Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be found at:-

http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=122&MId=2865&Ver=4

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be retrospectively altered.

The Lord Provost welcomed Angela Scott to her first Council meeting as Director of Corporate Governance and wished her every success in the post.

The Council resolved:-

to concur with the Lord Provost’s remarks.

The Council was requested to determine that the following items of business, which contained exempt information as described in Schedule 7(A) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, be taken in private:-

8(a)     Minute of Meeting of Social Work Complaints Review Committee of 23 October 2013

8(b)     Premises at 132 Wellington Road

The Council resolved:-

in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the aforementioned items of business (Articles 30 and 31 of this minute refer) so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the classes described in paragraphs 1 and 6 of Schedule 7(A) of the Act.

The Council had before it the minute of meeting of Aberdeen City Council of 31 October 2013.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Council had before it the minute of meeting of the Urgent Business Committee of 2 December 2013.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Council had before it a statement of Council business which had been prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to note that a report on item 7 (Standing Orders on Contracts and Procurement) would be submitted to the Council meeting on 5 March 2014; and

(ii)          otherwise to note the statement.

The Council had before it a list of outstanding motions which had been prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Council resolved:-

to note the motions list.

The Council had before it the minute of the inaugural meeting of the City Centre Regeneration Board of 2 December 2013.

The Council resolved:-

to note the minute.

With reference to Article 4 of the minute of meeting of the Planning Development Management Committee of 28 November 2013, which had been referred to it for consideration by six members of the Committee, the Council had before it (1) a report by the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development on the application seeking listed building consent for various internal alterations, demolitions and a proposed extension at Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill; and (2) the decision of the Committee - that the application be refused on the basis of the form and massing of the application, the proposed demolition of the internal staircase and changes to the front entrance façade to the building.

The report recommended:-

that the Planning Development Management Committee express a willingness to approve the application, subject to the following conditions and referring the application to Historic Scotland for listed building consent for the internal alterations (including insertion of new stairlifts and extending the War Memorial balcony), demolitions (including the existing gallery roofs, 1925 gallery extension and 1970s office extension) and extension (including new rooftop gallery extension, roof terraces and education, gallery and support areas extension to the rear of the building) at Aberdeen Art Gallery, Schoolhill, Aberdeen:-

(1)  That prior to commencement of the following works, a finalised specification, including, where appropriate, larger scale elevation and section drawings, brochure details and samples, shall be submitted to and approved by the planning authority, in consultation with Historic Scotland.  Full details of the repair and restoration works to the Art Gallery buildings (internal and external) including:  details of protective measures for the interior and exterior fabric and features that are to remain in situ during the works; lime mortar specification for repointing of external walls, including a methodology for removal of existing pointing to avoid damage to stonework; mortar mix; protective measures for carbonation stage; details of window and door repairs and repainting, including proposed colour; details of the internal wall, floor and ceiling treatment and finishing, including within the Cowdray Hall and War Memorial Court (inclusive of details of the new memorial panels and new hanging art work/light display); and proposed treatment for retained special architectural features, including decorative frieze on first floor (to include details of storage and repositioning);  (2)  That prior to commencement of the following works, a finalised specification, including, where appropriate, larger scale elevation and section drawings, brochure details and samples, shall be submitted to and approved by the planning authority, in consultation with Historic Scotland.  Full details of any alteration/new works (internal and external) including: 1:20 scale section drawings and plans for the roof terrace and glazed balustrades; details of any new signage, external lighting, and other new fixtures to be attached to the exterior walls of the building, to include non-ferrous fixings into masonry joints; larger scale elevation and section drawings for new opening for staircase within north west corner of the Sculpture Court; external stone repair, including details of stone replacement, and samples;  (3)  That no development shall  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

With reference to Article 5 of the minute of meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee of 20 November 2013, the Council had before it (1) the annual report by Audit Scotland, the Council’s external auditor, on the 2012/13 audit; and (2) the audited annual accounts for Aberdeen City Council, for the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013.

Councillor McCaig moved, seconded by Councillor Crockett:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve the audited accounts for the period 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013;

(2)      note the annual report on the 2012/13 audit; and

(3)      thank the relevant officers and the external auditor for their work.

Councillor Yuill moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

            That the Council -

(1)      welcome Audit Scotland’s annual report on the 2012/13 audit of Aberdeen City Council;

(2)      instruct officers to report back within two cycles on the implementation of the action plan contained in appendix B of the annual report on the 2012/13 audit; and

(3)      note Audit Scotland’s observations relating to the conduct of Council meetings and refer this to the Group Leaders and Chief Executive for discussion, and instruct the Chief Executive to report back within two cycles on the outcome of those discussions.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (38)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Blackman, Boulton, Cameron, Carle, Cooney, Corall, Cormie, Crockett, Dickson, Donnelly, Jackie Dunbar, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, Jaffrey, Kiddie, Laing, Lawrence, MacGregor, McCaig, Malik, May, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Noble, Samarai, Sandy Stuart, Taylor, Thomson, Townson and Young.

For the amendment  (4)  -  Councillors Delaney, Greig, Malone and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

With reference to Article 21 of the minute of its meeting of 31 October 2013, the Council had before it a report by the Chief Executive which provided an update on the invitation issued to the Secretary of State for Scotland to meet with the Leader of the Council.

The report recommended:-

that the Council note the content of the report.

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to approve the recommendation; and

(ii)          to note that the Leader of the Council had met with the Secretary of State for Scotland the previous day and that it had been a successful meeting.

With reference to Article 11 of the minute of its meeting of 31 October 2013, the Council had before it a report by the Chief Executive which sought final approval of the list of polling districts and polling places following public consultation.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          agree that no changes to polling districts be made; and

(b)          approve the list of polling places appended to the report.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendations subject to power being delegated to the Head of Service, Office of Chief Executive, in consultation with Group Leaders, to replace Middleton Park Primary School with the Jesmond Centre as a polling place on a permanent basis providing the financial implications of doing so were minimal.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which advised of the establishment of HMP Grampian and the requirement for appointments to be made to the Visiting Committee for the new establishment.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          consider the proposal from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) for the appointment of members to HMP Grampian Visiting Committee detailed in section 6.2.6 of the report and the letter appended to the report; and

(b)          accept the proposal from SPS and appoint the following six existing members (three elected members and three lay members) to serve on HMP Grampian Prison Visiting Committee:

·        Councillor Allan

·        Councillor Donnelly

·        Councillor Forsyth

·        Rae Ingham (lay member)

·        Eileen Lawson (lay member)

·        Bill Stark (lay member)

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to approve the recommendations; and

(ii)          to write to the Council’s lay members of the disbanded Visiting Committees for Aberdeen and Peterhead Prisons thanking them for their service.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which advised of the Scottish Government consultation on the draft Public Services Reform (Prison Visiting Committees) (Scotland) Order 2014 and presented a proposed response to the consultation for consideration.

The report recommended:-

that the Council instruct officers to submit the proposed response to the Scottish Government by the deadline of 31 January 2014.

Councillor Crockett moved, seconded by Councillor Forsyth:-

            That the Council approve the recommendation contained within the report.

Councillor Greig moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

That the Council agree the proposed response with the addition of the following points:-

·        The role of paid and lay members needs further clarification

·        The suggested relation of paid visitors directing the activities of lay members would be unacceptable

·        Lay visiting has to be an independent function and should operate independently of HMIP

·        Inspection and monitoring have to be clearly disconnected in order to protect prison staff and prisoners

·        Lay members have to be able to make unannounced visits and need a clear mechanism with dedicated administrative support to report back on the findings of visits

·        Requests clarity on how support would be provided under the new legislation for managing the business of the visitors: including training requirements, the appointments process and other administrative issues

·        Lay visitors should be allocated to specific prisons so that they can develop knowledge and familiarity in the execution of their monitoring duties

·        Local Visiting Committees should be retained

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (38)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Blackman, Boulton, Cameron, Carle, Cooney, Corall, Cormie, Crockett, Dickson, Donnelly, Jackie Dunbar, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, Jaffrey, Kiddie, Laing, Lawrence, MacGregor, McCaig, Malik, May, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Noble, Samarai, Sandy Stuart, Taylor, Thomson, Townson and Young.

For the amendment  (4)  -  Councillors Delaney, Greig, Malone and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which presented the annual performance outturn for the Corporate Business Plan scorecard.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          note the content of the report, the values for the performance indicators contained within the scorecard and the commentary detailing progress towards achievement of the strategic priorities and corporate outcomes; and

(b)          instruct any further action considered appropriate.

The Council resolved:-

to approve recommendation (a) as outlined above.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which presented further proposals for the reorganisation of the charitable trusts managed by the Council.

The report recommended:-

that the Council approve the proposed second tranche of the reorganisation of the charitable trusts as outlined in the report and at appendix A to the report.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval of the annual report and accounts for the charitable trusts administered by the Council.

The report recommended:-

that the Council approve the following information for submission to the Office of Scottish Charities Register:-

(a)          Trustees’ report and accounts in respect of the Lands of Torry as detailed in appendix A to the report;

(b)          Trustees’ report and accounts in respect of the Lands of Skene as detailed in appendix B to the report;

(c)          Trustees’ report and accounts in respect of the Education Endowment Investment Trust as detailed in appendix C to the report; and

(d)          Trustees’ report and accounts in respect of those trusts with income under £100,000 per annum, not included in (a) to (c) above, as detailed in appendix D to the report.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to Article 9 of the minute of meeting of the Pensions Panel of 25 November 2013, the Council had before it a recommendation by the Pensions Panel that its membership be increased from four to five elected members.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendation, and that the additional member be Councillor Donnelly.

With reference to Article 18 of the minute of its meeting of 31 October 2013, the Council had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which provided an update on progress on the consultation with the Scottish Government on the potential byelaw regarding camping in designated areas, and sought approval of a timeline.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          note the report; and

(b)          approve the indicative timeline.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to Article 19 of the minute of its meeting of 31 October 2013, the Council had before it a joint report by the Director of Housing and Environment and the Director of Corporate Governance which presented a proposed byelaw for consideration to prohibit street begging in Aberdeen city centre.

The report recommended:-

that the Council decide whether to approve a begging byelaw and the area to which it would apply as set out in appendix A to the report, and instruct officers to complete the statutory process for seeking confirmation of such a byelaw from the Scottish Government.

Councillor Crockett moved, seconded by Councillor Boulton:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve the wording of the byelaw as set out in the appendix to the report;

(2)      approve the designated area as set out in the appendix to the report;

(3)      instruct officers to take all necessary steps to complete the statutory process to seek confirmation of the byelaw from the Scottish Government.

Councillor Greig moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

            That the Council -

(1)      write to the Scottish Government to ask for detailed legal reasons for the Justice Minister’s stance;

(2)      recognise that joint work had been effective in tackling problems associated with beggars from the UK and from overseas;

(3)      continue to develop evidence-based partnership strategies on homelessness, rooflessness and substance abuse to identify and assess reasons for street begging;

(4)      support and encourage continued ongoing partnership work between Council, Police, Fire Service, NHS, third sector and other organisations; and

(5)      instruct officers to produce a report on whether the begging legislation in England and Wales had been effective with an explanation of any problems or issues that the Police had encountered with enforcement of the legislation.

Councillor Townson moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor McCaig:-

            That the Council agree not to implement the street begging byelaw.

There being a motion and two amendments, in terms of Standing Order 12(9) the Council first divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Townson.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Boulton, Carle, Cooney, Crockett, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, Laing, Lawrence, Malik, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Taylor, Thomson and Young.

For the amendment by Councillor Townson  (18)  -  Councillors Blackman, Cameron, Corall, Cormie, Dickson, Jackie Dunbar, Greig, Jaffrey, Kiddie, MacGregor, McCaig, Malone, May, Noble, Samarai, Sandy Stuart, Townson and Yuill.

Declined to vote  (1)  -  Councillor Delaney.

The Council then divided between the motion and the amendment by Councillor Greig.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (23)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Boulton, Carle, Cooney, Crockett, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, Laing, Lawrence, Malik, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Taylor, Thomson and Young.

For the amendment by Councillor Greig  (4)  -  Councillors Delaney, Greig, Malone and Yuill.

Declined to vote  (15)  -  Councillors Blackman, Cameron, Corall, Cormie, Dickson, Jackie Dunbar,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

With reference to Article 15 of the minute of meeting of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee of 5 December 2013, the Council had before it a joint report by the Director of Corporate Governance and the Director of Housing and Environment which provided members with information to allow the setting of the rent level for the financial year 2014/15 as well as the provisional rent levels for the financial years 2015/16 to 2018/19, explaining that this would allow a capital programme for 2014/15 to be set as well as a provisional programme for 2015/16 to 2018/19.

The report recommended:-

that the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee consider the draft HRA Budget and refer it to Council on 18 December 2013 to:-

(a)          approve the budget as attached as appendix 1 to the report;

(b)          approve the weekly unrebated rents for municipal houses, as detailed in appendix 1 to the report, to take effect from Monday 7 April 2014;

(c)          approve the level of revenue contribution to the Housing Capital budget for 2014/15 as well as a provisional contribution for the subsequent four financial years as detailed in appendix 1 to the report;

(d)          continue to increase the level of working balances to 10% to meet future contingencies;

(e)          agree the continuation of the practice that all capital receipts, from the disposal of Council houses under the right to buy, continue to be used to repay debt for 2014/15 and future years;

(f)            approve the level of miscellaneous rents and service charges, including Heat with Rent as detailed in appendix 1 to the report;

(g)          set a capital programme for the financial year 2014/15 based on the rent strategy adopted as well as the indicative level of programme for the financial years 2015/16 to 2018/19;

(h)          in order for work to commence on the capital programme, approve as estimated expenditure in terms of Standing Order 1(3) (of the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts and Procurement) the sums shown against each heading of the Housing Capital budget set out in appendix 1 to the report; and

(i)            authorise the Director of Housing and Environment to undertake or instruct appropriate procedures to procure the work referred to in appendix 1 for the capital programme and award contracts thereto.

The Finance, Policy and Resources Committee had referred the report simpliciter to Council.

Councillor Cooney moved, seconded by Councillor Thomson:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve the budget as amended by the following proposals;

(2)      set the weekly unrebated rents to increase by 3.5% from Monday 7 April 2014;

(3)      approve the capital expenditure funded by current revenue contribution of £21,924,000; and

(4)      approve recommendations (d) to (i) as contained within the report.

With reference to Article 5 of the minute of meeting of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee of 5 December 2013, the Council had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval to refresh and rationalise the ICT server estate of the Council’s educational establishments by means of the development and implementation of a virtualised server infrastructure.

The report had been referred to the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee by the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for approval to spend capital and revenue from existing budgets as described in the report, however the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee had deferred the matter to the meeting this day to enable trade unions to provide comments - members had since been advised that the trade unions had no issues with the proposals contained within the report.

The Council resolved:-

to grant approval to spend capital and revenue from existing budgets as described in the report.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Lord Provost intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Executive which advised of progress regarding the Sistema initiative in Aberdeen and sought agreement to enter into a long term partnership with Sistema Scotland and commitment to secure funding.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          enter into a long term partnership with Sistema Scotland;

(b)          invest up to 75% of the funding of a “Big Noise” Centre in Torry for a minimum period of six years, in line with the overall budget outline therein;

(c)          support Sistema Scotland to identify and secure the remaining 25% of the required funding from local and national sources;

(d)          work together with Sistema Scotland to develop, deliver and manage the “Big Noise” centre in the Torry Associated School Group, with appropriate governance and operational arrangements, roles and responsibilities to be agreed;

(e)          in terms of the framework in (d) above, facilitate the development through appropriate staff support, use of property and spaces, and in giving access to pre-school and primary school pupils during the school day;

(f)            agree that Sistema Scotland’s operation would be an integral aspect of the Council’s regeneration work in Torry;

(g)          instruct that a subsequent report be brought to Council, which would include the business plan, financial costings, asset and other implications; and thereafter reports be submitted to the Education, Culture and Sport, Enterprise, Strategic Planning and Infrastructure, Housing and Environment and Social Care, Wellbeing and Safety Committees, to ensure that the introduction of a “Big Noise” centre in the city, its principles and experiences could be integrated in other aspects of the Council’s work; and

(h)          agree that a financial contribution be included within the Council’s General Fund budget for 2014/15 as reported to the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee on 5 December 2013.

Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Thomson:-

That the Council approve the recommendations contained within the report and instruct officers to explore the possibility of funds generated by the Lands of Torry being made available towards the costs to be met by the Council for the project.

Councillor Greig moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Malone:-

That before proceeding, the Council agrees to instruct officers to report back to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee with full details of the business plan, financial costings, asset and other implications of the Sistema project and that a range of quantitative and qualitative indicators be provided to measure how the project would benefit the city as a whole. Furthermore, that a separate cost-benefit analysis be undertaken by officers which would identify alternative means of targeting music education with socially transformative impact with this budget through the Instrumental Music Service or other providers.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (38)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Blackman, Boulton, Cameron, Carle, Cooney, Corall, Cormie, Crockett, Dickson, Donnelly, Jackie Dunbar, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, Jaffrey, Kiddie, Laing, Lawrence, MacGregor, McCaig, Malik, May, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Noble, Samarai,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

            MATTER OF URGENCY

The Lord Provost intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency at the request of the City Centre Regeneration Board.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Executive which sought decisions on a number of matters arising from the inaugural meeting of the City Centre Regeneration Board on 2 December 2013.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          agree that the up to £75,000 cost of the proposed masterplan for the city centre be underwritten from the financing set aside for the City Centre Infrastructure Fund;

(b)          seek funding contributions towards the costs from partners including Scottish Enterprise, the Robert Gordon University, the University of Aberdeen and from the private sector in the city;

(c)          request officers to discuss development options for the Denburn Valley with Network Rail within the context of a masterplan for the city and that discussions should be undertaken with relevant organisations and companies on the potential for a light transport system for the city; and

(d)          request officers to confirm to the Wood Family Trust that as a masterplan was to be developed for the city centre as part of the delivery of the Strategic Infrastructure Plan, it was not currently possible for the Council to provide the Trust with the clear indication it sought in relation to the design criteria stipulated as part of its proposed funding offer towards the costs of a city centre project.

Councillor Boulton moved, seconded by Councillor Crockett:-

That the Council approve the recommendations contained within the report subject to “request” being replaced with “instruct” within (c) and (d); affirm its desire to deliver a transformational regeneration of the city centre with proposals to be developed through the City Centre Regeneration Board masterplan; and instruct officers to continue discussions with potential external funders, including the Wood Family Trust, as this process developed.

Councillor Yuill moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

That the Council -

(1)      approve the recommendations contained within the report subject to “request” being replaced with “instruct” within (c) and (d);

(2)      instruct officers to request that the Wood Family Trust extend the time period in which it would make funds available for a city centre project until the conclusion of the masterplanning process;

(3)      instruct officers to engage with the Wood Family Trust as part of the masterplanning process to determine whether it was possible to develop a city centre project which met the Wood Family Trust’s requirements, respected the city’s heritage and enjoyed widespread public support; and

(4)      agree that, to ensure the greatest possible level of support from Aberdeen’s communities, comprehensive public consultation and engagement would be undertaken as part of the process of developing the city centre masterplan.

The Council was advised by the Chief Executive that there had been continuous dialogue with Sir Ian Wood regarding the City Centre Regeneration Board meeting and the report submitted to the meeting this day, however Sir Ian had written to the Council on 13 December 2013 emphasising that he could not keep his offer open beyond the end of the year.

In light of the update from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

“This Council commends Aberdeen Domestic Abuse Partnership in its work to eliminate violence/abuse towards women in relationships and further deplores the commercial sexual exploitation of women especially for the purpose of prostitution and Council recognises the abhorrence of human trafficking to meet the demand within the 'sex industry'. Council also recognises that both sexes can be victims of abuse and commercial sexual exploitation and whilst acknowledging that much good work is already being done instructs officers to research and establish an appropriate education programme to be delivered in academies within the city to increase awareness, change attitudes and guard against the dangers of ever increasing access to extreme pornographic material via the internet.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Townson:-

“This Council commends Aberdeen Domestic Abuse Partnership in its work to eliminate violence/abuse towards women in relationships and further deplores the commercial sexual exploitation of women especially for the purpose of prostitution and Council recognises the abhorrence of human trafficking to meet the demand within the ‘sex industry’. Council also recognises that both sexes can be victims of abuse and commercial sexual exploitation and whilst acknowledging that much good work is already being done instructs officers to research and establish an appropriate education programme to be delivered in academies within the city to increase awareness, change attitudes and guard against the dangers of ever increasing access to extreme pornographic material via the internet.”

The Council resolved:-

to refer the motion to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee.

“That this Council agrees that Fire and Police Control Rooms should be retained in Aberdeen.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Greig:-

“That this Council agrees that Fire and Police Control Rooms should be retained in Aberdeen.”

The Council resolved:-

to approve the terms of the motion.

“That this Council writes to the Chief Constable to request the full details of the revenue and capital budgets allocated to Aberdeen City Divison in 2013/14 and for the details of the proposed budget for 2014/15. This includes a specific request to ensure that officer and staff numbers in terms of headcount and FTEs are also included in the figures.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Greig:-

“That this Council writes to the Chief Constable to request the full details of the revenue and capital budgets allocated to Aberdeen City Division in 2013/14 and for further details of the proposed budget for 2014/15. This includes a specific request to ensure that officer and staff numbers in terms of headcount and FTEs are also included in the figures.”

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to approve the terms of the motion; and

to write in similar terms to the Chief Fire Officer in relation to the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service’s budget allocations to Aberdeen City.

“That this Council agrees to allocate £20,000 from the Common Good Fund towards work being undertaken by the Council to maintain and upgrade the Queen Mother Rose Garden in Hazlehead.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Greig:-

“That this Council agrees to allocate £20,000 from the Common Good Fund towards work being undertaken by the Council to maintain and upgrade the Queen Mother Rose Garden in Hazlehead.”

The Council resolved:-

that the motion be considered as part of the budget process.

“Council:-

Notes Scotland’s future will be determined by a public referendum on 18^th September 2013.

Notes the Smarter Aberdeen vision adopted by Council, which recognises that Aberdeen is stronger now and will grow even stronger in the future - economically, politically, and socially - as a partner within the United Kingdom.

Agrees that the United Kingdom has served Scotland and its people well for over 300 years and that Scotland enjoys the best of both worlds - a parliament making decisions over health and education, plus strength of being part of a wider United Kingdom with real economic clout and the most professional armed forces in the world.

Agrees that the 670 page White Paper issued by the SNP Scottish Government fails to provide the facts and answers promised to the Scottish people and instead produces the usual assertion, assumption and uncosted promises which fail to address the needs, aspirations and central questions of hard working Scottish people.

Agrees that it is disappointing that there are pledges made in the White Paper which the Scottish Government already has the power to implement, such as childcare provision.

Agrees that there is nothing in the White Paper to justify the break up of a country that has been built up over 300 years of shared endeavour and that Aberdeen City Council should actively engage with the local residents it represents to ensure they are fully informed of the potential impact on Council services which many local people depend on before the referendum on 18^th September.

Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland inviting him to provide a written response to the Scottish Government’s White Paper and thereafter make a copy of the Secretary of State for Scotland’s response to the White Paper available to the public.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillors Crockett, Boulton and Forsyth:-

“Council:-

Notes Scotland’s future will be determined by a public referendum on 18 September 2014.

Notes the Smarter Aberdeen vision adopted by Council, which recognises that Aberdeen is stronger now and will grow even stronger in the future - economically, politically and socially - as a partner within the United Kingdom.

Agrees that the United Kingdom has served Scotland and its people well for over 300 years and that Scotland enjoys the best of both worlds - a parliament making decisions over health and education, plus strength of being part of a wider United Kingdom with real economic clout and the most professional armed forces in the world.

Agrees that the 670 page White Paper issued by the SNP Scottish Government fails to provide the facts and answers promised to the Scottish people and instead produces the usual assertion, assumption and uncosted promises which fail to address the needs, aspirations and central questions of hard working Scottish people.

Agrees that it is disappointing that there are pledges made in the White Paper which the Scottish Government already has the power to implement, such as childcare provision.

Agrees that there is nothing in the White Paper to justify the break up of a country that has been built up over 300 years of shared endeavour and that Aberdeen City Council should actively engage with the local residents it represents to ensure they are fully informed of the potential impact on Council services which many local people depend on before the referendum on 18 September.

Instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Secretary of State for Scotland inviting him to provide a written response to the Scottish Government’s White Paper and thereafter make a copy of the Secretary of State for Scotland’s response to the White Paper available to the public.”

Councillor Crockett moved, seconded by Councillor Forsyth:-

            That the Council approve the terms of the motion.

Councillor McCaig moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Jackie Dunbar:-

Council notes that Scotland’s future will be determined by a public referendum on 18 September 2014.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (27)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Boulton, Carle, Cooney, Crockett, Delaney, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Finlayson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Greig, Ironside, Laing, Lawrence, Malik, Malone, Milne, Jean Morrison, Nathan Morrison, Taylor, Thomson, Young and Yuill.

For the amendment  (13)  -  Councillors Cameron, Corall, Cormie, Dickson, Jackie Dunbar, Jaffrey, Kiddie, MacGregor, McCaig, May, Samarai, Sandy Stuart and Townson.

Absent from the division  (2)  -  Councillors Blackman and Noble.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

“This Council is delighted to acknowledge the award of the Purple flag given to Aberdeen City.

This Council further recognises this award would not have been possible without the hard work and co-operation of local police, Unight, Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen Street Pastors, Safer Aberdeen and the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

This Council has worked closely with a range of organisations in the public and third sectors, as well as city centre businesses and retailers, to achieve this and this Council would like to pay tribute to everyone who has helped make this a reality. This is an outstanding example of individuals and organisations working together for the greater good of the community.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Graham:-

“This Council is delighted to acknowledge the award of the Purple flag given to Aberdeen City.

This Council further recognises this award would not have been possible without the hard work and co-operation of local police, Unight, Aberdeen Inspired, Aberdeen Street Pastors, Safer Aberdeen and the Aberdeen and Grampian Chamber of Commerce.

This Council has worked closely with a range of organisations in the public and third sectors, as well as city centre businesses and retailers, to achieve this and this Council would like to pay tribute to everyone who has helped make this a reality. This is an outstanding example of individuals and organisations working together for the greater good of the community.”

The Council resolved:-

to approve the terms of the motion.

In accordance with the decision recorded under Article 2 of this minute, the following items were considered with the press and public excluded.

The Council had before it the minute of meeting of the Social Work Complaints Review Committee of 23 October 2013.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute and the recommendations contained therein.

The Council was advised by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure that a meeting of the Glencraft Board had taken place the previous day and that a further meeting would be held in early January with a view to a report being submitted to the next meeting of the Property Sub Committee.

The Council resolved:-

to note the position.

- GEORGE ADAM, Lord Provost.