Agenda, decisions and minutes

The Returning Officer laid before the meeting the following declaration:-

Aberdeen City Council

Local Government Election - 5 May 2022

I, Fraser Bell, as Returning Officer for the Aberdeen City Council give notice that the successful candidates in this election are as follows:-

Dated at Aberdeen, this Eighteenth Day of May, Two Thousand and Twenty-Two.

Fraser Bell

Returning Officer

The Returning Officer addressed the Council, advised that he was in receipt of a Partnership Agreement for the Scottish National Party and Liberal Democrat groups within the Council, and sought nominations for the Office of Lord Provost.

Councillor Radley proposed, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

          That Councillor David Cameron be elected Lord Provost of the City.

Councillor Macdonald proposed, seconded by Councillor Graham:-

          That Councillor Lynn Thomson be elected Lord Provost of the City.

Councillors David Cameron and Thomson spoke in support of their respective candidacies.  

There being two nominations, the Council voted as follows:-

For Councillor David Cameron  (25)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Bouse, David Cameron, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Delaney, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For Councillor Lynn Thomson  (11)  -  Councillors Ali, Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Declined to vote  (9)  -  Councillors Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, MacKenzie, McLeod, Massey and Stewart.

The Council therefore elected Councillor David Cameron to be Lord Provost of the City in terms of the relevant statutes. Councillor David Cameron having declared acceptance of the said Office, the Returning Officer duly invested him with the insignia of Office and delivered into his keeping the silver keys of the City.

The Chair was then vacated by the Returning Officer and taken by the Lord Provost.

- FRASER BELL, Returning Officer

The Lord Provost thanked the Council for the faith they had put in him and stated that he would endeavour to take Aberdeen forward as the great city it was, and to ensure that the citizens of Aberdeen got everything they deserved that the Council could give them.

At this juncture, the Lord Provost acknowledged the new Lord Dean of Guild, Sylvia Halkerston, welcomed her to the meeting and advised that he was looking forward to working with her.

The Lord Dean of Guild congratulated the Lord Provost on his election to the role, and all Councillors on their election to the Council. The Lord Dean stated that she was very pleased and honoured to be in the role, provided some background in terms of history of the Burgesses of Guild and underlined that she looked forward to working with the Council.

The Lord Provost noted that items 7 and 8 on the agenda (Article _ of the minute refers) required to be considered as matters of urgency and advised that he had accepted two urgent notices of motion which would be considered as items 14 and 15 on the agenda (Articles _ and _ of the minute refers).

The Council resolved:-

to agree that items 7, 8, 14 and 15 were matters of urgency in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973.

The Lord Provost sought nominations for the role of Depute Provost.

Councillor Yuill proposed, seconded by Councillor Al-Samarai:-

          That Councillor Delaney be appointed Depute Provost.

The Council resolved:-

to appoint Councillor Delaney to the role of Depute Provost.

The Lord Provost sought nominations for the positions of Co-Leaders.

Councillor Radley proposed, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

          That the Council appoint Councillors Nicoll and Yuill as Co-Leaders.

The Council resolved:-

to appoint Councillors Nicoll and Yuill as Co-Leaders.

At this juncture, the Council agreed to consider the two reports COM/22/079 and COM/22/080 at the same time.

(A)      The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer – Governance which sought approval of the composition and membership of the Council’s committees, the appointment of Conveners and Vice Conveners and to agree the payment of senior councillor allowances and the appointment of external members to the Education Operational Delivery Committee.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           agree the composition of the committees listed in paragraph 3.1.1 of the report on the basis of the indicative allocations proposed within Appendix 1;

(b)           appoint a Convener and Vice Convener to the committees listed in paragraph 3.1.1, as appropriate, on the basis of the information contained within paragraph 3.3.1;

(c)           appoint a Business Manager and Depute Business Manager in line with paragraph 3.3.2;

(d)           appoint members to the committees listed in paragraph 3.1.1 on the basis of the agreed compositions;

(e)           nominate a Vice Chairperson to the Integration Joint Board;

(f)             appoint members and substitutes to the Aberdeen City Region Deal Joint Committee as set out in paragraph 3.2.4;

(g)           appoint members and substitutes to the Northern Roads Collaboration Joint Committee as set out in paragraph 3.2.5;

(h)           appoint members to the Guildry and Mortification Funds Committee as set out in paragraph 3.2.6;

(i)             appoint members to the Special Licensing Objections Committee as set out in paragraph 3.2.7;

(j)             agree the payment of senior councillor allowances in accordance with the guidance set out in paragraph 3.3.3;

(k)           agree the appointment of external members to the Education Operational Delivery Committee as set out in section 3.4; and

(l)             nominate one member and one substitute member to be appointed to the North East Scotland Pension Fund Pensions Board, on the basis of the information contained within section 3.5.

(B)      The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which sought appointments to sub committees, partnerships, joint boards and working groups; and the nomination of members to be appointed to a small number of outside bodies.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           note that the membership number and composition of the sub committees detailed in Appendix A will be determined by the respective committees;

(b)           approve the membership number for each working group as detailed in

Appendix B; set a composition for each and appoint members on the basis that names can be provided to the Chief Officer - Governance after the meeting and that he be authorised to finalise membership where required;

(c)           set a composition for each of the joint committees/partnerships as detailed at Appendix C, and appoint members and substitutes (where applicable) on the basis that names can be provided to the Chief Officer - Governance after the meeting and that he be authorised to finalise membership where required;

(d)           appoint 9 members to the Appointment Panel, agree the composition of the Panel and appoint members on the basis that names can be provided to the Chief Officer - Governance after the meeting and that he be authorised to finalise membership  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which requested the election of members to the Aberdeen City Licensing Board in satisfaction of the Council’s statutory duty.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           agree that the appropriate number of members to be elected to the Licensing Board is nine; and

(b)           elect nine members to the Licensing Board.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to agree that the Licensing Board comprise nine members, on the basis of 5 members of the Partnership and 4 members of the Opposition; and

(ii)           to note that the Partnership members would be Councillors Alphonse, Hazel Cameron, Copland, Fairfull and Greig, and that the Opposition members would Councillors Boulton, Crockett, Grant and MacKenzie.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which sought approval of the process for the appointment of a pool of Councillors and external members from which individuals would be drawn to form the membership of the School Placings and Exclusions Appeal Committee as required by section 28D(1) of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 as amended.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           appoint all Elected Members on the Education Operational Delivery Committee plus two Members per political group and one Independent Member to the School Placings and Exclusions Appeal Committee;

(b)           delegate authority to the Committee Lead to (1) reappoint all existing external members set out in Appendix A to the report; and (2) appoint individuals who fall into the following categories, when necessary:-

(i)             parents of children of school age;

(ii)            people who in the opinion of the authority have experience in                     education; or

(iii)          people who in the opinion of the authority are acquainted with the educational conditions in the area of the authority;

subject to a training session being attended and a clear PVG check being returned (for (i) to (iii));

(c)           agree that ex-members of former School Boards/Parent Councils; ex-teachers and Members of the Council who have demitted office meet the criteria as set out in the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 for external members of the School Placings and Exclusions Appeal Committee and be appointed by the Committee Lead, accordingly; and

(d)           appoint the Committee Lead as the Clerk to the School Placings and Exclusions Appeal Committee and to authorise all Committee Officers to be Assistant Clerks in his name.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which sought approval to appoint all Councillors to form the pool of membership of the Local Review Body (LRB).

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           appoint all Councillors to be members of the statutory Local Review Body pool; and

(b)           note that all members would be provided with the appropriate training.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which advised of the Council’s statutory duty to re-establish the Aberdeen City Local Licensing Forum and presented a list of persons who had been nominated to serve on the Forum for the duration of the next Council term.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           re-establish the Local Licensing Forum as per its statutory duty, and note the current membership listed in Appendix A and the Forum’s Constitution attached as Appendix B; and

(b)           determine whether it wishes to appoint representatives to the Forum and, if so, to make such appointments.

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to approve recommendation (a); and

(ii)           to not appoint any Council representatives to the Forum.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which requested that consideration be given to appointing Baillies to assist the Lord Provost in the performance of his duties and provided information on historical offices of the Council and sought appointments therein.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)           determine whether or not the office of Baillies should continue; if Council determines that the office of Baillies should continue, it is further recommended that Council:-

(1)       appoint such number of Baillies as it deems appropriate;

(2)       note the decision of Council of 16 May 2007 whereby it was agreed that any serving former Lord Provost would automatically become a Baillie;

(3)       agree that the allocation of robes and chains be at the discretion of the Lord Provost;

(4)       agree that the Baillies will receive no remuneration; and

(5)       note that those undertaking civic duties on behalf of the Lord Provost are entitled to claim reimbursement from the Council’s Civic Head Allowance; and

(b)           appoint members to the following historical offices:-

·       Master of Shore Works;

·       Master of Kirk and Bridge Works;

·       Master of Mortifications; and

·       Master of the Guild Brethren’s Hospital

The Council resolved:-

(i)             to appoint Councillors Bonsell, Boulton, Cormie, McLeod and Yuill as Baillies;

(ii)           to note that Councillor Crockett would automatically become a Baillie as a serving former Lord Provost;

(iii)          to agree that the allocation of robes and chains be at the discretion of the Lord Provost;

(iv)          to agree that the Baillies would receive no remuneration;

(v)           to note that those undertaking civic duties on behalf of the Lord Provost were entitled to claim reimbursement from the Council’s Civic Head Allowance;

(vi)          to appoint Councillor Hutchison as Master of Shore Works;

(vii)        to appoint Councillor Greig as Master of Kirk and Bridge Works;

(viii)       to appoint the Lord Provost as Master of Mortifications; and

(ix)          to appoint the Lord Provost as Master of the Guild Brethren’s Hospital.

That this Council:

1.    Notes the Policy Statement ‘Working in Partnership for Aberdeen’;

2.    Agrees that its contents state the priorities of Aberdeen City Council for the next five years; and

3.    Instructs the Chief Executive to report back to the meeting of Full Council in August to report on any revisals required to the Council’s commissioning intentions, service standards and budget for 22/23.

The Council had before it an urgent notice of motion by Councillors Radley and Yuill in the following terms:-

          That the Council:

1.    Notes the Policy Statement ‘Working in Partnership for Aberdeen’;

2.    Agrees that its contents state the priorities of Aberdeen City Council for the next five years; and

3.    Instructs the Chief Executive to report back to the meeting of Full Council in August to report on any revisals required to the Council’s commissioning intentions, service standards and budget for 22/23.

Councillor Radley moved, seconded by Councillor Yuill:-

          That the Council approve the urgent notice of motion.

Councillor Macdonald moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Grant:-

          That this Council -

1.      Notes the content of the Policy Statement;

2.      Notes that many of its contents carry on the excellent work of the Labour led Administration; and

3.      Instruct the Chief Executive to report back to Council in August on any revisals required to the Council’s commissioning intentions, service standards and budget for 222/23 taking into account the Labour manifesto Moving Aberdeen Forward.

Councillor Houghton moved as a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Kusznir:-

          That the Council -

1.    Agrees the Aberdeen Conservative Manifesto 2022 proposes the best policy platform for delivering the best outcomes for the people of Aberdeen;

2.    Notes the Scottish Government is responsible for most services and funding for the services by the Council;

3.    Agrees Aberdeen is now and will be in the future stronger culturally, economically, and socially as part of the United Kingdom; and

4.    Instructs the Chief Executive to allocate costs against each promise from the SNP/Lib Dem policy document as part of the instruction in the urgent notice of motion.

There being a motion and two amendments, the Council first divided between the amendment by Councillor Macdonald and the amendment by Councillor Houghton.

On a division, there voted:-

For the amendment by Councillor Macdonald  (10)  -  Councillors Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

For the amendment by Councillor Houghton  (8)  -  Councillors Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, MacKenzie, McLeod and Massey.

Declined to vote  (25)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Boulton, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

Absent from the division  (2)  -  Councillors Ali and Stewart.

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

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (24)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard, Alphonse, Bouse, Hazel Cameron, Clark, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Davidson, Fairfull, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, McLellan, McRae, Mennie, Nicoll, Radley, van Sweeden and Yuill.

For the amendment by Councillor Macdonald  (10)  -  Councillors Blake, Bonsell, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Macdonald, Malik, Thomson, Tissera and Watson.

Declined to vote  (9)  - Councillors Boulton, Brooks, Cross, Farquhar, Houghton, Kusznir, MacKenzie, McLeod and Massey.

Absent from the division  (2)  -  Councillors Ali and Stewart.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

“Instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to bring a report to the meeting of the Operational Delivery Committee on 31 August 2022 setting out options on how the Council could further support struggling and vulnerable people throughout the cost of living crisis.”

The Council had before it an urgent notice of motion by Councillor Radley in the following terms:-

“Instruct the Chief Officer - Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to bring a report to the meeting of the Operational Delivery Committee on 31 August 2022 setting out options on how the Council could further support struggling and vulnerable people throughout the cost of living crisis.”

The Council resolved:-

to approve the urgent notice of motion.

- DAVID CAMERON, Lord Provost.