Agenda and minutes

Members are requested to resolve that the business listed under item 9.1 of this agenda be considered with the press and public excluded.

Prior to considering the matters before the Committee, the Convener proposed that, in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the item identified as article 23 of this minute be considered with the press and public excluded so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the class described in paragraph 6 of Schedule 7(A) of the Act.

The Committee resolved:-

to consider the aforementioned item with the press and public excluded.

The Committee was advised that, in accordance with Standing Order 10, deputation requests had been received from UNISON and Community Centre Management Committee volunteers in relation to item 5.6 on the agenda (Implementation of Budget Decision – Reduced Communities Team).

The Committee resolved:-

to hear the deputations prior to the consideration of item 5.6.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of
20 January 2011.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to article 8 (Operation of the Community Learning Hub at Kaimhill Primary School), to note that the detail of the legal advice given at Committee had not yet been provided to members, and to request that the Director of Education, Culture and Sport contact the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to ascertain when the advice would be provided; and

(ii)        to approve the minute as a correct record.

“That Aberdeen City Council writes to Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, asking for a review of ‘The Parent’s Charter’.”

The Committee had before it, by way of referral from the Council meeting of 23 February 2011, a motion by Councillor Boulton in the following terms:-

“That Aberdeen City Council writes to Mike Russell, the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning, asking for a review of The Parent’s Charter.”

The Committee resolved:-

to request a background report on Councillor Boulton’s motion to the next meeting of the Committee, to include references to school transport costs.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport and the Head of Finance which detailed the performance to date in relation to the Education, Culture and Sport capital and revenue budgets and advised on any areas of risk which could require management action.

The report advised that there were 37 approved savings for 2010/11, totalling £8,500,000 and that the Service was on target to achieve most of these savings.  In relation to the saving of £810,000 against Directorate and Operation Support Costs, the report noted that the Service was confident of achieving the savings from other budgets elsewhere in the Service.

It was noted that the current forecast showed an overspend of £1,700,000; an increase from the previous forecast of £500,000, which was mainly due to the increase in property rates charges.  The Committee heard that the general uplift in annual rates costs and the full year effect of rates increases in respect of 3Rs properties had led to an annual cost to the Service of approximately £1,400,000.  The report advised that the rates cost pressure was to be managed corporately for 2010/11 and noted the high number of appeals currently being lodged across the Council in respect of the increases.  The Committee then heard that the usual practice was for the Scottish Government to increase the rates with tapering relief; however this had not been the case in this financial year.

In relation to out of authority placements, the report advised that based on current figures, there was likely to be an overspend of £870,000 and that the Education, Culture and Sport element of this combined budget with Social Care and Wellbeing was anticipated to be over-committed by £260,000, a reduction of £120,000 since the last figures were reported to Committee.  It was noted that management action was being taken to identify alternative savings to mitigate the overspend.

The report also highlighted the delay in transferring facilities to Sport Aberdeen and the resulting impact on the budget.  Full year savings in relation to property rates and annual contributions to Sport Aberdeen were projected to be £280,000 less than budgeted as a result of the delay.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

(a)       note the report and the information on management action and risk that was contained therein;

(b)       instruct that officers continue to review budget performance and report on service strategies.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to the issue of property rates, (a)  to request that a letter be sent to the Scottish Government highlighting the anomaly in the public sector taxing another part of the public sector; calling for a review of the situation; and asking for a continuation of the tapering relief; and  (b)  to request that a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee on the matter; and

(ii)        to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee heard from David Leng, Head of Schools and Educational Establishments, who advised that this would be the last update provided to Committee on the issue as the new Kaimhill School was due to open on 20 April 2011.  Mr Leng advised that the buses provided were still well used, with 4 buses used at the start of the day and 3 at the end.  He noted that the problems raised at the last Committee in relation to the supply of transport had now been resolved through the Contract Monitoring Officer, and performance related deductions had been made.  Mr Leng reported that the total cost for the transport was £245,000; £79,500 in 2009/10 and £143,600 in 2010/11.

The Committee heard that the new Kaimhill School was handed over on 7 March 2011 and that IT and snagging works were currently being completed.  Mr Leng advised that there would be additional closure days on 1, 18 and 19 April to assist with the move.  Mr Leng noted that there would be an opportunity for the Press to visit the new school and advised that invitations had been sent out.

With reference to article 16 of the minute of its meeting of 18 November 2010, and the instruction that the Monitoring Officer fully investigate the circumstances which had led to the decision to provide the transport, the Committee heard that a report on the matter would go before the Audit and Risk Committee on 29 March 2011 for consideration.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the update.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of the Special Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 28 October 2010, and the instruction to officers to fully develop proposals to redefine the catchment areas for the above schools to maximise in-zone attendance, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided further information on the work undertaken by officers in relation to the proposals.

The report noted that any change to a secondary school zone also affected the associated primaries and could then have a knock-on effect across the city.  It was therefore felt to be more efficient to undertake a comprehensive review of the entire primary school estate and re-zone schools where necessary, resulting in a more sustainable school estate.  The report advised that the redefinition of the Aberdeen Grammar School and Harlaw Academy zones would therefore be included in this review, as it would involve looking at the zoning arrangements for all secondary schools associated with the primaries under review.  It was anticipated that the review would be completed by December 2011, with a report back to Committee in early 2012.

The report recommended:-

that Committee approve the next phase of the review of school provision by instructing officers to include the potential re-zoning of these 2 secondary schools in a comprehensive review of the primary school estate.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request that in future, officers avoid undertaking consultation over the school holiday period;  and

(ii)        to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of the Special Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 28 October 2010, and the instruction to officers to bring a further report to enable discussion of a single management structure at Kincorth and Torry Academies, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which set out the implications of this proposal.

The report advised that the Committee had previously agreed to the replacement of Torry and Kincorth Academies with one larger school.  In preparation for this, the two secondary schools were currently working together to provide an enhanced range of subject choices for pupils.  It was proposed that this work would be enhanced by policy and procedure development, consideration of joint appointments across schools and in-service days which involved staff from both academies.

The report also outlined the financial implications of operating with a single management structure, noting that the potential saving could be in the region of £43,524.  However, it was likely that operating over two sites would mean additional responsibilities payments for staff as well as additional staffing for main grade teachers due to the travelling time or addition to core staffing required.  This would mean any potential saving would likely be cancelled out, particularly as a result of the conservation of salaries for promoted staff who were not appointed to posts under a revised structure.  Therefore, due to the complexity of operating two schools on two sites and for the reasons outlined in the report, it was proposed that the management structures remained independent at this stage.

The report recommended:-

that Committee instruct officers to continue to encourage joint working practices between Kincorth and Torry Academies in preparation for a unified school and, in the interim, retain existing independent management structures at the two schools.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval to place a cap where necessary on particular primary schools to ensure they could accommodate the lower class size regulations, as well as approval to limit S1 pupil intakes to certain secondary schools.  The report advised that the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 gave local authorities power to reserve places in certain secondary and primary schools for children likely to move into the zones of those schools during the school year.  Therefore, the proposed number of reserved spaces for 2011/12 took account of the number of in-zone pupils due in session 2011/12, the anticipated number of families moving into the zone during the school year; the number of out of zone placing requests already received;  and the roll cap proposed for the secondary schools.  The report sought approval to limit the S1 intake in session 2011/12 for Aberdeen Grammar School, Cults Academy, Harlaw Academy and Oldmachar Academy.

It was noted that previously only a small number of primary schools had required to be roll capped, however due to the increasing demand for places in certain schools, the Council’s decision to reduce class sizes to a maximum of 18 pupils in all primary 1 classes in schools within areas of deprivation would be determined by the ability of each school to accommodate the increase in classes.  It was proposed to retain a maximum of 25 pupils for all other primary 1 classes.  The report advised that this could mean that some schools would have to reserve places for pupils who might move in-zone during the school year.  The report then listed the 10 primary schools which could potentially be affected in this manner:-

Manor Park School

Bramble Brae School

Riverbank School

Tullos School

Kittybrewster School

Seaton School

Walker Road School

Woodside School

Heathryburn School and

St Peter’s RC School.

The decision to cap a primary school would be based on the number of primary classes a school could accommodate, rather than the number of pupils, and would be related to the optimum class configuration which had to be adopted by schools.

The report advised that it could be necessary to employ staff on a fixed term basis until pupil figures were confirmed at the start of the new school session.  This would ensure that the numbers of excess staff could be kept to a minimum.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

a)         agree the following limits upon the S1 intakes of the following secondary schools:

                        Aberdeen Grammar School - 210

                        Cults Academy – 210

                        Harlaw Academy – 180

                        Oldmachar Academy – 180;

(b)       agree that it may be necessary to cap a number of primary schools to accommodate any class size reductions in primary 1 – 3 to confirm to class size regulations and local policy noting that the schools in question can only be identified once class configurations have been established;

(c)       agree the reservation of spaces in the above-named  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

With reference to article 20 of the minute of the meeting of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 16 September 2010, the Committee had before it a report which detailed the outcome of the statutory consultation on the proposals for children with additional support needs arising from complex factors.

The report advised that the Committee had approved the development of a new school on the Raeden site which would offer nursery, primary and secondary education as well as related health provision for up to 120 children and young people.  The new school would also provide 16 part time pre-school nursery places and wrap-around family support and out of school care services.

It was noted that the statutory consultation on the closure of Raeden School had been undertaken between 6 December 2010 and 31 January 2011, had included 4 public meetings, and members of the public had been given the chance to comment on the proposals and submit feedback.  The consultation report, incorporating this feedback, was appended to the report.

The Council Budget meeting on 10 February 2011 had instructed officers to find an alternative funding model for the project, and the report outlined the positive discussions which had been held with Hub Co. North, a joint venture company which had indicated that it would be keen to work with the Council to deliver the project.  It was noted that the project would be reviewed to enable detailed costings to be reported to the Finance and Resources Committee on 21 April 2011.

The report noted that there was a need to close the Raeden Nursery School by the end of July 2011, and therefore Committee approval was sought in principle to close Raeden; to allocate children to 3 developmental nurseries; and to temporarily decant pupils to the former Braeside School to enable the construction of the new school, subject to the approval of the funding arrangements by the Finance and Resources Committee.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

a)         note the outcome of the statutory consultation on the proposals for children with additional support needs arising from complex factors;

b)         instruct officers to complete a full business case for the development of the new school and campus on the site of the existing Raeden Centre;

c)         refers the business case to Finance and Resources Committee for a decision on the proposed funding methodology; and

d)         agrees in principle to the closure of Raeden Nursery; the allocation of children to the 3 proposed developmental nurseries; the temporary decant of children to the former Braeside School, to enable the construction of the new school and campus on the site of the Raeden Centre, subject to the approval of the business case by the Finance and Resources Committee.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved the recommendations contained in the report.

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Collie, moved as an amendment:-

that Committee:-

(a)       note the outcome of the statutory consultation on the proposals for children with additional support needs arising  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

(A)       DEPUTATIONS

As agreed at the start of the meeting (article 2 refers), the Committee heard from Ms Deirdre MacDonald on behalf of UNISON.  Ms MacDonald referred to the briefing paper circulated by UNISON prior to the meeting, and noted that UNISON promoted and supported workers and lifelong learning.  She spoke of the activities which went on in the wards of elected members and stated that these ran as a result of the work of the Communities Team.  She highlighted examples of community learning users, such as a group of young mothers who wanted to improve the health and wellbeing of their families; someone struggling to read medicine labels; a person who wanted to work towards getting a job to improve their situation; or people who wished to learn how to use IT.  Ms MacDonald mentioned the Big Plus adverts which promoted the improvement of literacy and numeracy and noted her concern that any decision taken to reduce the Communities Team could mean that there was no-one to answer the calls from those who had seen the advertisements.  She highlighted the impact she felt there would be on specialist placements where people had particular learning difficulties.  She felt that the proposals before Committee meant that none of the activities mentioned would be possible in future, and warned the Committee of what she felt were the dangers of making a hasty decision on the future of the team.

Members then asked several questions of Ms MacDonald.

At this juncture, the Convener advised that members had exceeded the allotted 10 minutes allowed for questions to deputations, and the Committee agreed to suspend Standing Order 10 (7) to enable further questions to be asked of Ms MacDonald.

The Committee then heard from Mr. Phil D’Arcy, Ms Lynn Duncan and
Ms Ann-Marie Walls on behalf of community centre management committee volunteers in the city.  Mr D’Arcy stressed how much they depended on the support of community learning workers.  He advised that the centre where he volunteered was linked to Dyce Primary School and was not purpose-built like some of the leased centres.  He acknowledged that the management committee at Dyce were responsible for the purchase and replacement of equipment, but stated that the Council was now asking for them to take responsibility for the building.  He said he was unclear what technical advice would be provided, what the financial involvement of the Council would be and who would pay for works needed.  He stated that contracts of employment, pensions, training and other employment matters were all very complex and that if the proposals were agreed, management committee volunteers would be expected to take on this work with no expertise in the area.  He noted that the Council had the benefit of a specialist HR department to assist with these matters, and highlighted that the volunteers did not have this kind of support.  Mr D’Arcy also mentioned that the individual members of management committees would be personally liable if the proposals were approved.  He  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which detailed the recommendations for the Cultural Grants process for 2011/12.  The report advised that 80 applications had been received, requesting funds of £755,354.24 in total, however the report recommended awarding funding of £225,287.26 leaving £160,255.74 for the remainder of the financial year.

The report highlighted where applications had been unsuccessful and noted that each ineligible applicant would be supported by officers to re-submit their application if a second application process was available.  In certain cases, the applications were recommended on a provisional basis, and were dependent on organisations providing evidence of matched funding and on the impact and sustainability of the projects.  The report noted that there were a number of applications for the category C grant (over £10,000) which had been deferred to enable officers to speak to each organisation in detail prior to making a recommendation to the Committee to approve funding.

The report advised that internal applications for funding were now considered at a later date than external applications, to enable officers to have additional time to both support external applicants and to review and assess incoming applications.  This also meant that officers could decide where internal applications could potentially support or work with partnership with external applicants.

Finally, the report outlined the proposed allocation of funds towards the establishment of a public art fund which would allow residents, communities, artists and cultural organisations to use public art as a key driver in developing the City.  Further funds could also be allocated to supporting increased access to cultural support and training to assist organisations in applying for grants.

The report recommended that funding be awarded as follows:-

Appendix 1 - Cultural Grant Recommendations 2011/12

Category A – Under £1000

Category B - £1,000 - £10,000

The Committee had before it a report which outlined the portfolio of projects that were proposed to be prioritised within the Education, Culture and Sport Service for the period 2011-15.  As part of this, the report highlighted those projects which required more significant investment with a more limited return, and therefore were not recommended to be prioritised within the existing capital and resource budgetary constraints.  The review of projects had been undertaken with consideration of the proposed budget savings and the reduction in staff capacity to support major initiatives.

The report listed the priority projects as follows:-

·                    Hosting the Arts and Business awards 2011 at the Music Hall and planning the 1^st Aberdeen Arts Achievement award

·                    The relocation of staff, museum artefacts and objects from the existing Frederick Street site, including the arts development service and staff

·                    Under Priority Based Budgeting, explore and recommend options towards the arms length delivery of current cultural services, in particular Museums and Galleries, and consideration of options to share or commission with neighbouring authorities

·                    Under Priority Based Budgeting, carry out a root and branch review of commissioned arts and sports services

·                    Redevelopment of Aberdeen Art Gallery

·                    Community Collections centre, to hold and make accessible the museums collections currently held in Frederick Street, Kittybrewster and the Art Gallery - this could also include wider cultural collections, such as Archives and Libraries

·                    An appraisal of the investment required for the Beach Ballroom

·                    Work with Creative Scotland to consider opportunities for future investment in the City, through increasing the number of foundation funded organisations, and other initiatives such as UK City of Culture

·                    Deliver and plan international initiatives such as the “Lively Cities” EU funded project

·                    Development of a heritage policy for the City

·                    The development of policies to support reading and literature in the City

·                    A policy to support the commissioning and funding of public art

·                    Consideration of the options for a Heritage Centre for the City through a phased refurbishment of the Central Library

·                    Work with colleagues in Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to progress the opportunities for TIF (Tax Incremental Funding) for the City Centre and on further EU funded cultural projects

Secondary projects were as follows:-

·                    Support for the redevelopment of the Tivoli Theatre, Torry Battery and Aberdeen Arts centre

·                    Support for the redevelopment of the Music Hall (subject to the full scope of the project)

·                    Support to Peacock Visual Arts for any proposed capital project or any other future re-homing requirements

The report recommended:-

that elected members note and agree the contents of the report and the proposed portfolio of projects to be undertaken.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved the recommendation contained in the report.

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Cooney moved as an amendment:-

“that this Committee notes the contents of this report and the proposed portfolio of projects to be undertaken.”

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (10) – the Convener; the Vice-Convener; and Councillors Corall, Cormie, Leslie, May, Robertson,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillors Cooney and Corall declared an interest in the following article by way of their position as Council representatives on Aberdeen International Youth Festival but did not consider it necessary to withdraw from the meeting.

The Committee had before it a report which set out a proposal from the Aberdeen International Youth Festival in relation to the Mary Garden Fund to fully fund up to 5 placements for young local singers, subject to application and audition.

The report advised that £1,500 had been allocated from the Common Good Fund towards the Mary Garden Fund and the proposal was that the money be used to fund up to 5 placements which would enable young people from the City to participate in a residency with access to expert tuition and opportunities to perform during the Aberdeen International Youth Festival (AIYF).  The tuition would be provided by senior Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama musicians and directors and Lisa Milne, and would allow the young people to be part of Youth Festival productions.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee agree to endorse the AIYF proposal to use the Mary Garden Fund to support up to 5 young promising singers from Aberdeen to attend an opera residency.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

With reference to article 2 of the Council Budget meeting of 10 February 2011, the Committee had before it a report which set out the process for implementing the decision to create a cultural trust.

It was proposed that the creation of a cultural trust would see the services and venues currently operated by Museums and Galleries and other cultural, library and community services, transferred to an arms length body.  The report advised that an independent options appraisal would be required to determine the most efficient means of moving to Trust status.  Part of this work would be to investigate any other viable proposals, and the appraisal would include options for future governance arrangements, including the possibility of community ownership.  The report noted that there were various models for trusts which would be evaluated.  The report outlined the initial cost to the Council, and noted that the sum of £250,000 had been budgeted in 2011/12 to cover the cost of externalisation, including the options appraisal and any other legal and financial work required by the Council.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

(a)       instruct the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to progress, by way of an officer working group, an options appraisal on the transfer of services to a cultural trust, and that the options appraisal (1) include consideration of which services could transfer to such a trust including the Beach Ballroom and (2) examine a preferred governance model, including the option of community ownership of assets;

(b)       instruct officers to report the findings of the options appraisal back to the Committee by 24 November 2011 at the latest;

(c)        instruct officers to identify the scope of the services which an independent external advisor could provide to support the options appraisal, and thereafter appoint an appropriate external adviser, subject to obtaining any relevant Committee approvals if necessary; and

(d)       instruct officers to work to achieve the hand over of the delivery of the Museums and Galleries and other services included at an agreed date prior to 31March 2013, subject to the outcome of the options appraisal and subsequent Committee approval.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request that the options appraisal include SWOT analysis and options for governance arrangements; and

(ii)        to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report which detailed the proposal to review the arts and sports services currently commissioned by the Council, as part of the Priority Based Budgeting (PBB) process.  Appended to the report was the business case setting out the various options submitted as part of the PBB process.

The report advised that as part of the five year business plan, there was a requirement to reduce the level of funding provided to commissioned culture and sport services.  The report noted that the monitoring and reporting of commissioned services was also inconsistent at present, and there was no real measure of the impact of the Council’s investment against its priorities.  The review sought to support the development of consistent and relevant funding and monitoring agreements between the Council and commissioned services.

It was proposed to undertake a strategic review of each commissioned arts and sports organisation against the Council’s stated priorities, led by a dedicated commissioning officer.  The review would then be reported to Committee with a series of budget and development recommendations, to be considered alongside any move to a cultural trust.  It was noted that as there were upwards of 40 separate bodies to be reviewed, the process could take up to two years, and therefore it was proposed meantime to have a fixed percentage reduction across all commissioned arts and sports services to meet the required savings.

The report advised that there were two alternative options which the Committee could adopt, namely, to apply a fixed percentage budget reduction with no review, and to target specific organisations for budget reductions.  Neither of these options was felt to be viable.

The report recommended:-

that Committee agree Option 3, on page 18 of the business case, namely a full strategic review of each commissioned arts and sports service, as the preferred approach, with a five percent cut to all organisations in the first two years in order for the review to be carried out rigorously and according to Best Value requirements.  The full Business Case has previously been approved at Council.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report which detailed various applications for financial assistance from sports organisations.  The report advised that the Sports Grants budget for the year 2010/11 was £69,000, and if the applications before Committee were approved there would be £310.90 remaining in the budget.

Hazlehead Gold Club (Ladies Section) had submitted an application for funding of £500 in relation to the Annual County Open Meeting which brought together members from clubs in Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire.  The application for funding covered the discount of green fees to £10 per player, covering entries for 55 players.  It was noted that since the application, officers had been advised by the Club that the actual required amount was £420 and this was the level of funding recommended in the report.

Aberdeen Schools Rowing Association had submitted an application for £10,000 to extend and improve the ongoing indoor and outdoor programmes run by the Association.  This would allow the programmes to be introduced into the majority of the city’s secondary schools, and would also provide over 100 pupils with the opportunity to take part in an outdoor programme of a 10 week training block on the River Dee.

Active Schools – Aberdeen City had applied for funding of £1,000 to provide branded clothing to S4 to S6 pupils currently volunteering with the Active Schools initiative.  It was hoped that this would provide a reward to committed volunteers and promote the profile of Active Schools to increase the awareness of volunteering throughout each school.

Scottish Ballet had applied for £32,647 to support a cultural Olympiad project aimed at combining cultural and sporting disciplines.  The project aimed to take 50 young people from regeneration areas in the city and bring them together with an English based group, selected by English National Ballet, to provide 2 weeks of training in both Parkour and dance in Aberdeen and London.  The collaboration would also lead to the creation of a film to be shown at various ballet performances throughout the country.

Aberdeen Physically Disabled Swimming had applied for £1,000 to support the delivery of their programme which gave physically disabled people access to swimming in a safe and secure environment.  The application for funding was in relation to increased pool hire costs following the closure of the Linksfield swimming pool.

Aberdeen Grammar School Former Pupil Netball had applied for £500 towards the ongoing costs of the team, including equipment and facility hire.

Camanachd Association had applied for £2,000.  The report advised that this year marked the 150th anniversary of the Aberdeen University Shinty Club, and to mark the occasion, the Camanachd Association was to bring the Sutherland Cup Final to the city.  The funding was to run a series of youth coaching sessions which would culminate in a local shinty festival on the day of the Cup Final.

Netball Scotland had submitted an application for £3,170 to support the hosting of an international test match series in Aberdeen.

The Committee resolved:-

(  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

With reference to article 11 of the minute of its meeting of 20 January 2011, the Committee had before it a report which provided an update on the progress of the implementation of the bookings and lettings review; presented proposals to revise staffing arrangements for evening and weekend lets; and set out proposals to revise letting charges from August 2011.

The report advised that following the difficulties experienced in the previous year with applications for lets, earlier application deadlines had been set to ensure that all lets were processed in time for the new lettings period commencing in August 2011.

Following consideration of various options, it was proposed that staffing arrangements for evening and weekend lets utilise the newly created posts of Facility Support Assistants.  The report advised that staff and trade unions had not been supportive of the new proposals and that further meetings would be held by Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure officers in April and May with the hope of progressing the matter.

The report also noted that it was considered good practice to increase charges by a small amount each year, rather than to have larger increases on a less frequent basis, and therefore the report recommended an increase of 4% in lettings charges.  The proposed revised core lettings charges for 2011/12 were appended to the report.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

(a)       note the progress being made in implementing the bookings and lettings review;

(b)       approve the principle of implementing new staffing arrangements for evenings and weekends lets, subject to the outcome of detailed engagement with staff and trade unions by Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure; and

(c)        approve increases in charges for lets for educational establishments of an average of 4%.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved the recommendations contained in the report.

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Cooney, moved as an amendment, that the Committee:-

(a)       note the progress being made in implementing the bookings and lettings review; and

(b)       defer the principle of implementing new staffing arrangements for evenings and weekend lets, subject to the outcome of detailed engagement of staff and trade unions by Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (10) – the Convener; the Vice Convener; and Councillors Corall, Cormie, Leslie, May, Robertson, Jennifer Stewart, Kevin Stewart and Yuill; for the amendment (5) - Councillors Collie, Cooney, Crockett and Laing; and Mr. G. Bruce; absent from the division (7) – Councillors Boulton, Farquharson, Reynolds and Wisely; and Mr A. Aitken, Mr P Campbell and Mr S Duncan.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to adopt the motion; and

(ii)        to refer the report to the Finance and Resources Committee, in order for the income generation aspect of the proposals to be approved.

The Committee had before it a report which detailed the proposed initiatives to be funded by sportscotland through a four year partnership agreement with the Council.

The report advised that sportscotland had made £53,643 of funding available each year until 2015 to support the development of community sports hubs in Aberdeen.  The hubs would be based out of a specific location, providing a home for local clubs and sports organisations as well as support and advice on a wide range of sport and physical activities.  The partnership agreement also set out the national objective for the Active Schools network for 2011-15 and noted how this would be achieved by Aberdeen City Council, Sport Aberdeen and other key partners.

Funding for the Active Schools programme and staff was provided jointly by sportscotland and the Council.  The Council would contribute £681,401.23 over the period of the agreement.

The report recommended:-

that Committee approves the 2011-15 year partnership and investment agreement with sportscotland, with the investment of £1,611,372 over five years.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided a summary of performance data to January 2011 for the Directorate.  This was set against the key priorities in the Education, Culture and Sport interim service plan 2010-13.

Appended to the report were the service plan and balanced scorecard showing performance against key indicators in the quadrants of management of resources, impact, business processes and organisational learning and development; a document detailing Beach Ballroom satisfaction ratings from the 2010 Christmas period; a document on adult learning provision through Aberdeen City Council Community Learning and Development for the period September to December 2010; a report on the central street work youth project; and the 2009-10 Aberdeen City Council School Leaver Destination report from Skills Development Scotland.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:-

(a)       approve the service performance report for January 2011; and

(b)       approve the progress against actions as set out in the Education, Culture and Sport service plan.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the proposal to hold a members’ seminar on the virtual campus and to request that a report also be presented on this issue to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 2 June 2011;

(ii)        to request that officers provide members with the detail of the take-up numbers for the virtual campus once the figures were available; and

(iii)       to otherwise approve the recommendations contained in the report.

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

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to remove item 2, part (ii) (Single Management Structure at Torry and Kincorth Academies) as a report on this matter had been considered earlier on the agenda;

(ii)        to remove item 7 (Kaimhill to Braeside Decant) as the new school was due to open on 20 April 2011; and

(iii)       to note the other updates as provided on the business statement.

The Committee had before it a motions list prepared by the Head of Legal and Democratic Services.

The Committee resolved:-

to remove Councillor Graham’s motion in relation to floodlighting at Manor Walk pitch from the motions list as the motion had now been discharged.

EXEMPT INFORMATION

In terms of article 1, the following item of business was considered with the Press and public excluded.

The Committee had before it a report which provided information in respect of a further required contract extension in relation to the Belmont Media Centre, as set out in Standing Order 10 of the procurement standing orders.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee sanction the further extension to the Council’s current contract extension for the operation of the Belmont Media Centre until Thursday 26 May 2011.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request that officers email all Committee members prior to the next meeting to provide an update on progress; and

(ii)        to approve the recommendation contained in the report.

- CALLUM MCCAIG, Convener.