Decision details

Following consideration of the officer report, appendices, and discussion, the Executive:

1. noted the heritage activities carried out by the Trust during the reporting period 1 November 2023 to 31 October 2024. 

2. approved that the Council shall renew its contractual arrangements with the Trust upon same terms save for those set out below and publish an associated Voluntary Ex-Ante Transparency (VEAT) Notice to mitigate risks of legal challenge. Trust New key terms: 

                                 i.         Contract value to be £1,500,000 per annum agreement to deliver statutory services. 

                               ii.         No contract indexation uplift will be applied. 

                              iii.         Agreement for the length of the contract to be until 2044, in line with the majority of leases, with the lease on Taunton Castle being the last of twelve leases to expire in 2056. Reserving the current ability to end contractual arrangements every 5 years. 

                              iv.         A contract review to take place every five years to assess and adjust where necessary: 

a.    Service Performance 

b.    Suitability of the arrangement 

c.    Service delivery scope 

d.    Core contract value 

e.    Or to bring the arrangement to an end. 

3. delegated authority to the Executive Director, Community Services to finalise terms and complete the renewed Grant Agreement contract as approved and upon the expiry of the VEAT Notice save unless the Council receives a meritorious challenge whereupon the matter shall be subject to further report to the Council. 

4. delegated authority to Executive Director, Community Services and the Strategic Service Director, Asset Management, to enter into negotiations to align relevant property lease agreements dates, and where appropriate, ensure all terms and conditions are in line with Somerset Council standard clauses