Issue - meetings

Please note that an exempt appendix is located within the Exempt/Confidential Business Section of this agenda.

(i)       to instruct the Chief Officer – City Growth to cancel the 2020 Christmas Village, Carol Concerts, Nativity Service, and Aberdeen’s Hogmanay celebrations, due to the impact of Covid-19.;

(ii)       to approve the revised proposals to the Christmas Village at paragraph 4 of this report and instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to implement them in consultation with Councillor Boulton;

(iii)      to agree that due to the impact of Covid-19 instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth in consultation with Councillor Boulton to set aside £30,000 from the monies allocated for the Winter Festival to be allocated to Community Groups to help them decorate their communities for the festive season including lights, trees, decorations and other festive related fixtures, up to a maximum of £3000, for their communities especially children and the elderly. To ensure compliance with covid regulations, funding for social gatherings will be excluded. The scheme will see applications received over a period of no more than 10 days and the final distribution of funds will be proportionate to the applications received to ensure the maximum sum for the scheme is not exceeded; and

(iv)      to agree to provide a grant of £7,500 to both the Northsound Cash for Kids and Original 106 Christmas Appeal to help the most disadvantaged in our communities.

The Committee had before it a referral from the Strategic Commissioning Committee meeting of 27 August 2020, relating to the Christmas Village for 2020.

The Strategic Commissioning Committeeresolved:-

that due to issues relating to Covid-19, Committee recommend to the City Growth and Resources Committee that Council no longer proceeds with a Christmas Village for 2020 as planned, and instructs the Chief Officer – City Growth to work with Aberdeen Inspired and other stakeholders to consider alternative uses for the funding budgeted to support the city centre at Christmas and report back to City Growth and Resources Committee.

In this regard, the Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – City Growth which sought approval to cancel elements of Aberdeen’s winter event programme, due to the impact of Covid-19; and to approve the repurposing of the funding budgeted for the 2020 Christmas Village to support the city centre at Christmas.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)            instruct the Chief Officer, City Growth to cancel the 2020 Christmas Village, Carol Concerts, Nativity Service, and Aberdeen’s Hogmanay celebrations, due to the impact of Covid-19; and

(b)            approve the revised proposals to the Christmas Village at paragraph 4 of this report and instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth to implement them.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to approve recommendation (a);

(ii)       to approve the revised proposals to the Christmas Village at paragraph 4 of this report and instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to implement them in consultation with Councillor Boulton;

(iii)      to agree that due to the impact of Covid-19 instructs the Chief Officer - City Growth in consultation with Councillor Boulton to set aside £30,000 from the monies allocated for the Winter Festival to be allocated to Community Groups to help them decorate their communities for the festive season including lights, trees, decorations and other festive related fixtures, up to a maximum of £3000, for their communities especially children and the elderly. To ensure compliance with covid regulations, funding for social gatherings will be excluded. The scheme will see applications received over a period of no more than 10 days and the final distribution of funds will be proportionate to the applications received to ensure the maximum sum for the scheme is not exceeded; and

(iv)      to agree to provide a grant of £7,500 to both the Northsound Cash for Kids and Original 106 Christmas Appeal to help the most disadvantaged in our communities.