Agenda, decisions and draft minutes

Pages 91 and 94 of the original agenda pack recirculated to include the graphs which were not originally displaying

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Customer Services which provided the outcome of consultations and engagement on six libraries: Cornhill, Cults, Ferryhill, Kaimhill, Northfield and Woodside; and Bucksburn Swimming Pool, to enable members to give due regard to the needs of the Public Sector Equality Duty and consider any potential impacts identified on those with protected characteristics prior to considering the recommendations.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           thank the communities, campaign groups and individuals for their welcome participation and input to the online consultations and focus group sessions;

(b)           give due regard to the needs of the Public Sector Equality Duty and consider any potential impacts on those with protected characteristics along with any mitigations to address any impact identified in the updated Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs);

(c)           agree that feedback, ideas and suggestions from the library consultations be used to inform the Future Library Service Report;

(d)           consider the overall findings of the report and agree one of the following options: 

-       Option 1 - Reaffirm the original budget decision to close the 6 libraries  

-       Option 2 - Overturn the original budget decision to close the 6 libraries and to recommission all 6 and to instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to commence planning for the recommissioning of facilities, referring ongoing funding implications to the 2024/25 budget; and

(e)           consider the overall findings of the report and agree one of the following options in regard to the Reduction in Sport Aberdeen Funding Option: 

-       Option 1 - Reaffirm the original budget decision regarding the reduction of funding 

-       Option 2 - Request Sport Aberdeen to recommission Bucksburn Pool andinstruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance, to work with Sport Aberdeen to investigate how the possible recommissioning of the Pool could be funded, referring any ongoing funding implications to the 2024/25 budget.

Councillor Allard moved, seconded by the Depute Provost:-

          That the Council -

(1)       thank the communities, campaign groups and individuals for their welcome participation and input to the online consultations and focus group sessions;

(2)       acknowledge the updated IIAs which had considered potential impacts and mitigations to address any potential impact on service users;

Libraries

(3)       instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to take into account all feedback and mitigations and report this back as part of the Future Library Service Review to the relevant meeting of the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee;

(4)       agree option 1 as highlighted within the report;

Bucksburn Pool

(5)       note the impact the closure of the pool had on service users who faced barriers such as transportation and accessibility when accessing other swimming provision in the city;

(6)       accept option 2 - Request Sport Aberdeen recommission Bucksburn Pool; and

(7)       instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord to work with Sport Aberdeen to undertake recommissioning of the pool, including any improvements to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Finance which provided elected members with information to enable the Council to approve a revenue and capital budget for 2024/25, including setting of the rents and other charges on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) for the financial year.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           approve the budget as attached in Appendix 1, page 2, of this report;

(b)           approve the setting of the weekly unrebated rents for municipal houses in Appendix 1, page 3 of this report, to take effect from Monday 1 April 2024;

(c)           approve the level of revenue contribution to the Housing Capital budget for 2024/25 as well as note the provisional contribution for the subsequent four financial years as detailed in Appendix 1, pages 16 to 18;

(d)           agree to maintain the working balances at 10% to meet future operational requirements and risks, noting that if the Housing Revenue Account recorded a deficit and had no reserves then the Council’s General Fund must make a contribution to balance the Account;

(e)           approve the level of miscellaneous rents and service charges, including Heat with Rent and the General Fund Support Services Charges as detailed in Appendix 1, pages 13 to 14, to take effect from Monday 1 April 2024;

(f)             approve, based on a rental increase of 8.8% the Base Capital Programme for the financial year 2024/25 Appendix 1, pages 16 to 18;

(g)           note the indicative level of the Base Capital Programme for the financial years 2025/26 to 2028/29 Appendix 1, pages 16 to 18;

(h)           note that the long term Council house rent policy ran out on 31 March 2023, consultation was undertaken on a one year rent increase in 2024/25, and therefore instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to undertake a similar consultation for inclusion in the 2025/26 budget process and consider if there was any benefit in a longer term Council house rent policy;

(i)             note the inclusion of the tiered  trend analysis of the Housing Revenue Account Budget 2024/25, page 4 in Appendix 1, and the current actions to move spend from Tier 2 Early Intervention to Tier 1 Prevention; 

(j)             approve the creation of a £500k Rent Assistance Fund pilot, pages 11 to 12  in Appendix 1, and instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment in consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance to define the proposed criteria and how such a fund would be managed to be reported to the Communities, Housing and Public Protection Committee on 28 March 2024;

(k)           instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment, in consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance to investigate a potential pilot to reduce the rent of properties which had been void for 12 months, reporting back to the 2025/26 budget process;

(l)             instruct the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlord, in consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance and the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

The Council had before it a joint report by the Directors of Resources and Commissioning which satisfied the requirements of the approved Budget Protocol, in respect of reporting to Council the results of the Phase 2 Public Budget Consultation, which included details of the current estimated budget position for 2024/25, the budget options and Integrated Impact Assessments (IIA).

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           note the content of the report;

(b)           approve the updated Medium Term Financial Strategy position for the General Fund, as per paragraph 3.13, and latest budget gap for 2024/25; and

(c)           note that the Council would be presented with the final budget position and the request to approve a balanced General Fund Revenue and Capital Budget, and set Council Tax for 2024/25 at the Budget meeting on 6 March 2024.

Councillor Yuill moved, seconded by Councillor Allard:-        

          That the Council approve the recommendations.

Councillor Malik moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Bonsell:-

          That the Council -

(1)       note the recommendations contained within the report;

(2)       agree to note section 3.15 of the report where officers confirmed “no adjustment or assumption has been incorporated into the financial model for the announcement by the First Minister that Council Tax will be frozen for 24/25. The Scottish Government has said that it will fully fund the freeze”;

(3)       agree that officers have confirmed that to fully fund the freeze for Aberdeen City Council as agreed by the First Minister in his conference speech to Councillor Allard and others at TECA the amount required by the Council to freeze Council Tax is £11.033m as per Appendix 2 of the report;

(4)       instruct the Chief Executive to issue a letter, jointly with the Council Leaders, to the First Minister confirming the amount required being £11.033m. It is Council’s expectation that the First Minister will keep his promise to citizens and Council on fully funding the Council Tax freeze;

(5)       agree that the Council Tax freeze announcement by the First Minister has undermined the entire budget consultation process, given that varying the Council Tax rate is a key element in the Council’s budget setting process;

(6)       note that feedback has been received that the Council’s online tool was not user-friendly and did not give due regard to engaging with citizens for whom digital accessibility is poor, meaning many disadvantaged individuals, who would be most affected by budget cuts, were excluded from participating in the consultation; and

(7)       agree that if this exercise is repeated in future years, that officers are instructed to engage with the third sector and other key stakeholders on the design of a consultation at an early stage and to include in-person community sessions to directly engage with members of the public.

During the course of debate, the Council agreed to suspend Standing Order 40.2 to enable the meeting to continue beyond six hours.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Alphonse, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

With reference to Article 6 of the minute of its meeting of 11 September 2023, the Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Strategic Place Planning which presented an updated Energy Transition Zone Masterplan, which took into account the findings of the eight week public consultation, and sought agreement on the document becoming Aberdeen Planning Guidance to support the Aberdeen Local Development Plan 2023.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          note the consultation responses received, and agree the changes proposed by officers to the Draft Energy Transition Zone Masterplan (Appendix 2); and

(b)          agree the content of the Energy Transition Zone Masterplan 2023, as amended, (Appendix 1) as non-statutory Aberdeen Planning Guidance to support the Aberdeen Local Development Plan 2023.

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to suspend Standing Order 42.1; and

(ii)          to refer the report to the Planning Development Management Committee on 18 January 2024.

The Council had before it a report by the Interim Chief Officer - Governance (Assurance) which presented the annual effectiveness report for Council, as well as the annual effectiveness reports of the various committees.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           provide comments and observations on the data contained within the Council annual report as contained at Appendix A; and

(b)           note the annual reports of the various committees as contained at Appendices B to J.

The Council resolved:-

to defer consideration of the report to the Council meeting on 7 February 2024.