contributions from the Council’s reserves, originally set aside to support other services, receipts from the sales of Council property assets, any surpluses arising at the end of the financial year, and borrowing.
While new capital school buildings may be “a good thing”, which the council may not have got grant aid for providing, all the processes are now aimed towards delivering the programme, mainly directed by the Welsh Government.
We have already seen a “consultation” in Hakin and Hubberstone where the council drew support from the divined views of future parents and children for a single school, as favoured by WG, which would not support a two school build.
This overall significant project was apparently approved without any real understanding of the financial implications at a time the Council was entering a period requiring severe financial reductions and restrictions in the delivery of its services.
Owen Llewellyn
December 29, 2014 at 7:34 am
With a reputation for self-serving backroom deals and the stench of corruption right through PCC I fear this will be another calamity that, considering the mediocrity of their combined wit, will be incapable of delivering without significant scandal. They are too busy feathering their own nests to think of the rest of us.
John Hudson
December 29, 2014 at 9:39 am
The Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts includes the following provision:-
Competitive Dialogue/Negotiated Procedure
The Directives of the EC allow the use of the Competitive Dialogue Procedure and the Negotiated Procedure in certain circumstances. A decision to use either procedure for procurement exercises over the EU Procurement thresholds can be made by the Director/Corporate Head of Service following consultation with the Head of procurement.
Is it right that unelected officers can make such decisions without any reference to or requirement for approval by Cabinet.
Yet another significant authority delegated to the Head of Paid Service conducted in secret.
How many contracts have been awarded in this manner?
Flashbang
December 29, 2014 at 11:57 am
This is way beyond the capabilities of PCC. All I see happening is a series of fiascos, scandals and cover ups from day one if it’s left in their hands. If they can’t even put a roof on a small building without the job being anything but what the contract stipulated then this is going to be the mother of all f***ups.
barry
December 31, 2014 at 11:56 am
That’s what you don’t want andrew lye firms doing it on the cheap thats when the influx of foreign labour comes into effect mate drive wages down and making fat cats fatter think about what your say mush.