The Council has decided to approve a costed bid from contractors for the construction of a new wing and roofing remedial works at Millwood Primary Special School.

URL: https://councildecisions.bury.gov.uk/ieDecisionDetails.aspx?ID=4232

Decision Maker:

Outcome: Recommendations Approved

Is Key Decision?: No

Is Callable In?: No

Purpose:

Content: The Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth presented a report providing a full explanation of the latest position, details of the programme and seeking approval of a costed bid from the contractors for the construction of the new wing; roofing remedial and other outstanding defects scheme. The contractors have completed the Pre-Construction Services Agreement (PCSA) for the detailed design up to RIBA Stage 4 and Cabinet approval is needed to ensure a start on site can be made on 4 August 2025 to meet the tight project deadlines.   In response to Member questions, Rachael Stirk, Head of Service CYP, advised that completion date was anticipated for September 2026, subject to no delays to the programme. The Leader added that, in the meantime, the Council would support the school to manage the works.   Decision:   Cabinet: Approved the costed bid from the contractor together with the costs of the professional & consultant fees/ additional surveys/client FFE costs for the construction of the new wing; roofing remedial works and other outstanding defects scheme. All costs are to be covered by Children’s Services capital funding; and Authorised the Director of Law and Democratic Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Children and Young People to finalise the terms of the Design and Build Contract to be entered into with the contractor.   Reasons for the decision: Cabinet approval to appoint a contractor is needed at the July 2025 Cabinet meeting to ensure a timely start on site to achieve the tight deadlines for the 4th wing extension and completion of the roofing remedial/outstanding defects work.   Development of additional capacity at Millwood Primary Special School, as set out in the Project Safety Valve agreement between the Council and the Department for Education, is a key element of the specialist place sufficiency strategy. Taken together, the Agreement and strategy set out the business case for the development of new provision and expansion of existing specialist provision to meet increasing demand within Bury and reduce the reliance on placements in Independent Non-Maintained Special Schools (INMSS). The extension scheme at Millwood Primary Special School is a priority within this strategy.   Urgent completion of the roofing remedial works/other outstanding defects is required. This has already been delayed due to the previous contractors going into Administration.   Alternative options considered and rejected: Do nothing. If we don't proceed with the extension this would mean pupils being sent to out of borough provisions which would be at a large cost to the council.   We must address the roofing remedial works/other defects as a priority as the original contractors only re-roofed approximately half of the school roofs. The roof is deteriorating and needs to be replaced as soon as practically possible. Whilst it is possible to re-procure the scheme, this would result in significant delay to delivery of the project with no certainty that costs will be reduced. The option to re-procure will remain, to be pursued in the event that the costed bid is rejected. In that event all the work carried out to date will be utilised to form an integral part of the tender documents to be issued.

Date of Decision: July 9, 2025