Agenda, decisions and minutes

(A)       The Lord Provost led tributes to former Councillor Jill Wisely who had recently passed away, expressing his gratitude that there had been a good civic representation at the funeral. Councillors Lumsden, Laing and Yuill added their own personal tributes to former Councillor Wisely, highlighting that she would be fondly remembered as a Councillor who served the city and her constituents extremely well, and was a good friend and source of counsel to many elected members from all sides of the political spectrum over the years.

(B)       The Lord Provost intimated that this was the last Council meeting for Roddy MacBeath, Interim Democracy Manager, before he retired at the end of August. The Lord Provost highlighted that Mr MacBeath had served Aberdeen and the North East of Scotland for over 35 years, first starting with Grampian Regional Council in 1983 before joining Aberdeen City Council when it was first established. Councillors Boulton, Flynn, Laing, Lumsden and Yuill paid tribute to Mr MacBeath for his service and acknowledged how helpful he had been towards all members in what could often be a challenging role.

The Council resolved:-

to concur with the remarks of the Lord Provost and the various Councillors.

The persons undermentioned were admitted into the presence of the Council and passed as Burgesses of Guild in respect of their respective Acts of Admission in the Guild Burgess Book:-

            Julien Keith Brown, Chartered Engineer, Aberdeen

            Graham Guyan, Company Director, Aberdeen

The Right Reverend Bishop Hugh Gilbert, Roman Catholic Bishop, Aberdeen

            Kevin McCormick, Public Relations Director, Aberdeen

            Pamela Snape, Retired Teacher, Aberdeen

The Lord Provost advised that he had accepted a notice of motion by Councillor Laing as a matter of urgency in terms of Section 50B(4)(b) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, and that it would be considered following the notices of motion which were already on the agenda.

The Council resolved:-

to note the position.

Councillor Yuill declared an interest in relation to item 9(e) (Tour of Britain Funding Approval) as a member of Cycling UK but did not consider that the nature of his interest required him to leave the meeting.

Councillor Mason MSP declared a general interest by virtue of his position as a Member of the Scottish Parliament for North East Scotland.

The Council had before it the minute of meeting of Aberdeen City Council of 4 March 2019.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

The Council had before it the minute of meeting of Aberdeen City Council of 5 March 2019.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the minute.

With reference to Article 4 of the minute of meeting of the Guildry and Mortification Funds Committee of 16 May 2019, the Council had before it, by way of remit, a recommendation that the allowances paid from the Guildry fund to Burgesses of Guild, widows and widowers of Burgesses and children of Burgesses be increased by 5% to be backdated from 1 May 2019.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the 5% increase in annual allowances to be backdated from 1 May 2019.

The Council had before it the business planner as prepared by the Chief Officer - Governance.

The Council resolved:-

to note the business planner.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which presented the annual effectiveness report for Council, as well as the annual effectiveness reports of the various Committees, which had been considered by those Committees.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          note the annual effectiveness report for Council as contained at Appendix A; and

(b)          note the annual effectiveness reports of the various Committees as contained at Appendices B to L.

Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Lumsden:-

            That the Council approve the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Flynn moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Jackie Dunbar:-

That the Council agree to not have annual effectiveness reports in the future.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, Avril MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar and Wheeler.

For the amendment  (21)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard MEP, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar, Flynn, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, Catriona Mackenzie, McLellan, McRae, Nicoll, Noble, Townson and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which presented a proposed calendar of Council and Committee meetings for January to December 2020 and sought approval for the appointment of a new Church of Scotland representative to the Education Operational Delivery Committee.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          approve the proposed calendar of meetings from January to December 2020 as set out in Appendix 1; and

(b)          agree the appointment of Reverend Shuna Dicks as the new Church of Scotland representative on the Education Operational Delivery Committee with immediate effect.

Councillor Lumsden moved, seconded by Councillor Boulton:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve the proposed calendar of meetings from January to December 2020 subject to the following amendments:-

·         move Full Council from 7 September 2020 to 24 August 2020

·         change the dates of the Operational Delivery Committee to 9 January, 5 March, 21 May, 10 September and 19 November 2020 (all commencing at 2.00pm)

·         change the dates of the Education Operational Delivery Committee to 16 January, 12 March, 28 May, 17 September and 26 November (all commencing at 10.00am); and

(2)      agree the appointment of Reverend Shuna Dicks as the new Church of Scotland representative on the Education Operational Delivery Committee with immediate effect.

Councillor Yuill moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Greig:-

            That the Council -

(1)      approve, apart from the proposed dates of meetings of the Full Council, the proposed calendar of meetings from January to December 2020 as set out in Appendix 1;

(2)      in relation to meetings of the Full Council -

(a)      agree that the Council budget setting meeting will take place at least five working days before or after any other Full Council meeting

(b)      agree that the Full Council will meet once per committee meeting cycle in 2020

(c)       agree that, apart from the budget setting meeting, Full Council meetings will take place on Wednesdays

(d)      instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to report to the Council meeting on 2 September 2019 proposing a revised diary of Council meeting dates in 2020 which meet the requirements of (a), (b) and (c) above; and

(3)      agree the appointment of Reverend Shuna Dicks as the new Church of Scotland representative on the Education Operational Delivery Committee with immediate effect.

On a division, there voted:-

For the motion  (22)  -  Lord Provost; Depute Provost; and Councillors Allan, Bell, Boulton, Donnelly, Lesley Dunbar, Duncan, Graham, Grant, Houghton, Imrie, John, Laing, Lumsden, Macdonald, Avril MacKenzie, Malik, Mason MSP, Reynolds, Sellar and Wheeler.

For the amendment  (21)  -  Councillors Al-Samarai, Allard MEP, Alphonse, Cameron, Cooke, Copland, Cormie, Delaney, Jackie Dunbar, Flynn, Greig, Henrickson, Hutchison, MacGregor, Catriona Mackenzie, McLellan, McRae, Nicoll, Noble, Townson and Yuill.

The Council resolved:-

to adopt the motion.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - Governance which presented recommendations as part of the statutory review of polling districts and polling places before proceeding to public consultation.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          subject to any changes, agree the recommended changes to polling districts as outlined;

(b)          subject to any changes, agree the recommended changes to polling places as outlined; and

(c)          following approval of the recommended changes to polling districts and polling places, proceed to public consultation.

The Council resolved:-

(i)           to agree the recommended changes to polling districts as outlined;

(ii)          to agree the recommended changes to polling places as outlined;

(iii)         to proceed to public consultation and request that it be made clear, for the consultation, which schools would be closed, and which schools would remain open whilst in use as polling places;

(iv)         to instruct the Chief Officer - Governance to write to the Scottish and UK Governments drawing their attention to the discrepancies between election expenditure and recoverable income, and inviting them to review the funding criteria; and

(v)          to request the Chief Officer - Governance to liaise with colleagues, as appropriate, to investigate the feasibility of increasing the recharge for the use of schools as polling places.

The Council had before it a report by the Director of Resources which provided an update on Treasury Management activities undertaken during the financial year 2018/19.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          consider and note the Treasury Management activities undertaken in the 2018/19 financial year as detailed in the report; and

(b)          approve the Council’s revised Counterparty list as detailed at Appendix 1 to the report.

The Council resolved:-

to approve the recommendations.

The Council had before it a report by the Chief Officer - City Growth which provided an update on discussions with SweetSpot, the promoters of the international cycling professional race, the Tour of Britain; and sought approval for the city to host the Final Stage of the Tour of Britain in 2020 and the Grand Depart of the Tour of Britain in 2021.

The report recommended:-

that the Council -

(a)          instruct the Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance and the Chief Officer - City Growth, to enter into a contract to host the Final Stage of the Tour of Britain Event in 2020 and the Grand Depart of the Tour of Britain in 2021, subject to similar agreement being made by Aberdeenshire Council, and funding being secured by SweetSpot from EventScotland;

(b)          agree to underwrite the cost of each event to a maximum of £100,000 per annum for two years (2020 and 2021), subject to same agreement being made by Aberdeenshire Council and funding being secured by SweetSpot from EventScotland;

(c)          approve an additional £35,000 to cover the additional services that would be provided by the host location as detailed within the schedule VI of the contract as provided at Appendix 1 to the report;

(d)          instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to work with local clubs, stakeholders and schools to deliver supplementary cycling activities that capitalise on the events for enthusiasts, local businesses and children; and

(e)          instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to report back via a service update to the Council’s City Growth and Resources Committee on progress to secure the event, sponsorship and the details of the events.

Councillor Laing moved, seconded by Councillor Boulton:-

            That the Council approve the recommendations contained within the report with the addition that the service update to the City Growth and Resources Committee in recommendation (e) include an update on progress with the work contained within recommendation (d).

Councillor Yuill moved as an amendment, seconded by Councillor Delaney:-

            That the Council -

(1)      instruct the Head of Commercial and Procurement Services, following consultation with the Chief Officer - Finance and the Chief Officer - City Growth, to enter into a contract to host the Final Stage of the Tour of Britain Event in 2020 and the Grand Depart of the Tour of Britain in 2021, subject to similar agreement being made by Aberdeenshire Council, and funding being secured by SweetSpot from EventScotland;

(2)      agree to underwrite the cost of each event to a maximum of £100,000 per annum for two years (2020 and 2021), subject to same agreement being made by Aberdeenshire Council and funding being secured by SweetSpot from EventScotland;

(3)      approve an additional £35,000 to cover the additional services that would be provided by the host location as detailed within the schedule VI of the contract as provided at Appendix 1 to the report;

(4)      instruct the Chief Officer - City Growth to work with local  ...  view the full minutes text for item 13.

“Aberdeen City Council is proud of its efforts to tackle discrimination in all its forms, we celebrate our diverse community and we condemn racism and antisemitism wherever it is found. As part of the Council’s ongoing equalities work we resolve to join with the UK and Scottish Governments and the major political parties in the UK in signing up to the internationally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines on antisemitism which defines antisemitism as:-

‘Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed towards Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish Community institutions and religious facilities.’

The guidelines highlight various manifestations and are accessible at:- https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism’

Council underlines its condemnation of all forms of racism in all its manifestations and adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism as the working model for challenging and confronting incidents of this form of racism.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Lord Provost Barney Crockett:-

“Aberdeen City Council is proud of its efforts to tackle discrimination in all its forms, we celebrate our diverse community and we condemn racism and antisemitism wherever it is found. As part of the Council’s ongoing equalities work we resolve to join with the UK and Scottish Governments and the major political parties in the UK in signing up to the internationally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines on antisemitism which defines antisemitism as:-

‘Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred towards Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed towards Jewish or non-Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish Community institutions and religious facilities.’

The guidelines highlight various manifestations and are accessible at:- https://www.holocaustremembrance.com/working-definition-antisemitism’

Council underlines its condemnation of all forms of racism in all its manifestations and adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism as the working model for challenging and confronting incidents of this form of racism.”

The Council resolved:-

to approve the notice of motion.

“Council acknowledges the value of the Deeside Way both as a core path and a wildlife corridor. Accepts the Deeside Way is accessed by a variety of users, leisure and commuter cyclists, walkers, adults, children from the elderly to babies in prams, vulnerable individuals including wheelchair users. Instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlordto report to the next meeting of the City Growth and Resources Committee with regard to the feasibility of making amendments to the Council’s procedurerestricting vehicular access to the Deeside Way to:

1.    maintenance/refuse collection vehicles and emergency vehicles only for the Deeside Way; and

2.    prohibit any other access by any other vehicles for any other purpose.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Boulton:-

“Council acknowledges the value of the Deeside Way both as a core path and a wildlife corridor. Accepts the Deeside Way is accessed by a variety of users, leisure and commuter cyclists, walkers, adults, children from the elderly to babies in prams, vulnerable individuals including wheelchair users. Instructs the Chief Officer - Corporate Landlordto report to the next meeting of the City Growth and Resources Committee with regard to the feasibility of making amendments to the Council’s procedurerestricting vehicular access to the Deeside Way to:

1.    maintenance/refuse collection vehicles and emergency vehicles only for the Deeside Way; and

2.    prohibit any other access by any other vehicles for any other purpose.”

The Council resolved:-

to refer the notice of motion to the City Growth and Resources Committee.

MATTER OF URGENCY

The Lord Provost intimated that he had directed in terms of Section 50B(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 whether to note its interest with First Aberdeen timeously.

“That Council:

(1)      notes the amendments agreed by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee at Stage 2 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill, to allow local authorities such as Aberdeen City Council to run their own bus services, either directly or through arms-length companies;

(2)      agrees that Aberdeen needs high quality, affordable, reliable public transport to allow it to perform as a major city;

(3)      agrees there are a high number of households who do not have access to a car and for economic, environmental and social reasons a well-run public transport system is essential; and

(4)      agrees, therefore, to instruct the Director of Resources to contact those involved in the proposed sale of First Aberdeen noting the Council’s interest and to report back to the City Growth and Resources Committee or Urgent Business Committee with details of how the Council might make a bid for First Aberdeen.”

The Council had before it the following notice of motion by Councillor Laing:-

“That Council:

(1)      notes the amendments agreed by the Rural Economy and Connectivity Committee at Stage 2 of the Transport (Scotland) Bill, to allow local authorities such as Aberdeen City Council to run their own bus services, either directly or through arms-length companies;

(2)      agrees that Aberdeen needs high quality, affordable, reliable public transport to allow it to perform as a major city;

(3)      agrees there are a high number of households who do not have access to a car and for economic, environmental and social reasons a well-run public transport system is essential; and

(4)      agrees, therefore, to instruct the Director of Resources to contact those involved in the proposed sale of First Aberdeen noting the Council’s interest and to report back to the City Growth and Resources Committee or Urgent Business Committee with details of how the Council might make a bid for First Aberdeen.”

The Council resolved:-

to approve the notice of notion.