More than £30 million in contracts agreed by Stockton council leaders

A town centre cycleway, roads, school extensions, ground maintenance and insurance were among the wide-ranging, high-value contracts approved for the next year by Stockton Council’s cabinet.

The council’s report says the spending in the contracts is in its financial plans, budget or capital programme, or will have bids for funding outside the council.

Deputy council leader Councillor Paul Rowling told cabinet: “I just think this is a good chance to get a message out there really about how we aren’t immune from global affairs.

“A lot of people are saying, how does the war in Iran affect me? With us seeing an increase in natural resource prices, the price of oil, that’ll have an impact on us as a council.

“We’re not immune from these things. Obviously we all hope that things are settled as soon as possible, but I think it’s just being really honest with the people of Stockton that what is happening will likely have an impact on the contracts.”

The contracts listed in the council report will start from different times with varying durations up to eight years, following procurement processes. Listed with current, average or estimated spends, they are:

• Construction of a Stockton town centre cycleway: £5.5m;
• Insurance cover: about £4.8m;
• Refurbishment and an extension at St John’s Primary School for a 24-place special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) unit: £4.5m;
• Refurbishment and an extension at Mill Lane Primary School for a SEND unit: £1.4m;
• An extension at Northfield School and Sports College for toilets: £950,000;
• Supporting living schemes for people with learning disabilities, mental health conditions and autism: about £3.3m per year;
• Road resurfacing: £2m;
• Electrical works, roofing, footpath and road repairs, flooring, windows, energy efficiency measures and adaptations for people for disabilities: about £1.97m per year;
• Grounds maintenance to buy equipment for parks, open spaces and roads, cut grass and maintain trees: about £1.7m;
• A computer server, storage and data protection platform: £960,000;
• Refurbishing the top deck of Wellington Square Shopping Centre car park: £770,000;
• Print service: £676,000;
• Apprenticeship training for employees: about £800,000;
• A stop smoking service: about £565,000pa;
• Building materials like plumbing and heating parts, electricals, doors, windows and modular buildings: £450,000pa;
• Short-term care home settings for community reablement and rehabilitation care services: £442,000pa;
• Temporary education agency staff: about £367,000pa;
• Care home settings for residential care of male-only residents: £170,000 to £260,000pa;
• Peer advocacy to improve health, wellbeing and life chances for disadvantaged adults: £200,000pa;
• Maintenance and refurbishment or road markings, cats’ eyes and road studs: £150,000pa;
• Tools to “protect data, support access and improve decision making”, including backups and telephony support: £132,000pa.