Agenda item

To consider recommendations of the Cabinet in respect of:

·         Proposed Amendments/Updates to the Contract Procedure Rules

·         Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026/27

(report of the Cabinet enclosed)

Consideration was given to the report of the Cabinet meeting held on 16 December 2025 which sought approval for the Cabinet’s recommendations.

The Leader first introduced the Proposed Amendments/Updates to the Contract Procedure Rules report which had been presented and discussed fully at Cabinet, noting the following points:

• The amendments were needed for two main reasons:
  • Public procurement legislation has changed following the Procurement Act 2023 coming into force on 25 February.
  • The CPRs were last updated three years ago and were now due for review.
• Although the existing CPRs remained compliant, the new amendments further aligned them with the Procurement Act and introduced additional updates.
• Appendix 1A contained a clean version of the updated CPRs; Appendix 1B showed the track?changes version.
• Appendix 2 outlined the proposed delegations to officers, with updated figures to match the new procurement thresholds.
• Appendix 3 highlighted key changes, including new sections on conflicts of interest, pre?market engagement, updated procurement thresholds, and strengthened contract management and monitoring requirements.

The Leader then introduced the Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026/27 report which had been presented and discussed fully at Cabinet, noting the following points:

• The Council must carry out an annual review of its Council Tax Support Scheme for working?age claimants and consult with major precepting authorities and stakeholders.
• The scheme for pensioners is set by the Government and cannot be altered by the Council.
• Considering ongoing economic challenges and the need to support working?age households, Cabinet decided to consult on continuing the current Council Tax Support Scheme.
• For 2026/27, the scheme provides up to 85% support for households with children and 75% for other households.
• Consultation feedback showed that most respondents agreed that the Council should retain the existing levels of support.
  
  

Members queried the low number of responses to the consultation and asked whether anything more could be done to get more people to respond. The Leader responded that it was hard to get people to engage with the consultation but efforts would continue to be made to try and increase the response rate.

DECISION:

Proposed Amendments/Updates to the Contract Procedure Rules:

1. That Council approves the revised Contract Procedure Rules

Local Council Tax Support Scheme 2026/27:

That Council approves the continuation of the current Council Tax support scheme, uprated in line with DWP’s annual update of allowances and premiums for 2026/27.