Agenda, decisions and minutes

The agenda and reports associated with this minute can be located at the following link:-

http://committees.aberdeencity.gov.uk/ielistdocuments.aspx?cid=146&mid=2587&ver=4

The Convener proposed that the Committee consider those reports identified on the agenda as being for determination in private, with the press and public excluded.

The Committee resolved:-

in terms of Section 50(A)(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude the press and public from the meeting from item 10.1 of the agenda (article 19 of this minute) onwards so as to avoid disclosure of information of the classes described in the following paragraphs of Schedule 7(A) to the Act: article 19 (paragraph 6), article 20 paragraphs 6 and 9), article 21 (paragraphs 6 and 9), article 22 (paragraphs 6 and 9), and article 23 (paragraph 6).

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Dickson declared an interest in relation to item 1 (CAB – Debt Advice Service),of the Committee Business Statement by virtue of his position on the Citizens’ Advice Bureau Management Committee and withdrew from the meeting during consideration of that item only.

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

In relation to item 16 (Greenferns Development Update), the Property Estates Manager advised that a development strategy for the site was currently being prepared.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to item 1 (CAB – Debt Advice Service), to instruct the Head of Housing and Community Safety to advise the Committee, by email, of the current status of the Service Level Agreement with CAB;

(ii)        to remove items 1 (CAB – Debt Advice Service) and 4 (Accord Card – Citizen Roll Out);

(iii)       to note that reports on items 7 (Review of Commercial Office Properties) resolution (i) and 11 (Annual Housing and Council Tax Benefit Report), were to be considered on today’s agenda and to remove them subject to the decision taken;

(iv)       in relation to item 12 (Local Authority Mortgage Scheme), to instruct the Director of Housing and Environment to advise the Committee if he had written to the building society to determine its position;

(v)        in relation to 16 (Greenferns Development Update), to note the oral update; and

(vi)       otherwise to note the updates contained therein.

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

In relation to motion 2 (Motion by Councillor McCaig – BRIS), the Committee heard from the Corporate Accounting Manager who advised of the financial year end position in relation to Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme.  Thereafter, the Director of Corporate Governance advised that three suppliers had been asked to submit tenders for research study, exploring the existing financial settlement and its impact on the contribution Aberdeen makes to Scotland and the UK and how a different or better funding settlement could benefit Aberdeen and the remainder of Scotland.

The Convener then moved, seconded by Councillor Allan:-

That the Committee:

(a)       note the previous decision of the Committee;

(b)       note and commend the policy of Aberdeen City Council to maintain Council Tax at its present level from 2008 until at least 2016;

(c)        note with regret the Scottish Government’s under-funding of the Council Tax freeze which had seen Aberdeen lose £2.1million after taking account of inflation over the same period;

(d)       express concern that the Scottish Government continued to fail to deliver the funding it had promised Aberdeen by ignoring the 85% floor which would cost Aberdeen City £12.1 million in 2013/2014 alone;

(e)       express dismay at the Scottish Government’s abandonment of its commitment to honour payments under the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme which would see Aberdeen City lose £3 million in 2013/2014; and

(f)        note the total amount of funding due to Aberdeen, but lost through Scottish Government back-tracking and broken promises was estimated to be £17.2 million.

Councillor McCaig moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Noble:-

That the Committee:

(1)       note the previous decision of the Committee;

(2)       welcome the continuation of the council tax freeze funded by the Scottish Government that had seen Band D council taxpayers benefit by over £800 since its inception;

(3)       note that the Convener of the Finance and Resources Committee at a recent hustings expressed his desire to hand back the £3.3 million the Council received from the Scottish Government for the council tax freeze;

(4)       note with concern that there had been a fall in the rateable value of properties of £4.3 million under the current administration;           

(5)       instruct the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure to bring an urgent report to council detailing how this situation could be addressed;

(6)       note that the additional £7 million that Aberdeen had received from the Scottish Government and the opposition this had received from the Scottish Labour Party; and

(7)       call on all the city’s elected representatives to call for fairer funding for Aberdeen to invest in the economic development of the city for the benefit of the city and Scotland.

Councillor Yuill then moved a further amendment, seconded by Councillor Malone:-

That the Committee:

(i)         note the previous decision of the Committee and the officers update; note that a report would be forthcoming from an independent consultant on the existing settlement;  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

With reference to article 15 of the minute of its meeting of 25 April 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which presented the revenue position for the Council for 2012/2013 and advised as to any areas of risk that had been highlighted by Directors.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       note the positive year end Revenue Budget position for the financial year 2012/13;

(b)       note that the draft Statement of Accounts for 2012/2013 would be presented to Council at its meeting of 26 June 2013 prior to being sent, as required by statute, to Audit Scotland before 30 June; and

(c)        note that the audited Statement of Accounts would be presented to the Audit and Risk Committee, along with the external auditor's report to Elected Members in the Autumn, and thereafter would be presented to Council.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which presented three applications for financial assistance.

The report recommended –

that the Committee agree to award the following grants:

·         Doors Open Day - £300;

·         Queens Cross Church for Lajee Centre Visit - £320; and

·         Aberdeen Student Charities Campaign – up to value of £2,500 inclusive of VAT towards the total 2013 cost of traffic management and barriers.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to agree to award the following grants:

·         Doors Open Day - £300;

·         Queens Cross Church for Lajee Centre Visit - £500; and

·         Aberdeen Student Charities Campaign – up to value of £2,500 inclusive of VAT towards the total 2013 cost of traffic management and barriers; and

(ii)        to instruct officers to write to Celebrate Aberdeen and invite them to submit a request for financial assistance towards the cost of traffic management and barriers for its parade held on 1 June 2013.

With reference to article 12 of the minute of its meeting of 21 February 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which provided an update on Treasury Management activities undertaken during 2012/2013.

The report recommended –

that the Committee recommend that Council –

(a)       note the Treasury Management activities undertaken in 2012/13 as detailed in the report, and

(b)       approve the revised Counterparty list as detailed at Appendix 1.

The Committee resolved:-

to recommend that Council approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 18 of the minute of its meeting of 6 December 2012, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance whichprovided an update on the performance of Housing and Council Tax Benefit during 2012/2013, by way of an annual report.

The report recommended –

that the Committee note the content of the report and that an annual report advising of Housing and Council Tax Benefit service performance would be presented to the Committee.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

With reference to article 13 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 21 May 2013, at which time it was agreed to allocate £5000 from existing service budgets to Aberdeenshire Council towards the hosting of the North Sea Conference in June 2014, the Committee now had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought approval of a further contribution to Aberdeenshire Council of up to £15,000 plus a dinner, towards their hosting of the aforementioned conference.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       agree that a total of £20,000 cash contribution (noting that the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee had already agreed to allocate £5,000) be allocated to Aberdeenshire Council towards the hosting of the North Sea Conference in June 2014, subject to the main conference plenary sessions being held at the AECC and that all conference publications must carry the Aberdeen City Council logo as a conference sponsor;

(b)       approve the hosting of a dinner, subject to the dinner being held at AECC or Beach Ballroom; and

(c)        subject to the approval of recommendations (a) and (b) above, identifies a source of funding for the costs of the dinner, plus the additional £15,000 cash contribution.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the recommendations (a) and (b); and

(ii)        to instruct the Director of Corporate Governance and the Senior Partnerships, Performance and Funding Officer, to identify a source of funding for the costs of the dinner, plus the additional £15,000 cash contribution.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought approval for two elected members to attend the final conference of the Low Carbon Regions in the North Sea (LOWCAP) project, of which the Council was lead partner.

The report recommended –

that the Committee approve the attendance of the Leader of the Council and one other elected member to attend the LOWCAP final conference to be held in Brussels on 26 June 2013.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval (a) to increase the fee charged for individual citizenship ceremonies and (b) for a fee structure for a nationality checking service on behalf of the Home Office.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       agree to increase the fee charged for individual citizenship ceremonies to £50;

(b)       approve the following a fee structure for a nationality checking service-

Single adult - £75

Single person under 18 - £40

Couples - £120

Family - £180

(c)        agree to delegate authority to the Heads of Finance and Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Convener of the Finance and Resources (or equivalent) Committee, to review these fees annually and make adjustments if deemed necessary.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 9 of the minute of the meeting of the Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure Committee of 27 October 2009, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought approval for staging the Christmas 2013 Nativity Scene and the allocation of an increased budget which:  (a) reflected the actual costs incurred for staging the December 2012 Nativity Scene; and (b) allowed for an anticipated 10% inflationary cost increase associated with staging the 2013 Nativity Scene.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       approve a proposed budget of £6000 from the Common Good Fund to stage the 2013 Nativity Scene; and

(b)       otherwise note the content of the report.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved that the report be referred simpliciter to Council.

On a division, there voted:-  For the procedural motion (13) – the Convener, the Vice Convener; and Councillors Cameron, Cooney, Cormie, Dickson, Forsyth, Graham, Grant, Ironside, McCaig, Milne and Noble; Against the procedural motion (2) – Councillors Malone and Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

to refer the report simpliciter to Council.

With reference to article 14 of the minute of the meeting of the Housing and Environment Committee of 14 May 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Housing and Environment which provided an update on a way forward for the regeneration of Middlefield as a result of the Haudagain roundabout upgrade.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       note the progress to date as detailed in the report;

(b)       note the next stages of work for Middlefield as instructed by the Housing and Environment Committee on 14 May 2013.

Councillor McCaig moved, seconded by Councillor Malone:-

That the recommendations be approved.

The Convener moved as an amendment, seconded by the Vice Convener:-

That the Committee:

(1)       note the words of Keith Brown, Minister for Transport and Veterans, who stated in the Scottish parliament on 22 May “We have stated on a number of occasions our commitment to funding the design and construction of the road improvement, which will include associated land and compensation costs for the delivery of the Haudagain scheme.  As was the case with all of our schemes, landowners, including the local authority, will be compensated for any land or property that was required to enable the construction of the road improvement”;

(2)       to note paragraph 7.1 of the report which stated “There is as yet no detailed information from government on the financial arrangements to be made to purchase assets required to deliver the Haudagain junction improvements” and therefore to instruct officers to enter into negotiations with the Scottish Government within the next 30 days with a view to agreeing a legally binding contract as soon as possible ensuring the Council and other land owners were suitably and properly compensated for the land or property that was required to enable the construction on the road improvements with a view to starting work on the Haudagain roundabout within the next two years rather than in 2018/2019 as proposed by the SNP;

(3)       to note with complete disappointment the decision to postpone the arranged meeting between the Council and Transport Scotland on 27 May 2013, and reschedule the meeting until 28 June 2013, a clear sign that the Haudagain roundabout improvements were not a key priority for the Scottish Government;

(4)       to note the speed in which the Scottish Government were prepared to compensate landowners, including building a brand new International School in Cults, long before the AWPR work had started and questions the Scottish Government’s resolve to fully compensate the people and residents of Middlefield which was the most deprived area of the city in terms of employment, health, income, education and training quickly and efficiently as they did in the most prosperous area of the city; and

(5)       to instruct officers to bring a report to an additional meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee on 25 July 2013 on the meeting with Transport Scotland, including detailed information from the Government on the financial arrangements to be made to purchase  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval to use Scotland Excel, Government Procurement Service and Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation Framework Agreements for the purchase of the commodities detailed in appendix 1.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       approve the use of the Scotland Excel, Government Procurement Service and Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation Framework Agreements for the purchasing of the commodities detailed in Appendix 1; and

(b)       approve the estimated expenditure for each of the commodities listed in Appendix 1.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Corporate Governance which advised of the intention to go out to tender for the destruction of confidential waste for a maximum of four years and sought approval of the estimated expenditure as detailed in the report.

The report recommended –

that the Committee approve the estimated expenditure of £43,804 per annum for a period of four years on the destruction of confidential waste, in accordance with SO1(3) of the Council’s Standing Orders Relating to Contracts and Procurement.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

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

At this juncture, the Vice Convener assumed the Chair.

With reference to article 25 of the minute of its meeting of 28 September 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which sought consideration of the Council’s car parks portfolio, not including public use car parking, with a view to establishing a strategy for the management and maximising potential income from that asset group in the future.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       agree that in the short term, the Council would retain ownership of the leased car park sites on the Investment Portfolio with a view to maximising rental income and potential capital receipts;

(b)       agree that in the medium term, the Head of Asset Management and Operations assess the options again with a view to establishing whether any changes in economic factors were affecting the Council’s car parks Investment Portfolio interests; and

(c)        agree that where applicable, to continue to explore all avenues of income generation for the vacant/development parking sites.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 31 of the minute of its meeting of 25 April 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which provided members with an update on activities in relation to properties which had been declared surplus to the Council’s requirements or were currently vacant awaiting a decision on future use.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       note the position in relation to all the vacant and surplus assets, as identified in appendices A, B and C of the report;

(b)       in relation to the former Causewayend School, note that substantial progress had been made following ultimatums from Asset Management officers and a conditional missive should be concluded shortly;

(c)        in relation to Devil’s Den Woodside, note that discussions were continuing with the adjacent owners with the intension to report to the next meeting of this Committee with details of the risks associated with taking the development forward, the parties carrying the risks and the potential mechanism for sharing the development return;

(d)       in relation to Victoria Road School, Torry, approve the request by Torry Community Council to place the demolition and marketing of the building on hold for six months while they undertake a feasibility study on the property;

(e)       note the sale of the former Cairnfield Community Centre held on the Housing Revenue Account/General Services Account for £105,000, concluded since the Committee’s meeting on 25 April 2013;

(f)        note the lease of the following properties held on the tenanted non residential portfolio, concluded since the Committee’s meeting on 25 April 2013:-

·         Building, Faulds Row, Kincorth £2,500

·         Unit 19 Woodlands Drive, Kirkhill industrial estate, Dyce £27,500

·         24-28 Belmont Street £28,000

(g)       in relation to the Grove Nursery Site, Hazledene Road, to note that the Housing and Environment Committee would like to make representations in the local development plan review to have the site re-designated for use as ‘a garden centre with associated horticultural uses’.  The deadline for making such submission to the Local Development Plan Review was 14 June 2013.  No officer had delegated powers to make such applications without Committee approval and therefore the Committee were asked to consent to such submission being made by the Head of Asset Management and Operations.

The Committee received an oral update from the Property Estates Manager in relation to the following properties:  Causewayend School, Mile End School and Victoria Road School.

The Convener then moved, seconded by Councillor Forsyth:-

That the Committee approve the recommendations and the further oral recommendations from the Property Estates Manager.

Councillor Noble moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor McCaig:-

That the Committee approve recommendations (a), (b), (c), (d), (e) and (f) and the further oral recommendations from the Property Estates Manager.

Further to clarification from the Property Estates Manager in relation to the Grove Nursery Site, Hazledene Road, Councillor Noble withdrew his amendment.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve recommendations (a), (b), (c), (e), (f) and (g);

(ii)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised on the outcome of marketing activities in relation to a surplus Housing Revenue Account (HRA) property and the offers subsequently received.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       accept the offer for Flat 5, 60 Rosemount Viaduct, Rosemount, the highest offer submitted by Mackie and Dewar, on behalf of The Firm of Ardoe Properties;

(b)       instruct the Head of Finance to obtain First Minister approval for the future sale of the property on the basis of the offer to be accepted; and

(c)        instruct the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to conclude missives for the sale of this property incorporating various qualifications as were necessary to protect the Council’s interests.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised on the outcome of marketing activities in relation to a surplus site at Tarbothill Road, Balgownie and the offers subsequently received.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       accept the offer from Brodies LLP on behalf of Tulloch Homes Limited; and

(b)       instruct the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to conclude missives for the sale of this property incorporating various qualifications as were necessary to protect the Council’s interests.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure which advised on the outcome of marketing activities in relation to a surplus site at Tarbothill Road, Balgownie and the offers subsequently received.

The report recommended –

that the Committee –

(a)       given that the potential interest/income generated from the refurbishment of the suites was too small to justify the substantial investment required at 11/13 Belmont Street at this time, instruct the Head of Asset Management and Operations to conduct a development appraisal of 11/13 Belmont Street during the financial year 2014/2015 with the aim to identify options for its future use prior to the expiry of the current tenant’s lease; and

(b)       instruct the Head of Asset Management and Operations to continue to monitor the common areas within 15/17 Belmont Street and to refurbish said parts as and when it became necessary.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

- COUNCILLOR WILLIE YOUNG, Convener.