Agenda item

“Could the Leader of Council please give a brief overview on the process that was undertaken in choosing a private sector partner for the Wellness Village, outlining how many organisation took part in the Competitive Dialogue process and the reason Sterling Health was chosen?”

“Could the Leader of Council please give a brief overview on the process that was undertaken in choosing a private sector partner for the Wellness Village, outlining how many organisation took part in the Competitive Dialogue process and the reason Sterling Health was chosen?”

Response by Councillor Emlyn Dole, Leader of the Council:-

“Some Members of this Council if they wish can leave at this point if they want and go to the lounge outside and read what is going to be discussed in the local paper if you would like before it’ will be discussed because it appears that the Leader of the opposition has shared these questions beforehand with a journalist that is what Richard Jewell has said. I’m stated that for two reasons because one of the last paragraphs it says I did have a request from this journalist to answer these questions to him before this council meeting and I rejected that and I’m not sure how he can say that Mr Dole added because I did not speak to him. I refused to speak to him through the department downstairs. I reminded him that the democratic seats in the context of local authority and the answers to the questions, not in a journalism’s office but here. This is where they need to be answered and the fact that it is outlined here in a local paper before we have had the question asked formally here and before the answer has been set formally shows a lack of respect to this chamber and to democratic processes in this county. This isn’t how it works. This is where questions are asked. I had to remind the journalist that he should turn up at the meeting and then report on what has been discussed, not the other way around, Just to mention that before we start.

For clarification the tender process was followed in order to identify a development partner, not a private sector partner. Perhaps I can explain the different stages in that process, as has been asked for. Firstly, the procurement scope and process itself. A prior information notice and a market sounding questionnaire were placed on the 15^th March, 2017, closed on the 10^th April, 2017 last year. That aim was in order to generate interest in the procurement. A Notice was then placed in the official Journal of the European Union and a tender was issued inviting bids from organisations or consortia to partner the authority as development partners. That stage closed last summer on the 8^th August, 2017. Bidders were asked to submit a pre-qualification questionnaire for assessment. In total 34 organisations viewed the PQQ and one bidder submitted the questionnaire. Following assessment, that one bid was deemed to be compliant and was asked to participate in the next part of the process which was the dialogue sessions. So, then we were into the competitive dialogue stage of the process. Two rounds of dialogue were undertaken. Each comprising of six individual meetings. Following each round of dialogue, a series of workshops were then held with the bidder to consider the details around the proposals. The dialogue sessions and the workshops consisted of key senior officers across relevant Carmarthenshire County Council Departments such as leisure, social services, legal, finance, procurement, regeneration , property along with representation from our key partners in the health and further education sectors.. The procurement process then concluded with the collaboration agreement which was signed between Carmarthenshire County Council, Swansea University and Stirling Health Security Holdings Ltd. So, in a nutshell, that’s how we concluded the process, and that’s how Stirling Health Security Holdings Ltd were chosen.” 

Councillor James asked the following supplementary question:-

“In 2016 your Executive Board entered a twelve month exclusivity agreement with Kent Neurosciences Ltd to develop the idea of the village. Are you not concerned, as Stirling Health have virtually the same Directors as Kent Neurosciences had that the process does not appear to fair nor open?”

Response by Councillor Emlyn Dole, Leader of the Council:-

“Can I just say that added to your disrespect to the Chamber, you disrespected the Chair. He is the Chair of the meeting and he will decide and he will decide how he addresses himself, not yourself nor me. I would refer to my previous answer, you asked me to outline the process. I’ve outlined the process for you. I’ve made that clear as to how we got to where we are now. That clarity is there for all to see. It would also have been clear if you had attended the Exec Board where we discussed that. You chose not to be here then but that was discussed fully. You would have had it without having to come back to ask this question of full council. The answer remains the same .I’m just wondering why you would presumably try to undermine that process if that’s what your aim is because I’ve made it very clear about what this brings to the people of Llanelli. I’ll looking in a minute at the members behind you with gold fished mouths wondering why you chose to attack what we intend to do on Delta Lakes and this village. It’s as you know, well you would know if you’d have come to that meeting. It features a community Health Hub, which is made up of an institute of life science, a well-ness education centre, a clinical delivery centre, assisted living accommodation, that includes extra care housing, a nursing home. It also boosts independent living through the use of supported living technologies developed on site in Delta Lakes. It includes a wellness hotel, to meet demand for wellness tourism in among the other developments planned for the village along with landscape spaces for walking and cycling for Llanelli residents and residents of carmarthenshire. Children’s play area and spaces for outdoor performing arts. The wellness hub and community health elements of the village are anticipated to be operational in 2021 with the overall completion earmarked for 2023, creating close to 2,000 high quality jobs in the next fifteen years. The wellness and life science village is projected to give the local economy a £467m boost. An outline planning application for the development will be considered for approval in the coming months with construction due to commence in 2019. The collaboration as I’ve said with education providers across the Swansea Bay City Region will focus on training opportunities for all level of employment in the village development leaving a long term legacy for local people. Adequate car parking will be provided on site along with bicycle stands a drop off zone for buses, taxis and school visits linking with the Millenium Coastal Path and areas of the village to be landscaped for recreation. That will further boost our thriving tourism industry. What part of that don’t you like?”