Agenda and minutes

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

http://councilcommittees/ieListDocuments.aspx?CId=143&MId=2278&Ver=4

The Committee was asked to agree the appointment of Mr Mike Paul as a teacher representative, in terms of Standing Order 28(2).  It was noted that Mr Paul had been nominated by the Teachers’ Consultative Forum as the secondary school representative, and that Mr Stewart Duncan would continue as the primary school representative.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the appointment of Mr Mike Paul as a secondary school representative in terms of Standing Order 28(2), and to welcome Mr Paul to his first meeting.

The Committee had before it, within terms of Standing Order 10, requests for deputations in relation to the report on the agenda on community centres:-

(1)               Paul O’Connor

(2)               Alex Mess, Powis Community centre

(3)               Phil D’Arcy and Brian Allan, Aberdeen Community Learning Centres Forum

The Committee also had before it a request from Hamish Mackay in relation to the report on the agenda on community centres (article 9 below refers) and the primary school estate review (article 8 below refers), which was outwith the terms of Standing Order 10 as it had not been received one clear day before the meeting.

The Committee noted that the request from Melissa Bain in relation to the report on the agenda on the primary school estate review had been withdrawn.

The Committee resolved:-

to hear the deputations, suspending Standing Order 10 to enable it hear Mr Mackay.

Prior to considering the matters before the Committee, the Convener proposed that, in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the items identified as articles 18 - 21 of this minute be considered with the press and public excluded so as to avoid disclosure of exempt information of the class described in paragraphs 6, 8 and 10.

The Committee resolved:-

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

The Committee had before it the minute of its special meeting of 28 March, 2012 and was advised that nine members who had been in attendance at that meeting were required to approve the minute, given the changes to the Committee membership following the local government election.

The Committee resolved:-

that the minute be approved by Councillors Cooney, Crockett, Greig, McCaig, Jennifer Stewart, Townson and Young, and Mr Alex Nicoll and Mr Murdo Maclean.

The Committee had before it, by way of referral, article 6 of the minute of Council of 16 May, 2012 and a request to consider the appointment of the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Working Group.

The Committee resolved:-

in light of the impending review of committee structures, to defer consideration of the matter to enable a report to be submitted by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport.

The Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented for approval the recently updated Health and Wellbeing Policy.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the policy and the priorities identified therein.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval for a new Workforce Development and Continuous Professional Development Policy.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the new policy and carry out the necessary work to ensure its successful implementation.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

Reference was made to article 5 of the minute of its special meeting of 28 October 2010, at which time the secondary school estate had been under review and it had been agreed, amongst other things, that the catchment areas of Aberdeen Grammar School and Harlaw Academy would be redefined to maximise the number of in-zone pupils attending the schools, enabling a more equitable and efficient distribution of pupils across this and adjacent schools.  The Committee had agreed at its meeting on 24 March, 2011 (article 7 of that minute refers) that this would be included in the comprehensive review of the primary school estate, and had also instructed that in future, officers avoid undertaking consultation over the school holiday period.

The Committee now had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval to begin a comprehensive public engagement exercise with a view to informing the long-term School Estate Plan which would reflect the changes in demographics, school capacity and the Local Development Plan.  The report also highlighted some immediate and pressing concerns as regards likely over capacity in schools during the next school session, and made recommendations in this regard.

A revised version of the report had been circulated the previous day to Committee members.

An appendix to the report outlined the key issues and challenges in conducting the primary school estate review.

The revised report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       instruct officers to undertake a public engagement exercise over summer and autumn 2012, with a view to developing a long term School Estate Plan, which will include proposals on rezoning; rationalisation and development of the school estate to take account of changing demographic factors and the implications of the Local Development Plan across the city;

(b)       agree proposed solutions to address areas of immediate concern in relation to seven primary schools which are projected to go over capacity during the next school session beginning August 2012 which are set out in section 5. In the case of Seaton 3Rs School, it is essential that adult learning provision is retained and it is therefore proposed that the adult learning room is relocated from the first floor to a similar sized area on the ground floor, adjacent to the other community facilities. This will require some minor works to allow this to take place, the detail of which would be agreed in conjunction with the Seaton Community Management Committee;

(c)        note the key data and major challenges relating to the School Estate, (as set out in appendix 2 to the report);

(d)       instruct officers to develop a revised methodology for the evaluation of primary school capacities, taking account of government guidance on the impact of lower class sizes for composite classes and Primary one classes in regeneration areas; and

(e)       instruct officers to bring back a further report, summarising the feedback from the engagement exercise, and setting out detailed options and recommendations for a long-term School Estate Plan to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

With reference to article 2 of the minute of its special meeting of 28 March, 2012, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport providing a further update on moving community centres to leased centre status, outlining the remaining actions to be taken in order to complete this process, and setting out proposals for Rosemount Community Centre and the community wings of 3Rs schools, so that they remain the responsibility of the Council.

An appendix to the report set out draft operational proposals for the learning centres within those 3Rs facilities with management committees.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)               suspend Standing Order 22(1) to revoke the decision of the Committee on 28 March 2012 – that each lease and management agreement be reported back to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee for approval – and agree instead that individual leases and management agreements will only be brought back to committee if a management committee requests a lease for more than 10 years, or for any other exceptional reason;

(b)               note that the following centres are being supported to become leased centres within the short term:

                     Old Torry Community Centre

                     Mastrick Community Centre

                     Northfield Community Centre

                     Loirston Community Centre

                     Kincorth Community Centre;

(c)        note the progress of photographic condition surveys for the community centres that are progressing to leased centre status;

(d)       note the requirement of approximately £60,000 of work required at Loirston Community  Centre to carry out repairs to the car park and install a disabled toilet within the building, and to refer this to the Finance and Resources Committee with a recommendation that funding is identified to progress these works;

(e)       note the potential liabilities at Rosemount Community Centre in relation to the potential requirement for repairs to the roof and other wind and watertight works and health and safety requirements, and to refer this to the Finance and Resources Committee with a recommendation that funding is identified to progress identified works up to £100,000;

(f)         note the approach from the Grampian Police Joint Board to occupy part of the Rosemount Community Centre; formally note that the space is surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service and instruct the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and Head of Asset Management and Operations to negotiate final terms and conclude a 10 year lease/ license agreement for the area of Rosemount Community Centre as set out in the report;

(g)       agree that the lower hall area of Rosemount Community Centre be declared as surplus to the immediate requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service and authorise the Head of Asset Management and Operations to market the space for lease on commercial terms for a period of up to 10 years;

(h)        agree that due to the unique circumstances of this building, Rosemount Community Centre will not transfer to the leased community centre model, but will remain within the responsibility of the Council, with a local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

The Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport advising of an exemption from Standing Orders on Contracts Procurement to enable funding to be allocated to community learning and development projects.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee - 

(a)               note the decision to provide an exemption from the Council’s Standing Orders on contracts and procurement, which was sought in order to allow the funding of community learning and development services from the following organisations:

Workers Educational Association Scotland;

Aberdeen Lads Club;

Printfield Project;

Fersands and Fountain Community Project;

Middlefield Project; and

St Machar Parent Support Project; and

(b)               approve the allocation of the 2012/13 budget for the funded projects as follows:-

Workers Educational Association Scotland                                              £39.780

Aberdeen Lads Club                                                                                                            £103,957

Printfield Project                                                                                                                                                                      £65,812

Fersands and Fountain Community Project                                              £232,677

Middlefield Project                                                                                                                                                                 £104,766

St Machar Parent Support Project                                                                                      £112,416

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations

With reference to Article 7 of the minute of its meeting of 2 June 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport presenting recommendations for cultural grants for the 2012/13 financial year.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)               agree the allocation of cultural grants to the total value of £217,414 as presented in the appendix to this minute;

(b)               agree to establish further application opportunities later in 2012/13; and

(c)               agree the 2012/13 themes for cultural grants, as set out in the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 14 of the minute of its meeting of 24 March, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval for a proposal from Aberdeen International Youth Festival to allocate £1,500 from the Mary Garden Fund to fund five places on an opera residency, subject to application and audition, which would provide expert tuition for the placement singers from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee agree to allocate £1,500 from the Mary Garden Fund within the Common Good fund to support up to five young promising singers from Aberdeen to attend an opera residency.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of its meeting of 24 March 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented the options appraisal on the transfer of services to a cultural trust.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)                 note the findings of the KPMG Strategic Outline Case, in particular that the projected recurring annual savings would be less than the required PBB savings identified by the Council;

(b)                 instruct officers to continue discussions with partners as to the viability of more formal arrangements to deliver cultural services in the city, including the undertaking of a joint options appraisal; and

(c)                  instruct officers to report to a future meeting of the Committee on the outcome of  the discussions and appraisal.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 11 of the minute of its meeting of 23 February, 2012, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented applications for financial assistance from a sports organisations, and recommendations in respect of each.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee considers and approves the following applications:-

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

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

The Committee resolved:-

(i)                 to delete items 5 (Cordyce Project), 6 (Tullos Swimming Pool), 12 (SQA Attainment Figures) and 13 (In-zone Placing Requests); and

(ii)               to otherwise note the statement.

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

The Committee resolved:-

to delete motion 1 (Granite – Motion by Former Councillor Cormack).

Would Members please note that Appendix B is attached separately as a colour appendix.

The Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided a summary of performance data up to 31 March, 2012 for the Education, Culture and Sport Directorate.   Appended to the report were briefing notes on:-

(1)       Scottish Survey of Literacy and Numeracy 2011;

(2)       Hazlehead Academy Follow-through Report May 2012;

(3)       Fernilea Primary School and Nursery Class Education Scotland Inspection Report May 2012;

(4)       St Machar Academy Education Scotland Report May 2012;

(5)       Education Scotland Inspection of the learning community surrounding St Machar Academy May 2012; and

(6)       Education, Culture and Sport Policy Review Update 2012.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the Education, Culture and Sport Service Performance report for the period up to 31 March, 2012 and to note the progress being made towards the Service Plan actions;  and

(b)       approve the briefing notes appended to the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

In accordance with the decision recorded under article 3 of this minute, the following items were considered with the press and public excluded.

With reference to article 10 of the minute of its meeting of 24 March, 2011, the Committee received a verbal update from the Head of Educational Development, Policy and Performance on progress towards a new school for children with additional support needs.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)                 to instruct officers to undertake further detailed investigations, including ground, environmental and ecological surveys, and to enter into discussion with planning officials on the development opportunities for the two preferred sites – Granitehill Road and former Smithfield School; and

(ii)               to instruct the General Manager, Asset Management to provide Members with costs and timescales for undertaking these surveys.

With reference to Article 21 of the minute of its meeting of 18 November, 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval to progress to the next stage of the design and related work for the Art Gallery redevelopment.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee

(a)               agree the various strands of work included in the overall development;

(b)               note the proposals, to be considered by the Corporate Asset Group, that already committed and prioritised expenditure on the Art Gallery and the Museums Collection Centre at Kittybrewster be minimised to essential works only;

(c)               support the required work and timeline, and refer this report to the Finance and Resources Committee at its next meeting to consider the required immediate funding of £273,000 to progress to RIBA Stage C; and

(d)               instruct officers to report to Committee in advance of the deadline to make an application to the Heritage Lottery Fund, to determine the Council’s financial and wider commitment to the overall development.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations and that theHead of Finance secure funding through use of capital financing costs and earmarked reserves as appropriate for expenditure up to a maximum of £560,000.

With reference to article 33 of the minute of meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee of 6 December 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport on the Bon Accord Indoor Bowling Club and Skyline Restaurant.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)               note the contents of the report;

(b)               agrees to declare the Skyline Restaurant / Bon Accord Indoor Bowling Centre surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Directorate;

(c)               refers to Finance and Resources Committee for approval, the sale and/or distribution of assets owned by the Council pertaining to the provision of bowling currently in the Centre, in order to offset outstanding and future expenditure relating to the facility, and for officers to expedite this in the most financially advantageous way to the Council; and

(d)               refers to Finance and Resources Committee for agreement to write off a portion of the debt relating to back dated insurances charges owed to Aberdeen City Council by the Bon Accord 2000 Bowling Club, pending the wind up of the Club.

The Committee had before it a report by the Acting Director of Education, Culture and Sport seeking approval to undertake a tender exercise for the supply, installation and maintenance of a public announcement system for the Beach Ballroom.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)               agree to the Central Procurement Unit conducting competitive tendering exercises in line with Council standing orders, financial regulations and EU procurement law legislation;

(b)               delegate authority to the Head of Procurement, in conjunction with the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Head of Finance to award contracts / places on frameworks to the highest scoring compliant bidder, on the basis of the most economically advantageous offer, as set out under Standing Order 7(6) of the Council’s Standing Orders on Contracts and Procurement.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations and the value of the contract.

-  JENNIFER LAING, Convener.