Hull in turmoil as legaladvice snubbed in deal

Tom Palmer and Alexandra Wood

HULL Council has been plunged into turmoil after it was revealed its cabinet snubbed warnings that a contract awarded to the highest bidder could break regulations and leave it at risk of legal challenges.

A confidential report, seen by the Yorkshire Post, was given to the cabinet at a behind-closed-doors meeting and detailed five options for awarding the repairs and maintenance contract, previously held by failed contractor Connaught.

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Of the three prospective companies to replace Connaught, it recommended using a combination of Kier Support Services and the council-owned firm Kingstown Works Ltd (KWL) because it was “economically advantageous” and both had a track record of “performance and quality”.

But the authority’s top legal and finance officers warned against awarding the contract to Lovell Partnerships because it was the most expensive option – costing 4.3m more than the other bidders – and could break European Union procurement regulations.

It also scored the lowest in terms of quality according to the council’s own indicators and the firm had no track record with the authority.

Despite this the cabinet awarded the contract to Lovell Partnerships.

KWL has since threatened to take legal action against the council, and Hull’s Liberal Democrat leader Carl Minns has

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