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=2903&ver=4

Please note that if any changes are made to this minute at the point of approval, these will be outlined in the subsequent minute and this document will not be altered retrospectively.

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 12.1 of the agenda (article 31 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 31 (paragraphs 8 and 10), article 32 (paragraphs 6 and 9) article 33 (paragraphs 4,6, 8 and 9), article 34 (paragraph 9), article 35 (paragraph 6), article 36 (paragraphs 6 and 8), article 37 (paragraphs 6 and 8) and article 38 (paragraph 9).

In terms of Standing Order 10(2), the Committee received a deputation from
Mr John Main, Mrs Irene Milne and Mr Bob Gibb on behalf of Torry Heritage Group in respect of item 13.1 (Disposal – Former Victoria Road School) (article 32 refers) on today’s agenda.

The Committee resolved:-

to hear the deputation by Mr John Main, Mrs Irene Milne and Mr Bob Gibb on behalf of Torry Heritage Group, in relation to item 13.1 (Disposal – Former Victoria Road School) as the first item of business.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Prior to consideration of the following item of business, the Convener declared an interest in the subject matter by virtue of knowing one of the parties involved in the marketing process.  The Convener then withdrew from the meeting and was substituted by Councillor Graham, for this item.  At this juncture, Councillor Thomson assumed the Chair.

Councillor McCaig declared an interest and withdrew from the meeting and was substituted by Councillor Kiddie, for this item.

Mr Main advised of the Torry Heritage Group’s aspiration to retain the former Victoria Road School building, highlighted the importance of the building to Torry’s heritage and provided an overview of the history of the building.  Mr Main circulated aerial photographs of the building, as well as a petition of approximately 2300 signatures in support of retaining the building.

Mrs Milne also expressed the importance of the building to Torry’s heritage and explained that in her opinion Victoria Road School was as important to Torry, as Marischal College was to Aberdeen.

Mr Gibb highlighted that although Historic Scotland had not considered the building as meeting the conditions for a listed building it had stated that the building made a contribution to the sense of place.  He also referred to the Council’s Policy D4 Aberdeen's Granite Heritage, which encouraged the retention of granite buildings throughout the city, even if not listed or in a conservation area.  Finally, he proposed potential uses for the building should it be retained in the community.

Members asked questions of Mr Main, Mrs Milne and Mr Gibb and thanked them for their contribution.

At this point the Convener resumed the Chair.

The Committee had before it the minute of its previous meeting of 19 June 2014.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the minute as a correct record.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Grant declared a pecuniary interest in relation to item 8 (Festive Period) of the Committee Business Statement the following item of business by virtue of being an employee of Aberdeen Inspired and withdrew from the meeting for this item.

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

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         in relation to item 1 (Joint Commissioning Strategy for Older People 2013-2012 – Financial Framework), to note the update contained in the statement and that a report in this regard would be considered by Council on 8 October and therefore to remove from the statement;

(ii)        in relation to item 3 (Access from the North Proposals (Third Don Crossing) Compulsory Purchase Order), to note that this matter had been concluded and therefore to remove from the statement;

(iii)       in relation to item 8 (Festive Period), to request that the winter festival programme be reported to the next meeting of the Committee;

(iv)       in relation to item 9 (Aberdeen-Japan Strategy), to note the contract had now been awarded and that a report would be presented to the next meeting of the Committee;

(v)        to note that reports on items 2 (Failure to Attend Work Due to Bad Weather), 4 (Haudagain Upgrade (Middlefield) Update) and 5 (General Fund Revenue Budget 14/15) were to be considered later on today’s agenda and would be removed from the statement subject to the decision taken; and

(vi)       to otherwise note the updates contained therein.

With reference to article 4 of the minute of its meeting of 19 June 214, the Committee received a presentation of the Corporate Governance Service’s progress and performance as detailed in the performance indicators presented.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to note the Corporate Governance Service’s reported progress and performance as detailed in the performance indicators presented at the meeting; and

(ii)        to note that all performance information presented to the Committee would be made available in entirety to the public and press in advance of future meetings.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of its meeting of 19 June 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which provided information to date on the current year’s revenue budget for the Corporate Governance Service, and advised of any areas of risk and management action being taken in this regard.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

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

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

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

DECLARATION OF INTEREST

Councillor Cameron declared an interest in the subject matter of the following article of business by virtue of his position as Board member of Aberdeen Sports Village, and withdrew from the meeting prior to any discussion taking place.

With reference to article 6 of the minute of its meeting of 19 June 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which (1)  presented the current revenue position for the Council for the financial year 2014/2015 and advised of any areas of risk and management action being taken in this regard and (2)  advised of the capital spend on the Aquatics Centre (50m Pool) to be converted to share capital.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the report;

(b)       agree to the use of any uncommitted revenue surplus towards funding the Council’s capital investment requirements as set out in the capital programme, including the strategic infrastructure plan; and

(c)        agree to the conversion of £8.5million capital spend on the Aquatics Centre to share capital.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 7 of the minute of its meeting of 19 June 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which presented the current income and expenditure position of the Common Good Fund for the financial year 2014/2015 to 31 July 2014, and provided a forecast position of cash balances as at 31 March 2014.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the income and expenditure position; and

(b)       note the estimated cash balances as at 31 March 2015 of £6.57million based on current estimates, which was within the recommended levels indicated by the Head of Finance.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 11 of the minute of its meeting on 20 February 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which provided an update on treasury management activities undertaken during the financial year 2013/2014.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the treasury management activities undertaken in 2013/2014 as detailed within the report; and

(b)       recommend that Council note the treasury management activities undertaken in 2013/2014.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which presented one application for financial assistance.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       agree to award grant funding of a maximum of £2,500 to Middlefield Community Project Women’s Group; and

(b)       consider the briefing note provided on the Anglo-Japan Collaboration – All Together Better Health Conference and determine whether (1)  the attendance of the Project Leader at a future meeting of the Committee was required and (2)  the remaining funds of £332.39 should be repaid to the Council.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve recommendation (a); and

(ii)        to note the briefing note provided on the Anglo-Japan Collaboration – All Together Better Health Conference and to agree that the remaining funds of £332.39 should be repaid to the Council and that attendance of the Project Leader at a future meeting of the Committee was not required.

With reference to article 17 of the minute of its meeting of 26 September 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which (a)  requested approval, in terms of financial regulation 11.3.7, to write off business rate debts in excess of £25,000 deemed to be unrecoverable during 2013/14 and (b)  advised of the numbers and values of Council Tax, business rates, community charge and housing benefit overpayments of up to £10,000, deemed to be unrecoverable during 2013/14 after all approved recovery procedures had been followed, in terms of financial regulations 11.3.6 and 11.3.9.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the value of Council Tax, business rates, community charge and housing benefit overpayments deemed by the Director of Corporate Governance as unrecoverable, as show in appendices 1 to 4 in the report; and

(b)       agree that the business rates amounts over £25,000 (and as detailed at appendix 5 in the exempt section of the agenda) deemed as unrecoverable by the Director of Corporate Governance, also be written off.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 20 of the minute of its meeting of 26 September 2013, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which provided information on the operation of the guidance on the Failure to Attend Work due to Bad Weather guidance.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the details on how the guidance had operated since its introduction.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it details of the Society of Personnel and Development Scotland annual conference, to be held on 6 and 7 November 2014.

The Committee resolved:-

to agree that no elected members attend the Society of Personnel and Development Scotland (SPDS) 2014 conference and to note that officers would provide an information bulletin report on the conference.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval of the establishment of two new posts of Building Standards Officer.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the establishment of two new posts of Building Standards Officer.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval to make establishment changes to the Environmental Services team staff structure as detailed in the business case.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the establishment of the following permanent posts:-

·         Assistant Operations Manger – 2 FTE;

·         Environmental Driver – 1 FTE

(b)       approve the change of job title as follows:-

·         Operations Officer to Operations Manager (Environmental Services) – 1 FTE;

·         Environmental Driver to Play Area Maintenance Driver – 1 FTE;

·         Technical Coordinator to Performance and Development Manager – 1 FTE; and

·         Area Officer to Parks and Countryside Manager – 1 FTE; and

(c)        approve the redesign of existing job – Technical Officer – 2 FTE.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval to convert up to 60 agency workers to full time permanent employees.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       instruct officers to start the process to convert 60 agency workers to full time permanent employees;

(b)       agree to a budget virement of £0.891million from the agency budget to the draft workers budget within Building Services in 2014/15 and £1.782million in future years; and

(c)        increase the budgeted full time equivalents from 459.04 to 519.04.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval of the establishment of two new posts to support the delivery of e-building standards.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the establishment of one post of Building Standards Officer and one post of Application Support Assistant.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval of the establishment of two new posts of Application Support Assistant to complement the existing Application Support team.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the establishment of two posts of additional Application Support Assistant.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval of the establishment of two new posts of Senior Planner and one post of Planner.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the establishment of two posts of Senior Planners and one post of Planner.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a business case by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which sought approval of the re-grading of the post of Application Support Assistant.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the re-grading of the vacant post of Application Support Assistant from G8 to G9.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which sought permission to (1)  incur an estimated spend of £1.5million per year on insurance services, utilising the Crown Commercial Service framework and (2)  disestablish the post of Insurance Officer to allow a post to be established jointly with Aberdeenshire Council as part of a shared insurance service.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       agree that a tendering exercise for the renewal of the Council’s Insurance cover utilising the Crown Commercial Service framework be undertaken;

(b)       approve the award of a contract estimated to be in the region of £1.5million per year following such a tendering exercise, to the bidder who submitted the most economically advantageous tender in accordance with the award criteria stated in the Invitation to Tender and subject to satisfactory conclusion of the contractual documentation;

(c)        agree that the contract be awarded for a period of up to five years; and

(d)       agree that the post of Insurance Officer be disestablished from the Council structure to allow the appointment of a joint officer with Aberdeenshire Council to carry out the duties on a combined basis.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval (1)  to extend the current payment processing contract, including the expenditure for the extension and (2)  to participate in a collaborative tender exercise for the provision of payment processing services together with the approval of the total estimated expenditure.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the extension of the current contract to 31 March 2015 and the expenditure for the extension;

(b)       approve participation in a collaborative tender exercise in line with Council Standing Orders, financial regulations and EU legislation for the provision of payment processing services; and

(c)        approve the total estimated expenditure of approximately £378,700 (£94,675 annually) as indicated in the financial implications section contained within the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval of the amended Travel Policy which covered the arranging of travel for staff and elected members.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the Travel Policy, Procedure and Guidelines as appended to the report; and

(b)       agree that these come into effect immediately.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which presented a revised Corporate Information Management Strategy and Improvement Programme for approval.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the detail of the revised Strategy and Improvement Programme as detailed in appendix 1 to the report; and

(b)       approve the revised Corporate Information Management Strategy and Improvement Programme as detailed in appendix 1 to the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which presented an updated Management of ICT Security Policy which was to be renamed “Management of Information Security Policy” to take account of the recommendation from the Information Commissioner’s Office audit.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the updated Management of Information Security Policy.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which (1)  provided information on developing the Council’s process for assessing requests for community asset transfers (2)  outlined a number of areas for further consideration in light of the Community Empowerment Bill and (3)  identified opportunities to establish a governance framework to develop a formal policy both internally within the Council and across the Community Planning Partnership.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       instruct officers to develop an approach to Community Asset Transfer which was consistent as possible across the organisations within the Community Planning Partnership; and

(b)       otherwise note the content of the report.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 3 of the minute of its meeting of 6 May 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on the actions taken in relation to the Committee’s previous decisions regarding the Haudagain upgrade – Middlefield project.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the content of the report;

(b)       note the actions taken as a result of instructions given by the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee at its meeting on 6 May 2014; and

(c)        instruct officers to report progress to future Communities, Housing and Infrastructure Committees as appropriate.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of the meeting of Council of 20 August 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which presented phase three of the organisational review in respect of the Corporate Governance Directorate for approval.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note progress in relation to the implementation of approved phase two recommendations within Corporate Governance;

(b)       approve the creation of a post of Business Manager within Corporate Governance;

(c)        approve the creation of two posts of Transformation and Improvement Adviser (grade assessment pending);

(d)       approve the re-designation and re-profiling of a number of posts within the Directorate as set out in the report;

(e)       (a)        note the comprehensive review of the ICT function and the significant employee engagement process which had accompanied the review; and

(b)       agree to delegate power to the Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Governance, in consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee, to finalise the review on the understanding that the Trade Unions and the employees concerned were consulted fully on the proposals and that the final outcome of the review was reported to the Committee at its next meeting;

(f)        (a)       note the intention to modify the structure of the Pensions Section in response to new regulations and to transfer six staff from Revenues and Benefits to Communities, Housing and Infrastructure; and

(b)       agree to delegate power to the Chief Executive and Director of Corporate Governance, in consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee, to finalise the structural changes on the understanding that the Trade Unions and employees concerned were consulted fully on the proposals and that the final outcome of the review was reported back to the Committee at its next meeting; and

(g)       note that the various support functions within Corporate Governance had been re-aligned within Corporate Governance to ensure continued direct professional support to all Directorates.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 19 of the minute of its meeting of 19 June 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which provided an update on progress of the delivery of the Strategic Infrastructure Plan.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee note the content of the report and the progress made to date.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

In accordance with the decision recorded under article 1 of this minute, the following items were considered with the press and public excluded.

With reference to article 22 of the minute of meeting of the Audit and Risk Committee of 23 September 2014, the Council had before it, by way of remit, a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which set out an options appraisal and sought support for the future provision and delivery of Internal Audit Services when the current contract ended on 31 March 2015.

The Audit and Risk Committee recommended that the Committee –

agree, subject to satisfactory clarifications, to support the proposal for a shared Internal Audit Service with Aberdeenshire Council as the preferred option for the delivery of Internal Audit function beyond the end of the current contract.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Convener intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50(B)(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, that the following item be considered as a matter of urgency to enable the Council to consider the matter without delay.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Prior to consideration of the following item of business, the Convener declared an interest in the subject matter by virtue of knowing one of the parties involved in the marketing process.  The Convener then withdrew from the meeting and was substituted by Councillor Graham, for this item.  At this juncture, Councillor Thomson assumed the Chair.

Councillor McCaig declared an interest and withdrew from the meeting and was substituted by Councillor Kiddie, for this item.

With reference to article 5 of the minute of the meeting of the Property Sub Committee of 22 April 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Communities, Housing and Infrastructure which (1)  advised on the outcome of marketing activities in relation to the surplus property known as the former Victoria Road School and the offers subsequently received and (2)  highlighted the outcome of a listing proposal submitted by a third party to Historic Scotland.

The report recommended –

that the Committee -

(a)       accept the offer submitted by Raeburn Christie Clark and Wallace, on behalf of BDW Trading Ltd;

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

(c)        agree that a sum of £125,000 be earmarked for the necessary asset base and startup costs to be put in place for the new South of the City transportation of children costs.

Councillor Thomson moved, seconded by Councillor Crockett:-

That the Committee approve the recommendations contained in the report.

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

That the Committee:

(1)       note the outcome of the marketing exercise;

(2)       reject all of the offers received; and

(3)       instruct officers to work with Torry Development Trust to retain the building as part of a community asset transfer.

At this juncture, Councillor Grant declared an interest in the subject matter by virtue of being the Chair of Tillydrone Development Trust.  Councillor Grant considered that the nature of his interest did not require him to leave the meeting.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion by the Councillor Thomson (9) – Councillors Allan, Cooney, Crockett, Graham, Grant, Milne, Reynolds, Taylor and Thomson; For the amendment by Councillor Noble (6) – Councillors Cameron, Dickson, Kiddie, Noble, Samarai and Yuill.

The Committee resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

In terms of Standing Order 36(3), Councillor Noble intimated he would like this matter to be referred to full Council in order for a final decision to be taken.  Councillor Noble was supported by Councillors Cameron, Kiddie, Dickson and Samarai.

At this point the Convener resumed the Chair.

With reference to article 13 of the minute of the meeting of the Culture and Sport Sub Committee of 7 May 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education and Integrated Children’s Services which presented the updated Garthdee Alpine Sports Limited Business Plan 2014/2015.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       note the contents of the report;

(b)       authorise officers to process the Council’s budgeted grant payment to Garthdee Alpine Sports Limited for the quarters October to December 2014 and January to March 2015; and

(c)        approve the Garthdee Alpine Sports Limited Business Plan 2014/2015.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

With reference to article 12 of this minute, the Committee had before it an appendix containing details of business case write offs above £25,000.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to agree that the Convener write to the Scottish Government, to advise that whilst recognising that officers were looking into the procedure to recover business rates, the Council would welcome any measures to address this issue;

(ii)        to agree to delegate power to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services and the Head of Finance, in consultation with the Convener and Vice Convener of the Finance, Policy and Resources Committee, to publically release details of the business rates deemed as unrecoverable and written off by the Council if lawful; and

(iii)       to note that this matter had been dealt with at article 16 of this minute.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which advised of the intention to go out to tender for the provision of managed print services and thereby sought approval of (1)  the estimated expenditure as detailed in Section 2 (b) of the report; and (2)  the estimated expenditure relating to an extension to the current provision as detailed in Section 2 (a) of the report to allow this tender to be completed jointly with Aberdeenshire Council and the Moray Council.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the estimated expenditure of £778,000 for the extension of the current managed print contract for a period of up to 15 months; and

(b)       in accordance with Standing Order 1(3) of the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts and Procurement, approve the estimated expenditure of between £12,377,000 and £17,835,000 over a four year period with up to a further two year optional extension from 2015 for managed print, bulk mailing and hybrid mail and the carrying out of appropriate tendering exercises to this end.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which (1)  sought approval of the estimated expenditure for an Online Learning Management System and Design Software and (2)  advised of a contract awarded to Brightwave Ltd by South Lanarkshire Council on behalf of the Clyde Valley Learning and Development Group (CVLDG), of which the Council was one of 14 Associate Members.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee approve the estimated expenditure of £15,750 per annum for the provision of an annual licence fee for an online Learning Management System and Interactive Learning Development Software.  The estimated expenditure for the maximum seven-year term of this contract was £110,250.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

The Committee had before it a report by the acting Director of Corporate Governance which sought approval to undertake a tender process and award a contract for replacement network connectivity circuits.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       approve the undertaking of an appropriate tender process for the replacement of unsuitable network connectivity services and, following such a process, the award of a contract for a one year period, with the option to extend for a period or periods of up to a further 12 months in total (so that the maximum potential contract duration was two years); and

(b)       approve the total maximum estimated expenditure of £640,000 in respect of the proposed contract, subject to such expenditure not exceeding that allocated in the service revenue budgets.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.

DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

The Convener and Councillor Crockett each declared an interest in the subject matter of the following article by virtue of their positions as members of the Board of the North East Scotland Japan Trust.  Councillor Reynolds declared an interest by virtue of his position as a Trustee of the North East Scotland Japan Trust in a personal capacity.  All of the Councillors considered that the nature of their interest required them to leave the meeting and took no part in the Committee’s deliberations thereon.

The Convener was substituted by Councillor Graham and Councillor Crockett was substituted by Councillor Jean Morrison for this item only.

At this juncture, Councillor Thomson assumed the Chair.

With reference to (1)  article 34 of the minute of the meeting of Council of 14 May 2014; and (2)  article 30 of the minute of its meeting of 6 May 2014, the Committee had before it a report by the Transitional Director which provided an update on the actions related to the ownership of Glover House.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)       instruct the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, in consultation with the Head of Finance and the Director of Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure, to set up a company limited by guarantee to  be appointed as sole trustee (“Company Trustee”) of the Trust, and to assume responsibility for Glover House in accordance with the conditions and purposes of the Trust;

(b)       instruct the Head of Legal and Democratic Services to review the Trust Deed for the property in full and ensure that any suitable variations were carried out to enable the assumption of the Company Trustee and the resignation of the current trustees; and

(c)        approve the transfer of responsibility of operating the building to the Council once the Company Trustee was sole Trustee of the Trust.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

- COUNCILLOR WILLIE YOUNG, Convener.