To consider a report from the Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration.

NOTE: An associated report is to be considered in Part II of the agenda.

1)    That the disestablishment of the current STAR Joint Committee be approved.

2)    That the expansion of the current shared procurement service to include the Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner which will continue to be hosted by Trafford Borough Council in accordance with the provisions detailed in the main body of the report be approved.

3)    That the establishment of a new STAR Joint Committee for Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale, Tameside, the Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner that will support the delivery of the Shared Service and provide delegated authority to the Procurement Service to operate across the Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale, Tameside, Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner areas be approved.

4)    That the governance arrangements and Terms of Reference of the new STAR Joint Committee as set out in the report be approved.

5)    That the delegation of authority to the Director of Legal and Governance to agree the final terms and conditions of and to enter into an Inter Authority Agreement (“IAA”) in respect of the STAR Procurement shared service in similar terms to the existing IAA be approved.

6)    That the proposed approach to those circumstances whereby staff would transfer to the new procurement service, and therefore to Trafford Council under TUPE, as outlined in the report be noted and approved.

The Executive member for Economy and Regeneration introduced the report noting that since its inception STAR Procurement had expanded to include Tameside and the proposals within the report proposed a further evasion to add two more Local Authorities taking the total number to six. The report detailed how the current governance arrangements had to be dissolved and the new arrangements that would be brought in. Members were asked to note the benefits the expansion of the service would offer to the Council and its partners. The Executive member for Economy and Regeneration concluded the introduction by thanking the STAR Procurement Officers for all their work in bringing the piece of work together.

The Leader welcomed the report as there were many benefits to expanding STAR and thanked the Exec Member and STAR Officers for all their hard work.

Councillor Butt noted that STAR was originally designed to support local suppliers and asked whether this would continue given the increase in size in the organisation which would likely lead them to move to larger suppliers. The Exec Member for Economy and Regeneration answered Councillor Butt and assured him that his concerns had been considered by the partner Authorities when going through the expansion process and that work had been done to ensure that STAR would continue to support SME companies so they would be able to bid for contracts.

Councillor Butt asked whether there was any opportunity for members from other parties to sit on the STAR Joint Committee. The Executive member responded that the governance arrangements were laid out within the report and each authority had one Executive Member on the Committee. The Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration encouraged Councillors to engage with STAR staff if they had any questions and reminded Councillor Butt that the meetings and all papers were available online.

Councillor Jerrome asked why there was no detailed document on the Council’s approach to sustainability for STAR and why there was no carbon accounting on contracts. The Executive Member for Economy and

Regeneration answered that there were carbon reduction elements within the social value aspect of contracts and that she would speak with the Director of STAR Procurement to get more details.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the disestablishment of the current STAR Joint Committee be approved.

2)    That the expansion of the current shared procurement service to include the Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner which will continue to be hosted by Trafford Borough Council in accordance with the provisions detailed in the main body of the report be approved.

3)    That the establishment of a new STAR Joint Committee for Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale, Tameside, the Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner that will support the delivery of the Shared Service and provide delegated authority to the Procurement Service to operate across the Stockport, Trafford, Rochdale, Tameside, Fifth Partner and Sixth Partner areas be approved.

4)    That the governance arrangements and Terms of Reference of the new STAR Joint Committee as set out in the report be approved.

5)    That the delegation of authority to the Director of Legal and Governance to agree the final terms and conditions of and to enter into an Inter Authority Agreement (“IAA”) in respect of the STAR Procurement shared service in similar terms to the existing IAA be approved.

6)    That the proposed approach to those circumstances whereby staff would transfer to the new procurement service, and therefore to Trafford Council under TUPE, as outlined in the report be noted and approved.