Agenda item

Report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath.

The Committee considered a report of the Superintendent of Hampstead Heath regarding the award of three-year leases for Catering Services across Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park, commencing on 9 May 2016. The Superintendent began by explaining the tender process for the new three-year leases across the five café sites.

In response to Members’ questions, the Constabulary and Queen’s Park Manager advised that the criteria assessing the quality of each bid included the content and affordability of sample menus, sustainability and locality of proposed produce, and the use of local or existing employees. New bidders received no preference over existing leaseholders and there was no weighting towards large or small companies. Consultation had been carried out with existing users of each Café, including a customer feedback questionnaire at Queen’s Park. The Head of City Procurement added that bidders’ perceived suitability to the location was not considered but could be included as quality criteria during future tendering processes.

Some Members suggested that the award of each lease to the Most Economically Advantageous Tender (MEAT) did not necessarily take into account the political concerns surrounding the decision. Another Member added that financial benefits of each MEAT to the North London Open Spaces outweighed the political concerns.

It was then RESOLVED to continue further discussions during the Non-Public Agenda due to the disclosure of exempt information likely to reveal the identity of individuals and relating to the financial and business affairs of any particular person or authority (in accordance with paragraphs 1 and 3 of Part I of Schedule 12A from the Local Government Act 1972).