Basildon Borough Council

The council rejected a proposed 3.2% uplift to members' allowances. This means no additional spending on councillor allowances, and the existing scheme remains in place for now.

The committee approved a replacement helipad at Basildon University Hospital after accepting that the current facility is undersized and does not meet modern safety and operational standards. Officers and members relied on very special circumstances linked to emergency medical infrastructure, and the scheme included a biodiversity gain plan and amended security condition.

The council has procured an experienced market research contractor to run tenant satisfaction surveys externally rather than in-house. The change is intended to improve independence, free officer capacity, and support a revised methodology with more reliable tenant insight and demographic capture.

The council is preparing to procure a new housing repairs and maintenance delivery model after the Morgan Sindall arrangement was extended at a cost of £1 million. The proposed model will use a schedule of rates, multiple contractors and local suppliers where possible, with up to £500,000 earmarked for specialist procurement support to design the contract properly.

The council resolved to rescind support for the five-unitary BASROC model and to oppose the South West Essex authority proposal, with support for a county-wide referendum and possible joint legal/political action. This affects future service reorganisation, procurement aggregation, and major contract and governance planning under local government reorganisation.

The council opposed the government's draft local plan housing requirement of around 28,000 homes, arguing it is unsustainable without major infrastructure funding. Members said the council would submit to regulation 19 but continue to resist the target and press for infrastructure-first development and a review of the standard method.

The meeting was dominated by three outline residential applications in Basildon, each raising procurement-relevant issues around infrastructure contributions, education, highways, drainage, biodiversity and affordable housing. Members repeatedly questioned the lawfulness and sufficiency of Section 106 mitigation, especially for school places and wastewater capacity, while officers relied on green belt/gray belt assessments and housing land supply pressure to justify recommendations. Two applications were refused and one was deferred/continued due to the meeting guillotine, with significant debate around whether planning obligations and mitigation measures were adequately secured.

The cabinet approved a new borough-wide community grants fund, a new cemetery and memorials policy framework, private rented sector enforcement policies under the Renters' Rights Act, revised hackney carriage licensing rules, and major housing repairs procurement through Plentific and associated contractors. It also noted the capital strategy and revenue outturn, both of which highlighted financial pressure, especially homelessness and temporary accommodation costs. The meeting was dominated by the government's intervention on the draft local plan and the council's decision to comply with regulation 19 while resisting the scale of housing targets and green belt loss.