Agenda and decisions

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No urgent business

The Council resolved:-

in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of item 11.1 so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the classes described in paragraphs 4 and 9 of Schedule 7A of the Act.

The Council resolved:-

to note the declarations of interest and transparency statements which would be recorded in the minute.

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The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

To be considered at the Council meeting on 21 August 2024.

To be considered at the Council meeting on 21 August 2024.

Subject of a written request for a special Council meeting in terms of Standing Order 8.2.

To be considered at the Council meeting on 21 August 2024.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to agree to remove item 3 (Standards Commission for Scotland - Written Decision - Councillor Malik);

(ii)           to note the reasons for the delays to items 10 (Scheme of Governance Review), 11 (Nuclear Free Local Authorities) and 22 (North East Population Health Alliance Strategic Partnership Agreement) and that they would be reported to the subsequent Council meetings to which they were originally scheduled; and

(iii)          to otherwise note the business planner.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to note the information contained within the report about the various options under consideration;

(ii)           to agree and approve that Option 1: Bearing Shelf Extension be ruled out as a viable remedial option (refer to paragraphs 3.37 - 3.39);

(iii)          to agree the addition of a ‘demolition and consideration of future housebuilding’ option for consideration by Council on 21 August 2024;

(iv)          to explain that 'demolition and consideration of future housebuilding’, alongside the demolition costs, would detail (a) the future potential housebuilding options; and (b) estimated building costs range;

(v)           to approve that engagement on the remaining options, was planned to be held during July 2024, which would be open to all Council tenants as required by the Housing Act 2001 (refer to Appendix B: Proposed Stakeholder Engagement);

(vi)          to note that it was proposed that private owners/tenants would be invited to participate in that engagement as noted in (v) above;

(vii)        to note that the information collated from the tenant engagement as intimated in (v) and (vi) above would be considered alongside the technical evaluation of options;

(viii)       to note that from a construction perspective, officers continued to reinforce the need for tenants to be rehomed irrespective of the outcome of the option consideration;

(ix)          to note that the intention was to come back with a recommended option to the next Council meeting which was scheduled to take place on 21 August 2024;

(x)           to note the reference to the expected levels of consequential costs because of carrying out remedial measures for the options which retained the existing properties, as intimated in Section 4;

(xi)          to note that intrusive surveys of RAAC impacted properties were still progressing as part of an ongoing mitigation strategy to allay any assurance concerns to existing Council tenants (refer to paragraph 3.6);

(xii)        to note that 138 of the properties identified with RAAC in the Balnagask area were privately owned (refer to Appendix A: Property Ownership and Housing Mix); and

(xiii)       to note with regard to Private or Registered Landlord properties, 40 buildings were not adjoining any Council owned property, 61 buildings were adjoined and there were 33 addresses which shared a building with the Council (refer to Appendix A: Property Ownership and Housing Mix).

The Council resolved:-

to approve the revised Budget Protocol at Appendix A to the report.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to approve the allocation of funds agreed by the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee on 12 June 2024; and

(ii)           to agree that the remaining funding balance be allocated by the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee without the need for further approval from the Finance and Resources Committee or Council.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the appointment of two external advisers, as named in the report, to the Anti-Poverty and Inequality Committee.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to carry out engagement to inform the production of the draft Evidence Report and associated documents;

(ii)           to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to carry out a formal consultation on the draft Evidence Report once produced; and

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning to report the results of the consultation (including any unresolved issues) and finalised Evidence Report back to Full Council in mid-2025, prior to being sent to the Scottish Ministers for Gate Check.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to note that the Chief Officer - People and Citizen Services would liaise with Councillor Lawrence following the meeting regarding his query about volunteers at community learning centres in Bucksburn and Dyce;

(ii)           that Aberdeen City Council become a Volunteer Charter Champion; and

(iii)          that the Council Co-Leaders pledge their support for the Volunteer Charter.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to endorse the refreshed Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) 2016-26 presented at Appendix 1; and

(ii)           to endorse the three refreshed Locality Plans for North, South and Central presented at Appendices 4, 5 and 6.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to note the Treasury Management activities undertaken in the 2023/24 financial year as detailed in the report; and

(ii)           to agree that the next report should include information about the service concession monies used in the 2024/25 budget.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to agree the recommended changes to polling districts outlined in the report to Council of 7 February 2024 (COM/24/033) without alteration;

(ii)           to agree the recommended changes to polling places outlined in the report to Council of 7 February 2024 (COM/24/033) with two alterations as described in section 3.6; and

(iii)          to note that officers were continuing to search for an alternative polling place to use instead of Broomhill Primary School, and to welcome any suggestions in that regard.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to note the findings and recommendations of the Cultural Funding and Delivery Review Report as detailed in Appendix 1;

(ii)           to note the progress in developing a Culture Investment Framework and application process, which would be presented to the August Finance and Resources Committee for approval; and

(iii)          to instruct the Chief Officer - City Development and Regeneration to undertake work to develop the Creative Industries Action Plan to build capacity.

To be considered at the Council meeting on 21 August 2024.

To be considered at the Council meeting on 21 August 2024.

Council notes the unprecedented housing and homelessness issues affecting tenants and potential tenants in Aberdeen.

Recognises the extreme pressures facing housing and homelessness services in Aberdeen today. 

These pressures exist despite the best endeavours and professionalism of officers within the Council that have seen a number of positive achievements. These include:

The Aberdeen Labour decisions alongside our coalition partners 2017-2022 to build 2,000 new Council homes on top of procuring over 4,000 Affordable homes with Registered Social Landlords.

This has resulted in

·          Dyce new Builds Completed

·          Auchmill Road New builds Completed.

·          Summerhill New Build has now achieved Practical Completion for all blocks

·          Tillydrone New Build has now achieved Practical Completion for all blocks

·          Cloverhill New Build is progressing as planned

·          Kaimhill New Build is nearing completion,

·          Greenferns and Greenferns Landward are progressing to achieve RIBA 3 completion

·          Craighill New Build is out to tender

·          Kincorth New Build tender documentation is being finalised; and

·          206 Union Street works have commenced

However, the number of households assessed as homeless or in housing need waiting for a home to call their own remains of significant concern.

As detailed in the reports to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee:

·          Homeless applications are at a 13 year high at the end of March 2024, with levels recorded (1,481) not seen since the same period in 2010/11

·          442 Statutory Homeless Households Residing in Temporary Accommodation at end March 2024.

·          Only 30 % of Unintentional homeless decisions reached within 21 Days

·          161 days the Average length of journey in days for applicants assessed as unintentionally homeless at the end of March.

·          The Council are now breaching our duties in accordance with the Unsuitable Accommodation Order, by having households in unsuitable accommodation for longer than 7 days.

·          237.7 The YTD Average time taken to re-let all properties (Citywide - days) against a target of 125 days at the end of March 2024.

·          The YTD Void Rent Loss figure for 2023/24 is £7,805,806 this equates to 7.91% of the gross debit (rent due) which is a significant increase when compared with the same period last year where the figure stood at £5,271,632 (5.70%).

·          Planned maintenance projects such as in Summerhill have been put on hold.

·          In April 2022, 4,750 applications were on the waiting list for housing, this has grown to 6,658 in May 2024

These issues have been exasperated by the following.

·          We have 366 houses identified as uninhabitable due to RAAC and a massive transfer operation in place for Council tenants.

·          Of the 366 houses, 138 are privately owned properties whose owners have been virtually neglected by ACC, The Scottish Administration and the UK Government, families face ruin and bankruptcy and this should not be allowed to happen in a Civil Society.

·          The Housing Revenue account is funding the majority of the costs currently being incurred and faces unprecedented financial pressures. .

This a perilous situation and one that requires action today. 

That the Council therefore agrees to:-

-           Declare a Housing Emergency in Aberdeen today.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 10.1

The Council resolved:-

to refer the notice of motion to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee.  

That the Council:-

1.    Notes the resignation of the Rt Hon Humza Yousaf MSP as First Minister of Scotland;

2.    Considers that as First Minister Humza Yousaf spent little time in Aberdeen beyond attending SNP Conference and never formally met with the Council Co-Leaders; and

3.    Therefore agrees to instruct the Chief Executive to write to the new First Minister of Scotland:

                          i.       reconfirming the Council’s willingness to work with the devolved administration in delivering projects of benefit to the people of Aberdeen;

                         ii.      outlining the contribution of Aberdeen to Scotland and the UK’s economy;

                        iii.       noting the historic underfunding of Aberdeen City Council by Holyrood and calling for remedial action; and

                       iv.       asking them to meet with the Co-Leaders at the earliest opportunity given the failure of both previous First Ministers to meet the Co-Leaders.

The Council resolved:-

to refer the notice of motion to the Finance and Resources Committee.

That the Council:

1. Notes with concern Stagecoach's announcement on 13 June 2024 of the proposed cancellation of its 22A and 22B bus routes which service Torry and Lochside Academy with the 21A bus route from Cove to Lochside Academy also facing being scrapped;
2. Recognises that this follows on from Aberdeen City Council cutting its subsidy of the route for pupils; and
3. Instructs the Chief Executive to (a) write to Stagecoach's North Scotland Managing Director David Beaton noting the impact on local pupils; and (b) respond to the consultation noting the negative impact on the Torry community; and
4. Instructs the Executive Director of Families and Communities to prepare an impact report to be submitted to the Education and Children's Services Committee with proposed actions to ameliorate.

The Council resolved:-

to refer the notice of motion to the Finance and Resources Committee.

That Aberdeen City Council:

1.    notes that anti-social behaviour includes street drinking, fist fights, drug taking and dealing, aggressive begging and recognises that anti-social behaviour incidents in the city centre are causing increasing concern to residents, businesses and those who work, shop and visit the area;

2.    notes that Aberdeen holds Scotland's only Purple Flag accredited city centre status and that efforts should continue to retain this accreditation; and

3.    instructs the Chief Officer - Governance to co-ordinate a further report from the Community Safety Partnership to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on current efforts to manage anti-social behaviour in the city centre and on approaches to offering wider system awareness and understanding of the issues.

The Council resolved:-

to refer the joint notice of motion to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee.

See decision at item 9.10