Agenda and minutes

The Convener welcomed Anna Bonney from HMIe who was in attendance to observe the meeting as part of the HMIe inspection process.   The Convener also welcomed Charlie Penman, the Head of Educational Development, Policy and Performance, to his first meeting of the Committee, noted that he looked forward to working with Mr. Penman and wished him well for the future.

The Committee resolved:-

to concur with the remarks of the Convener.

The Committee had before it in terms of Standing Order 10 a request for a deputation from Ian Fryer in relation to the agenda item entitled Progress with Community Learning Satellite Options, referred to at article 11 below.

The Committee resolved:-

to hear the deputation at the appropriate stage of the meeting.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Jennifer Stewart declared an interest in the following article by virtue of her position as a member of the Museums and Galleries Board but did not feel it necessary to withdraw from the meeting during consideration thereof.

The Convener mentioned the Reading Bus event which had been held that day in the Town House, and noted that the event and the Reading Bus project represented a tremendous achievement by the staff and pupils involved.

Councillor Corall advised the Committee that Aberdeen pupils and teachers had recently had the chance to sail on the Swan, a century-old fishing boat from Lerwick.

The Convener updated the Committee on the recent events to commemorate the 125^th anniversary of Aberdeen Art Gallery, noting that 2,265 people had visited the Gallery on 7 July 2010.   He advised that more than 170,000 people a year visited the Gallery and that it was the most popular in the North East.  

The Committee also heard that the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums had donated a painting to mark the 125^th anniversary; that the Gallery had successful attracted £40,000 of funding from Museums and Galleries Scotland to purchase new display cases;  and that Oil & Gas UK had donated £500,000 to renovate the Maritime Museum.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to congratulate the staff and pupils involved in the Reading Bus on their outstanding achievement;  and

(ii)        to write and thank the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums for the donation of a portrait to commemorate the 125^th anniversary of the Art Gallery, and Oil & Gas UK for their donation of £500,000 towards the renovation of the Maritime Museum.

The Convener drew attention to the Committee Information Bulletin, noting that it contained some very useful and interesting information.   At this juncture, some members advised that they had expected full Committee reports back on certain matters, rather than simply a bulletin paper which would not allow them to comment on the issue at the meeting.   It was noted that the papers in question were also listed as items on the Committee Business Statement and the Convener advised that any concerns could be raised under each item as the Business Statement was discussed.

Members are requested to resolve that the business listed under items 9.1, 10.1, 10.2, 10.3 and 10.4 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 items identified as articles 25, 26, 27, 28 and 29 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 4, 6, 8 and 9 of Schedule 7(A) of the Act. 

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Collie, moved as a procedural motion:-

            that item 10.4 (Tullos Swimming Pool – Internal Works) be taken in public session. 

It being a procedural motion, the terms were put straight to the vote.

On a division, there voted:-  for the procedural motion (5) – Councillors Collie, Cooney, Crockett and Laing;  and Mr. G. Bruce;  against the procedural motion (15) – the Convener;  the Vice-Convener;  and Councillors Boulton, Corall, Cormack, Farquharson, McCaig, Reynolds, Robertson, Jennifer Stewart, Kevin Stewart, Kirsty West, Wisely and Yuill;  and Mr. P. Campbell.

The Committee resolved:-

to consider the above-mentioned items in private session.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 27 May 2010.

In relation to article 11 (Learning Estate Strategy [Schools] – Rezoning Exercise [Secondary]), some Members queried whether the instruction to expand the detail included for each option put forward for the stakeholder engagement had been actioned.  The Director of Education, Culture and Sport advised that officers had expanded on the original options and had included further information on running costs and school capacities; and confirmed that the report to be submitted to the special meeting of the Committee in October would include a detailed analysis of the public feedback on both existing and new options.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

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

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to item 6 (Leased Community Centre), to request that, if it was possible to resolve certain matters currently under discussion, officers bring a report back to the November meeting of the Committee, rather than the January meeting as outlined in the Business Statement; 

(ii)        in relation to item 8 (Review of Sports Grant Criteria), (a) to note the update and the delay with receiving information from Aberdeenshire Council;  and (b) to request that the matter be put on the agenda for the next Aberdeen City and Shire Leaders’ meeting;

(iii)       in relation to item 9 (Property Sales Investigation), to note the update provided and to request that officers circulate to members of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee a copy of the recent report which had gone before Finance and Resources Committee on 17 June 2010, alongside a copy of that Committee’s decision; 

(iv)       in relation to item 11 (Financial Strategy Review Budget 2010/11 – Music Teaching Service), to note the update provided in the Information Bulletin and to request that officers bring back a full Committee report on the matter to the next meeting of the Committee, making reference to the Finance and Resources Committee decision of 10 December 2009;

(v)        in relation to motion 2 (Councillor Cormack – Recognition of Role of Granite Industry), (a) to note the update provided in the Information Bulletin;  (b) to note that a full report on the motion would go before the Committee for consideration at its meeting in November;  (c) to thank officers for their efforts in retaining and reusing the granite from Marischal College which had been surplus to requirements;  and (d) to thank staff involved in the Reading Bus for their efforts in promoting the profile of granite to children and young people;  and

(vi)       to note all other updates provided on the Business Statement and Motions List.

Referred from Council meeting of 19 May, 2010

“Instruct Council officers to explore all potential sources of external funding, including the McDonald Trust, which would allow Aberdeen City Council to acquire an original Jack Vettriano painting to be hung in Aberdeen Art Gallery.”

With reference to Article 19 of the minute of Council of 19 May 2010, the Committee had before it a notice of motion by Councillor Jennifer Stewart for consideration:-

“Instruct Council Officers to explore all potential sources of external funding, including the McDonald Trust, which would allow Aberdeen City Council to acquire an original Jack Vettriano painting to be hung in Aberdeen Art Gallery.”

With reference to the motion, the Committee also had before it a background report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport.   The report provided information on the career of Jack Vettriano and set out potential funding sources which could be approached if the Council decided to pursue the purchase of a painting.   The report advised that the Art Gallery had also recently been offered the loan of a work by Vettriano for a period of five years.

At this juncture, the Committee agreed to suspend Standing Order 21 to enable Councillor Jennifer Stewart to change the terms of her motion.   Councillor Stewart then spoke to her amended motion.

Councillor Jennifer Stewart, seconded by Councillor Kirsty West, moved her amended motion:-

“Instruct officers to:

(1)       in the first instance, pursue the option of securing an appropriate Vettriano painting on loan to be hung in Aberdeen Art Gallery and report back on that;  and

(2)       continue to investigate potential private and charitable sources of funding to enable the acquisition of a Vettriano painting and report back on that.”

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

            “Instruct officers to pursue the option of securing an appropriate Vettriano painting on loan to be hung in Aberdeen Art Gallery and report back on that.”

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (8) – the Vice-Convener;  and Councillors Boulton, Corall, Reynolds, Robertson, Jennifer Stewart, Kirsty West and Yuill;  for the amendment (12) – the Convener;  and Councillors Crockett, Collie, Cooney, Cormack, Farquharson, Laing, McCaig, Kevin Stewart and Wisely;  and Mr. G. Bruce and Mr. P. Campbell.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the amendment.

With reference to Article 5 of the minute of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 15 April 2010, and the background report in relation to the motion by Councillor Graham, the Committee had before it an update on the investigation of floodlighting options for the football pitch at Manor Walk, Middlefield.  

The report advised that two options for floodlighting had been identified, namely:- 

Option A – to light the pitch area from around the perimeter, including power supply, cabinet, timer, underground cabling and eight 8 metre columns with floodlights;  and

Option B – to light the pitch area from the Manor Walk side only, including power supply, timer, underground cabling and two 12 metre columns each with two floodlights.

Option A was estimated to cost £21,245.86 plus VAT and Option B would cost £7,286.56 plus VAT.   It was noted that Option A, while significantly more expensive, would allow for floodlighting to be introduced around the perimeter of the pitch, at a level which would be expected for a permanent all-weather facility.    However, Option B provided lighting from one side only, at a lesser cost, whilst still providing a lighting standard which would be acceptable for the pitch area.   It was also noted that this option would provide a cost effective solution, which could allow the equipment to be reused at some point in the future on an alternative site as and when the current site was developed for housing.    The report advised that local representative groups and services had been consulted on the floodlighting proposal and both options, and that responses received indicated support for the floodlighting as well as a preference for Option B, in light of the fact that the site was likely to be developed in a few years.    It was further noted that a budget had been identified to cover the purchase, installation and the ongoing revenue costs associated with Option B.   However, given the significantly higher cost, a budget to fund Option A had not been identified.   The report advised that Option B could be progressed immediately and that manufacture and delivery of the floodlighting could take approximately ten weeks, with installation of the equipment taking a further two weeks.   Where possible, all efforts would be made to expedite this timescale to provide the facility as soon as possible to allow the young people to have use of the facility during the darker nights ahead.  

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the two options (A and B) and their attendant financial implications;

(b)       note that while the site is zoned for future residential development, local services and community representatives are in support of the floodlighting proposal as a short-term measure;

(c)        note that Option B would allow for the equipment to be dismantled and reused elsewhere in the event of future residential development;

(d)       note that funding had been identified to fund the installation and annual maintenance and electricity costs associated with Option B;  and

(e)       in light of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 9.

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 revenue budget and advised on any areas of risk which could require management action.  

The report advised that there were 37 approved savings for 2010/2011 which totalled £8,560,000 and that the service was on target to achieve most of these savings.   In relation to the saving of £810,000 proposed for Directorate and Operational Staff costs, it was noted that additional savings were likely due to more staff opting to leave the Council than had originally been anticipated.   Work was ongoing to identify the exact savings which would be generated in relation to staffing.  

The report further noted that there had been a double count of savings between Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure and Education, Culture and Sport in relation to facilities and that options to minimise the potential overspend of £400,000 were being examined by both services.  

In relation to Out of Authority placements, the report advised that based on current figures, there was likely to be an overspend of £1,148,000, and that the Education, Culture and Sport element of this combined budget with Social Care and Wellbeing was anticipated to be over-committed by £456,000.   It was noted that new screening, resource and authorisation arrangements had been implemented which were designed to impact on the number of children and young people being accommodated and going to residential school.  

The delay in the transfer of facilities to Sport Aberdeen had also had an impact on projected savings, and the report noted that the full year savings were now projected to be £230,000 less than anticipated as a result.

Finally the report noted that the service had been notified of an additional grant of £100,800 to support quality assurance, and moderation of assessments to support the implementation of assessment approaches to the Curriculum for Excellence.

Detailed information in relation to progress on the various Education, Culture and Sport budget savings for 2010/2011 was appended to the report.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note this report and the information on management action and risks that were contained therein;  and

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

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to request that officers include more information in the forecast column of the report, to provide detail on whether or not savings were on course to be met; 

(ii)        to request that officers ensure that the size of font used be legible in all sections of the report, particularly the budget monitoring spreadsheets;  and

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

At this juncture the Committee agreed, given the late hour, to take item 6.4 (Progress with Community Learning Satellite Options: St. Machar ASG and Transfer of Two buildings to Leased Centre Status) and the related deputation as the next item on the agenda.

(A)       Deputation

In accordance with the decision of the Committee at Article 2 above, the Convener welcomed Mr. Ian Fryer to the meeting.   Mr. Fryer advised the Committee that he represented Portal Community Centre and thanked members for the opportunity to speak to Committee.   He noted that the report contained a recommendation to close Portal Community Centre and advised that he felt the statement contained in the report that other locations had been identified for the activities currently undertaken at Portal was inaccurate.   He felt that the closure of Portal would damage the community, and would result in the removal of opportunities for adult education.   Mr. Fryer stated that the closure of the crèche would affect the Centre users who depended on the crèche to allow them to attend job interviews and college.   Mr. Fryer further noted that the report mentioned that the land on which Portal was situated was identified for housing, but that he had spoken with the Director of Housing and Environment and the Convener of that Committee and had been advised that the housing would not be built for at least five years.   Mr. Fryer felt that the immediate closure of Portal would therefore lead to empty buildings which would deteriorate and attract vandalism.   He requested that the Committee remove the recommendation to close Portal Community Centre.  

The Convener thanked Mr. Fryer for his contribution.

(B)       Report

With reference to Article 7 of the minute of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 27 May 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on service delivery options for Tilly Youth Project and Portal Community Learning and Development Centre;  funding for services at Seaton Community Learning and Development Centre at School Road;  and the establishment of Abbey Place Community Centre and Ruthrieston Community Learning and Development Centre as voluntary leased community centres.

With reference to Tilly Youth Project and Portal Community Learning and Development (CLD) Centre, the report advised that officers had been working to ensure the continuity of services for learning in the wider Tillydrone area.   At the last meeting of the Committee, officers had identified opportunities for some of the Tilly Youth Project activities to be undertaken in Portal CLD Centre and for certain Portal activities to be relocated to other local venues.   However, the retention of activities at Portal would require the isolation of utility supplies previously supplied to St. Machar Primary School.   This work was estimated at £50,000 pending detailed discussions with service companies.   Although this would allow Portal to continue to operate for an estimated two to three years prior to the land being cleared for housing, this did not include the cost of fencing the site  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

Following a request from members, the Committee agreed to take item 5.1 (Selection of artist to produce Gordon Highlanders commemorative statue) as the next item on the agenda.

With reference to article 2 of the meeting of the Gordon Highlanders Commemorative Statue Working Group of 4 August 2010, the Committee had before it for information the decision of the Working Group to commission artist Mark Richards to produce the Gordon Highlanders Commemorative Statue.  The minute extract before Committee advised of the selection process which had been undertaken and the discussion which had been held in relation to the finish and location of the proposed statue.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the decision of the Working Group.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which outlined the revised policy and procedure on maximising attendance in the workplace.  The report advised that the policy and procedure had been approved at the Finance and Resources Committee on 17 June 2010 in relation to other staff in the authority and that the report before Committee for consideration sought approval to apply the same policy and procedure to teaching staff.  The report advised that the policy and procedure was to be discussed by the Teachers’ Consultative Forum and the Local Negotiating Committee for Teachers (LNCT) on 10 September 2010.  

The Committee then heard that no agreement on the policy had been reached at the LNCT meeting on 10 September.  

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the revised policy and procedure.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to amend the recommendation contained in the report to read, “that Committee approve the revised policy and procedure for application to teaching staff only”;  and

(ii)        to approve the amended recommendation, on the understanding that the existing policy would remain in force until agreement had been reached with the LNCT.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which proposed a revised policy and procedure on managing substance misuse, including alcohol, in the workplace.   The report before Committee updated the existing policy and procedure to bring it into line with best practice.   The review had been conducted in accordance with the Healthy Working Lives criteria in support of the Council’s aspiration to achieve the Healthy Working Lives silver award.   This award recognised organisations that met a prescribed standard of a healthy and safe workplace.  

The report then outlined the main features of the revised policy and procedure and noted that both would be supported by guidance notes for managers.   Appended to the report was the updated Managing Substance Misuse policy and procedure.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the revised policy and procedure.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation contained in the report with the addendum “that Committee approve the revised policy and procedure for application to teaching staff only”.

With reference to article 6 of the minute of the Corporate Policy and Performance Committee of 29 April 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which presented a scorecard summary of performance data to June 2010 for the Education, Culture and Sport Service and sought agreement for future financial and performance monitoring and reporting arrangements.  

The report presented to the Corporate Policy and Performance Committee in April 2010 had set out new arrangements for financial and performance monitoring, which would ensure a round picture of performance and would address key performance indicators, progress with planned actions and management of risks.    The new arrangements would also ensure that performance indicators, actions and risks directly related to the Council’s stated objectives and that performance management was aligned throughout different levels of planning and activity such as the Single Outcome Agreement and service business plans.   This would ensure that those charged with decision-making had regular access to current, accurate and appropriate performance data.  

The report noted that the performance reporting would be undertaken where possible using the Covalent performance management tool.   This would allow performance reporting to be standardised and members would receive information which highlighted potential “hot spots” and indicators which were either not being met or were exceeding performance expectations.

Appended to the report was the Education, Culture and Sport balanced scorecard to June 2010;  the Service’s statutory performance indicators for 2009/10;  and a summary of HMIe and Care Commission inspections for the 2009/10 academic session.   The report advised that work was ongoing to develop a robust performance management framework for the Directorate using the Covalent tool.  

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       approve the Service scorecard report for June 2010;

(b)       approve the Statutory Performance Indicators (SPIs) report for financial year 09/10; 

(c)        agree to receive performance reports on a quarterly basis showing progress and outturns in relation to:

·                    SPIs within the Education, Culture and Sports Committee remit;

·                    other Key Performance Indicators used by the Education, Culture and Sport Service to manage performance;

·                    data showing the delivery of agreed savings;

·                    progress with actions set out in the Education, Culture and Sport Service Plan;  and

·                    the risk register for the Education, Culture and Sport Service.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to the percentage of dealing with written queries and complaints within 15 working days, to note that Councillor Graham had not received a response to a particular complaint and to request that officers discuss the matter with him; 

(ii)        in relation to the SQA performance measures, to note that updated data would be available on 20 September 2010, and therefore further information on these measures would be included in the performance report submitted to the November meeting of the Committee; 

(iii)       to request that officers provide examples of the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework factors to a future meeting; 

(iv)       to note that officers would be reviewing the performance targets and to request that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

With reference to article 8 of the minute of the meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee of 17 June 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on the request to the Finance and Resources Committee for funding to undertake major repairs to or replacement of the heating and ventilation plant at the Beach Leisure Centre.

The report advised that the Beach Leisure Centre was the City Council’s largest and best used leisure facility attracting approximately 260,000 visits per annum. Due to the age of the facility however, there were now issues in relation to the general condition of the fabric of the building and some of the mechanical and electrical installations.    The report advised that it had been recognised for some time that the ventilation plant within the facility was in need of attention, however in the light of ongoing budgetary pressures, this had proved difficult to remedy.   A condition survey of the building had been undertaken in March 2009 to determine the extent of the problems with the heating and ventilation plant.   This had led to recommendations for a number of areas of work.  The survey had identified that there were three options for the Centre’s ventilation system, namely:-  (a) remedial works at the cost of approximately £630,000, which would not offer the ability to recoup costs through energy efficiencies and could possibly identify other areas of shortfall which would require further investment;  (b) replacement of the ventilation units and implementation of a number of energy efficiency measures costed at approximately £1.5m;  and (c) for no work to be undertaken, which would likely result in the Centre continuing to over extend its limited repair budget in order to maintain services, and could ultimately result in catastrophic failure of the equipment.   It was noted that both options (a) and (b) would involve a degree of closure of the site and the associated reduction in admissions and income, although the report noted that consideration could be given to whether a total Centre closure would be required, or whether certain parts of the Centre could be kept open while work was ongoing.   It was thought that any works could take up to 24 weeks to complete.  

The report advised that when the matter had been considered by the Finance and Resources Committee on 17 June 2010, that Committee had resolved that “the Council agree in principle to meet the cost of replacing the heating and ventilation equipment at the Beach Leisure Centre and remit to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee to consider alterations or changes to its budgetary plans to enable the expenditure involved (estimated to be £1.5m) to be met”.   The report noted that although the Education, Culture and Sport elements of the non-housing capital programme had been reviewed, officers had not been able to identify anything within the programme for the current year which was neither underway nor essential.   It was, however, felt that the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee received an update from the Director of Education, Culture and Sport who drew members’ attention to the information provided on the decant in the Committee Information Bulletin.   She advised that an additional bus had been provided due to the high uptake of places from Primary 1 and Nursery pupils, however, staff were ensuring that all buses were as full as possible before another was brought in.    There was an expected project completion date of February 2011, with the decant of pupils to begin after the Easter holidays in 2011.  

With reference to the investigation into the promise to parents that transport would be provided for pupils, the Director advised that she had now completed her investigation and that her report had been submitted to the Chief Executive for consideration.  

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the update in the information bulletin and the oral update provided;  and

(ii)        to note that the Director of Education, Culture and Sport had provided the Chief Executive with the outcome of her investigation and that the Chief Executive was considering the information and the next steps to be taken.

Would Members please note that colour copies of the Learning Strategy have been circulated separately.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 8 October 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport on the final version of the Aberdeen Learning Strategy.

The report outlined the background work which had gone into producing the Learning Strategy noting that the development of the strategy document had been undertaken alongside the development of the new Education, Culture and Sport Service Business Plan and the Corporate Business Plan.   As part of the work on the strategy, officers had also held a series of discussion and engagement events and the detail of these was outlined in the report.   It was noted that the events for school-age children and young people had been particularly successful with over 130 pupils and 50 adults participating.   

The report advised that the previous drafts of the Learning Strategy had set out eight priorities.   However, as part of the more recent strategy development work, a workshop had been held with managers to discuss the impact of the new Service Business Plan, and as a result there were now ten priorities proposed, namely:-

• curriculum for excellence
• helping those with different needs
• working together
• learning in the wider community
• fit-for-purpose schools/learning centres
• technology
• skilled and trained staff
• value for money
• community health and well being
• community engagement in culture, arts and heritage.

The amended priorities set out a broad vision for lifelong learning and the report noted that it was essential that the Council, alongside its stakeholders and partners, developed a strong lifelong learning culture to fully realise the positive outcomes in the attainment, achievement, and aspirations of children, young people, adults, families and communities.   It was felt that the lifelong learning approach meant that the Learning Strategy would be delivered throughout the five life stages of early childhood, childhood and early adolescence, later adolescence and early adulthood, adulthood and later life.

The final Aberdeen City of Learning Strategy was appended to the report with an overview of how the strategy would be implemented across the five life stages.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note the content of the report and approve the strategy document which was attached at Appendix 1;

(b)       note that the Aberdeen Learning Strategy consisted of the document at Appendix 1, which represented the policy framework for learning, and all the other major plans that had been (or would be) produced to implement the ten priorities for learning;

(c)        note that as a consequence of recommendation (b) above, major pieces of work were being developed and implemented as part of the roll-out of the strategy and that the finalisation of the strategy document was therefore not an end in itself;  and

(d)       note that the new structure of the Education, Culture & Sport Service provided a fit-for-purpose structure to deliver the vision, aims and priorities set out in the Learning Strategy.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the strategy;  and

(ii)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

With reference to article 5 of the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee of 21 January 2009 and article 8 of the minute of Council of 11 February 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which outlined the outcome of the stakeholder consultation on which site should be selected for a new school to replace Bucksburn and Newhills Primary School.

The Council had allocated £10.45m of funding for the new Bucksburn/Newhills School under the non-housing capital programme.   Subsequently, further funding of £4.125m to support construction costs had been received in principle from the Scottish Government through the Scottish Futures Trust.  This funding was anticipated to commence in 2011/12.

Following formal statutory consultation the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee resolved at its meeting on 21 January, 2009 to adopt the motion to close both Bucksburn and Newhills Primary Schools and establish a new school on the preferred site.   This decision was ratified by Council which further instructed a feasibility study to be conducted upon both school sites.

The report advised that stakeholder engagement on the preferred school site ran from 17 May to 23 August, 2010.   The stakeholder engagement document had been made available via the two existing primary schools and dedicated web pages were set up on the Council website.   A stakeholder engagement event was also held on 25 May at Bucksburn Academy at which indicative plans for the development of both sites were on display, including a non-site specific representation of the floor plan of the replacement school.   Officers had been in attendance to answer questions from stakeholders and cards were also provided for attendees to leave their comments and submissions.   Furthermore, a dedicated e-mail address for questions and submissions was established in May and meetings had also been held with the parent council members of Newhills, representatives of Bucksburn and Newhills Community Council, and Bucksburn Parent Council.  

Appended to the report was a summary of the feedback from the stakeholder engagement.   The report advised that overall the majority of submissions had been in favour of the Newhills site for the new school and many had reflected parental concerns about decant arrangements.   Also appended to the report was the summary of the feasibility report of the two sites which indicated that traffic engineers had advised that the existing Bucksburn School site was considered to be poorly located in transportation, access and road safety terms and would attract a recommendation of refusal should a planning application be lodged for a new primary school to serve the Bucksburn area on this site.   Therefore based upon both the stakeholder engagement results and the feasibility report, the report advised that officers were of the view that the preferred site for the replacement school was the current Newhills site. 

The report advised that arrangements would be made for the safe and efficient decant of pupils and staff from the chosen site during demolition of the old building and the construction of the new school.  If approval  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

With reference to article 8 of the minute of the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee meeting of 3 March 2009 and article 20 of the minute of the Resources Management Committee meeting of 16 June 2009, the Committee had before it a report which outlined the approach that had been taken to involve families and staff in the redesign of pre-school and family support services for children with additional support needs as a result of complex factors.

The report advised that as a result of the decision to rationalise Hazlewood and Woodlands Schools and Raeden Nursery and develop a new facility for children and young people with additional support needs arising from complex factors on the current Raeden Centre site, the Policy and Strategy (Education) Committee had agreed that the authority should review pre-school nursery education for children with the most complex needs.  The report outlined the ongoing work to develop a new facility at Raeden and advised that the completed feasibility study had identified the site as being suitable for the proposed facility.  

It was noted that the redesign of the school would also impact on the existing NHS nursery provision at the Raeden Developmental Centre.   NHS Grampian was in the process of redesigning its service provision for children with complex needs.   In order to ensure collaborative working with NHS Grampian in this regard, a joint advisory group had been set up comprising representatives from NHS Grampian, parent representatives and voluntary sector partners.   The Group was asked to develop a proposal for pre-school education for children with additional support needs as a result of complex factors, taking account of various issues including the ongoing redesign of nursery provision provided by NHS Grampian.   The proposal produced by the Group was then discussed with parents and staff and amended to address concerns raised.  

The overall aim of the proposal was to retain the same number of pre-school nursery places for children with additional support needs but to offer parents more choice as to the type and location of service they would prefer.   The new facility at Raeden would provide sixteen part-time pre-school places for children with the most complex needs.   Twenty-four additional part-time pre-school places would be provided in three cluster nurseries.  These would be located in existing local authority early years settings based on the areas with the highest level of need.   Each nursery would be developed either as a specialist nursery or as an integrated pre-school service with the Social Care and Wellbeing Service.   It was also proposed to commission a maximum of twenty places from the voluntary and private sectors to deliver special pre-school provision for those children with additional support needs who had working parents.

It was further noted that a range of family support services would be incorporated into the new service in the main school, cluster nurseries, and in full day care services.   These support services reflected the consultation undertaken with parents, and included:- 

• support at diagnosis
• information and advice including health and more general  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval of the Museums and Galleries Service Acquisitions and Disposals Policy for 2010-2015.  

The report advised that in November, 2004 the Museums Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) launched the Accreditation Scheme, a new standard for museums which set nationally agreed minimum standards for all UK museum services.     It was noted that accreditation benefited the users of museum services and acted as benchmark for grant-making organisations, sponsors and donors.   Aberdeen Art Gallery and Museums Service had achieved full accreditation status in 2006.

The report outlined that museums had to meet clear basic requirements on how they were governed, how they cared for and documented their collections and how they made their services accessible to all in order to qualify for accreditation status.   As part of this, all museums in the Accreditation Scheme were required to devise and maintain an Acquisitions and Disposals Policy to be agreed and adopted by their governing body to maintain their accreditation status.   The document was also to be subject to regular review.    The report advised that the current policy covered the period 2005 to 2010 and was therefore due for review.

The revised policy document was appended to the report.   The report advised that the collecting strategy element of the policy was set within the prevailing financial situation in which the Museums and Galleries Service currently operated, and acknowledged potential future limitations on collecting imposed by factors such as display, storage and staffing levels.   The policy set out the current strengths in the collections and the criteria and priorities for future acquisitions.   The report noted that acquisitions outside the current stated policy would only be made in very exceptional circumstances and only after due consideration.   It was noted that if adopted the policy would again be subject to review and revision prior to 31 December 2015.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note that the juke box from the Rendezvous Café mentioned in the policy had been donated by the Friends of Aberdeen Art Gallery;  and

(ii)        to approve and adopt the policy. 

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Kirsty West declared a personal interest during consideration of the following article but did not consider it necessary to withdraw from the meeting.

The Committee received an oral update on the bookings and lettings review from David Wright, Service Manager, who firstly drew members’ attention to the update provided in the Committee Information Bulletin.   Members then asked several questions in relation to the delay of information to certain groups about their let requests and Mr. Wright agreed to investigate this, the specific issues raised by certain members in relation to lets for their surgeries and for certain community groups such as the North East Pipe Band Association, and the feedback from Community Learning and Development Management Committees that there had been a lack of consultation with them in relation to lets.  The Committee also heard that officers in the Facilities Management team were currently looking at janitorial provision and that discussions would be held with the Trade Unions on this issue.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the update provided.

The Committee had before it a housekeeping report by the Director of Corporate Governance which proposed that in light of the recent transfer of the management of Aberdeen City Council’s sports facilities to Sport Aberdeen, that there was no longer a need for meetings of either the Sports Strategy Working Group or the Sports Trust Working Group (formerly the Sports Trust Project Board).

The report advised that the Sports Strategy Working Group had been established to bring together all sports and recreation related reviews which were being undertaken within the Council.   Further to this, the Education and Leisure Committee had agreed that sports services in Aberdeen should be transferred to a Trust, subject to further feasibility work.   As a result, Council took the decision at its meeting on 13 February 2008, to establish a Project Board to take that proposal forward.   It was noted that the Sports Strategy Working Group was currently in abeyance with the last meeting held on 17 June 2009 and the Sports Trust Working Group had last met on 22 September 2009.  

The report noted that following ongoing work and discussion over several months at the Sports Trust Working Group, the management of Aberdeen City Council’s sports facilities formally transferred to Sport Aberdeen on 9 July 2010.   In light of this and the decision of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee on 27 August 2009 that the Sports Strategy Working Group continue for one more meeting only and that the Sports Trust Working Group meet until the sports facilities transferred, and the fact that both Groups had fulfilled their objectives, it was therefore recommended that both Groups should disband.   It was noted that the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Working Group would continue to meet to scrutinise and challenge all culture and sports trusts financed by the Council to ensure best value.  

The report recommended:-

(a)       that the Committee agree to disband both Groups with immediate effect;  and

(b)       that the Committee agree to thank officers and elected members for their significant contributions to the work of both the Sports Strategy Working Group and the Sports Trust Working Group (formerly Project Board).

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which detailed six applications for financial assistance received from various sports organisations throughout the city.   The report advised that if the various recommendations contained in the report were to be approved, £32,164.50 would be available in the Sports Grants Budget for the remainder of the year.

In relation to the requests for funding from Aberdeen Disability Sport and the Young Ambassador Programme, it was noted that although the grants requested represented the full cost of the activities, the sports grant criteria outlined that a maximum of 50% of identified costs could be awarded.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to award funding of £1,500 to the Aberdeen Secondary Schools Football Association to continue to organise competitions for all pupils who attended affiliated schools;

(ii)        to award funding of £2,500 for an annual grant in support of the Chris Anderson Trust;

(iii)       to award £5,000 to support the continued partnership funding for Grampian Coaching;

(iv)       to award funding of £7,000 for an annual programme grant to support the work of the Aberdeen Sports Council;

(v)        to award funding of £582.50 to Aberdeen Disability Sport to allow them to offer bowling sessions throughout the season for bowlers in Aberdeen with disabilities;

(vi)       to award funding of £175 to the Young Ambassador Programme to provide the opportunity for Aberdeen’s Young Ambassadors to attend the Young Ambassador National Conference taking place in Ratho;  and

(vii)      to request that officers provide information to Councillor Boulton on why the Council did not receive a sports grant from the Scottish Football Association as a result of providing for eleven-a-side football.

EXEMPT INFORMATION

In terms of Article 5, the following items of business were considered with the press and public excluded.  

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which sought approval to tender and award school, social work and client transport contract within a set procurement process.  

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       instruct the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to implement the procurement process set out in section 6 of the report;  and

(b)       instruct the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to proceed with the combined school and social work transport invitation to tender and award for 2010/11.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations subject to amending recommendation (a) above to include that consultation be undertaken with the Conveners of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure; Social Care and Wellbeing; Education, Culture and Sport; Licensing;  and Finance and Resources Committees.

The Committee had before it, by way of referral, a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Working Group meeting of 31 May 2010, which provided a summary of the initial six month period of operation relating to Aberdeen Sports Village Limited from 1 August 2009 to 31 January 2010 as well as the draft Business Plan for the organisation for the period 2010 to 2013.  

The Working Group had resolved:-

(a)       to approve the recommendations and remit the report to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 16 September 2010;

(b)       to request that officers provide a breakdown of the figures for community and student use of the facilities;  and

(c)        to request that officers amend future reports to highlight that the accidents recorded related to facility users and not staff.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the report.

The Committee had before it, by way of referral, a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Working Group meeting of 31 May 2010, which provided summary assessments of the operational structures of Bon Accord Indoor Bowling Club and an overview of core issues relating to the management of the organisation and its Executive Committee.

The Working Group had resolved:-

(a)       to instruct officers to contact the Bowling Club, with a follow-up letter, to request that the agreed timetable for repayments be honoured;  and

(b)       to approve the recommendations, and remit the report to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 16 September 2010.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report, with the addition of a further recommendation, namely:-  “to instruct officers to report to both the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Group (which next meets on 1 November) and to the Finance and Resources Committee on 2 December, with the report to include information on the Bowling Club’s financial position, the level of support the Council can and should offer to the Club, with recommendations on the implications of both extending and not extending the lease of the Centre”.

The Committee had before it, by way of referral, a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport to the Culture and Leisure Trust Shareholder Monitoring Working Group of 31 May 2010.   The report provided summary assessments of the operational structures of Transition Extreme Limited, and provided an overview of core issues relating to the management of the organisation and its directorship.

The Working Group had resolved:-

to approve the recommendations, and remit the report to the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 16 September 2010.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the report.

The Committee had under consideration, upon a remit from the Finance and Resources Committee (article 35 of the minute of 17 June 2010 refers), a request from that Committee that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee review the non-housing capital programme for that service to identify urgent funding to carry out works to the interior of the Tullos Swimming Pool building.

At its meeting on 17 June 2010, the Finance and Resources Committee had expressed concern that the Education, Culture and Sport Committee had requested capital funding in order for the repairs to be undertaken, noting that service committees should take ownership of their non housing capital programmes, and reprioritise budgets to take account of urgent matters such as this case.

As a result of this the Committee had before it for consideration an update report on the review of the Education, Culture and Sport elements of the non housing capital programme.  The report advised that officers had not been able to identify any project within the programme for the current year which was neither already underway, nor non-essential.  The report advised that given the current lack of resources to progress the project at this stage and the pressing need to review the overall need for swimming pool facilities, it was recommended that the future of Tullos pool be considered as part of a wider decision on the number and nature of pools in the city and the creation of a city-wide water management plan.  It was noted that this exercise had already been successfully carried out by a number of other local authorities, in partnership with the national governing body, Scottish Swimming, and would provide a strategic overview to the future provision of swimming.  The approach would take account of the needs of local swimming clubs, and swimming pool users, and would tie in closely with the regional swimming development plan for the North of Scotland currently being developed by Scottish Swimming.

The report advised that as Tullos Swimming Pool had been made wind and watertight, the cost of maintaining the fabric of the building in its current condition could be funded through existing revenue budgets.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       note the feedback from the Finance and Resources Committee;

(b)       agree the proposal to review the need for Tullos Swimming Pool, as part of a city-wide Water Management Plan, in partnership with Scottish Swimming, Sport Aberdeen and local swimming clubs.

(c)        agree to maintain Tullos Swimming Pool in a wind and water-tight manner, in order to protect the investment already made and avoid any further deterioration of the fabric of the facility, pending the outcome of the above review.

Also before the Committee was a letter from the Secretary of Tullos Community Council raising concerns about the repairs, highlighting the importance of the swimming pool to the community, and requesting the Committee to agree to re-open the pool.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained within the report, subject to amending recommendation (b),  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.