Agenda item

With reference to article 11 of the minute of its previous meeting of 24 March 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on the implementation of the decision to reduce the costs of the Communities Team by £1.4 million in 2011/12 and provisionally by a further £1 million in 2012/13.  The report also included an update on the reduction of the staffing provision within the Service, an outline of progress towards the move of community learning centres to leased centre status, and an update of the ongoing work towards development of a model lease, management agreement and constitution.

The report recommended:-

that Committee:–

(a)       note the progress in relation to the appointment of staff to the new structure, and the reduction of the overall workforce;

(b)       note the progress in relation to moving community learning centres to leased centre status;

(c)        note the options being developed in relation to each community learning centre, and agree that a further report will come to the next Committee with firm recommendations for various community centres;

(d)       agree that officers seek to relocate the current groups within Torry Community Learning Centre to other suitable local facilities, in order to facilitate the closure of that facility;

(e)       determine whether it would wish to provide Management Committees with a Transition Grant for 2011/12 (as detailed in Section 5.3 of the report), and if so, agree to remit this to the Finance and Resources Committee for consideration;

(f)         note the progress in relation to developing a citywide model lease, management agreement and constitution, and agree the heads of terms for each as set out in Section 5.4 of the report;

(g)       agree that, until the Service Asset Management Plan for Community Buildings is completed, community centres and community education centres should only be granted one year leases;

(h)        agree that once approved, all community centres will be subject to the Management Agreement and Constitution and that all standalone centres will also be subject to the agreed lease; and

(i)         note that a petition has been signed by approximately 500 residents campaigning against the reopening of the Hillylands Centre on Croft Road.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved an amended set of recommendations, namely:-

            (a)       to note the progress in relation to the appointment of staff to the new structure and the reduction of the overall workforce;

            (b)       to note the progress in relation to moving community learning centres to leased centre status;

            (c)        to note the options that are being developed in relation to each community learning centre, and to agree that a further report will come to the next Committee with firm recommendations for various community centres;

            (d)       to agree that officers seek to locate the current groups within Torry Community Learning Centre to other suitable local facilities, in order to facilitate the closure of that facility;

            (e)       to agree to provide Management Committees with a Transition Grant for 2011/12 (as detailed in Section 5.3 of the report) and to remit this to the Finance and Resources Committee for consideration;

            (f)         to note the progress in relation to developing a citywide model lease, management agreement and constitution, and agree the heads of terms (as amended) for each as set out in Section 5.4 of the report, for the purpose of consultation with Management Committees, and delegate authority to finalise these to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, Head of Asset Management and Operations, and Head of Communities, Culture and Sport;

            (g)       to agree that, until the Service Asset Management Plan for Community Buildings is completed, community centres and community education centres be granted a minimum one year rolling lease;

            (h)        to agree that once approved, all community centres will be subject to the Management Agreement and Constitution and that all standalone centres will also be subject to the agreed lease;

(i)         to note that a petition has been signed by approximately 500 residents campaigning against the reopening of the Hillylands Centre on Croft Road; and

(j)         to agree the following amendments to the model constitution heads of terms:

Bullet point 3 – delete “and organisations”

Delete bullet points 6, 7 and 8 and replace with:-

·        Management Committee will consist of at least ten members, including Chair, Vice Chair, Secretary and two youth members all elected annually at the AGM;

·        no more than one office bearer can be a member of staff.

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

that this Committee -

            (a)       notes with concern the progress in relation to the appointment of staff to the new structure, and the reduction of the overall workforce;

            (b)       notes with concern the progress in relation to moving community learning centres to leased centre status;

            (c)        notes with concern the options that are being developed in relation to each community learning centre, and agree that a further report will come to the next Committee with firm recommendations for various community centres;

            (d)       agree that officers seek to relocate the current groups within Torry Community Learning Centre to other suitable local facilities, prior to the closure of that facility;

            (e)       agree to provide Management Committees with a Transition Grant for 2011/12, equivalent to that paid to a leased centre Management Committee and remit this decision to the Finance and Resources Committee for final approval;

            (f)         notes with concern the progress in relation to developing a citywide model lease, management agreement and constitution, and agrees the heads of terms for each as set out in Section 5.4 of the report for the purpose of consultation with Management Committees, and delegates authority to finalise these to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, Head of Asset Management and Operations, and Head of Communities, Culture and Sport;

            (g)       agree that, until the Service Asset Management Plan for Community Buildings is complete, community centres and community education centres should only be granted one year leases;

            (h)        agree that once approved, all community centres will be subject to the Management Agreement and Constitution and that all standalone centres will also be subject to the agreed lease; and

(i)         notes with concern that a petition has been signed by approximately 500 residents campaigning against the reopening of the Hillylands Centre on Croft Road, and instructs officers to carry out further consultation with residents and local elected members to ensure all concerns highlighted in the petition have been addressed prior to the re-opening of the centre.

On a division, there voted:-  for the motion (12) – the Convener;  the Vice-Convener;  and Councillors Corall, Cormack, Leslie, MacGregor, Noble, Reynolds, Jennifer Stewart, John West and Yuill;  and Mr. P. Campbell; for the amendment (9) – Councillors Allan, Boulton, Collie, Cooney, Farquharson and Laing;  and Mrs. M. Abdullah, Mr. A. Aitken and Mr. S. Duncan;  declined to vote (1) – Mr. G. Bruce;  absent from the division (1) – Councillor Wisely.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to adopt the motion;

(ii)        to note that information on Tilly Community Flat would be provided in the next report back to Committee;

(iii)      to request that officers circulate information to members on the training programme being made available to Management Committees;

(iv)       to request that officers clarify the position in relation to the query raised by Councillor Laing that a Management Committee in her ward had been told that it could not carry forward money from the previous year’s youth work budget; and

(v)        in relation to the relocation of programmes from the Torry Community Learning Centre, to request that officers provide Councillor Allan with further information on the long-lease flat in Torry, as well as the Torry Learning House.