Agenda item

With reference to article 7 of the minute of meeting of 7 December 2022, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Commissioning which sought approval for the proposed allocation of grant funding of UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF).

The report recommended:-

that the Committee –

UKSPF Communities And Place

(a)      award up to £40,000 to Belmont Community Cinema Ltd for the community engagement and refurbishment project;

(b)      award up to £40,000 to Crow House Projects for the Film Accelerator programme;

(c)      award up to £5,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the Danestone Community Centre upgrade feasibility study;

(d)      award up to £25,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the SPECTRA festival accessibility improvements;

(e)      award up to £216,000 to Sport Aberdeen for the Northfield Outdoor Sports Centre Refresh; and

(f)       does not approve the request for up to £17,400 from the Aberdeen Chinese Women’s Society due to the application being incomplete.

UKSPF Local Business Support

(g)      award up to £64,500 to Aberdeen City Council for the City Centre Regeneration; and

(h)      award up to £125,359 to Aberdeen City Council for the Digital Business Support programme;

UKSPF People and Skills

(i)       award up to £15,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the HMP Grampian Construction course project;

(j)       award up to £38,022 to Aberdeen City Council for the Admin Apprentice post;

(k)      award up to £70,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the ESOL project;

(l)       award up to £70,625 to Aberdeen City Council for pilot projects for people with long term health issues or disabilities; and

(m)     award up to £60,000 to Aberdeen City Council for the Skills audit project.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice Convener, moved:-

that the Committee approve the recommendations contained within the report.

Councillor Malik, seconded by Councillor Watson, moved as an amendment:-

that the Committee –

(1)   agree that the Partnership are using the United Kingdom Shared Prosperity Fund to bank roll projects that should be funded by the Scottish Government’s core grant to the City;

(2)    agree that of the £769,505 being allocated within the report £689,506 is being allocated to the applicant Aberdeen City Council to delivery projects including digital grants and community support and Sport Aberdeen noting that this is almost 90% of the UKSPF being allocated to the Council and Sport Aberdeen; and

(3)    agree that this is completely unfair on applications from the community and therefore approves only Recommendations (a) and (b) within the report and defer grants to the other 11 projects until the next meeting of the Committee with an understanding that officers will encourage more applications from the community. 

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (8) – the Convener, the Vice Convener and Councillors Allard, Bouse, Cooke, Copland, Fairfull and Hutchison; for the amendment (5) – Councillors Farquhar, Houghton, Malik, Thomson and Watson.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)       to adopt the motion; and

(ii)      to note that the Chief Officer – City Growth would include details relating to allocations to external organisations from other Local Authorities within the next report.