Agenda item

With reference to article 10 of the minute of its previous meeting of 2 June, 2011, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided a further update on the implementation of the decision to reduce the costs of the Communities Team by £1.4million in 2011/12 and provisionally by a further £1million in 2012/13.  The report also included an update on the reduction of the staffing provision within the Service, and an update on progress made towards the move of community learning centres to leased centre status.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee:-

(a)       note the progress made 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, and agree recommendations in relation to the following centres:-

(i)         Rosemount Community Centre – officers to report back to a future Committee on negotiations with Arts Development, Arts Education, City Moves and Peacock Visual Arts about potentially being based in this building along with the Community Centre and potentially other public bodies;

(ii)        Cults Primary School Community Rooms – to cease operating formally as a community centre and instead to be managed by the school for school and community use as required;

(iii)       Loirston Community Wing – to cease operating formally as a community centre and instead to be managed by the school for school and community use as required;

(iv)       that no further progress be made at the current time on developing a new community youth facility on the Hillylands site, and that the site be declared surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service; and to refer this point to the Finance and Resources Committee on 29 September, 2011 in order that this property could be declared surplus to Council requirements and be incorporated in marketing for disposal with the adjoining former Burnside Centre to maximise value; and

(v)        subject to Torry Community Learning Centre being declared surplus to requirements (article 6 of this minute refers) and once disposed of, to agree that the associated building costs be used for the delivery of youth development and adult learning within the Torry area;

(c)        to approve the virement of £190,000 from this year’s sports budget to a communities budget to fund transitional grants for Management Committees transferring to leased centre status, as set out in section 3.3 of the report;

(d)       to note that the model Management Agreement complies with the decision taken at the Finance and Resources Committee on 17 June, 2011, but in doing so, does not comply with Council’s current Following the Public Pound requirements; and

(e)       note the proposed model Lease, Constitution and Management Agreement as per Appendices C, E and G to the report, and that the responsibility for finalising these documents is delegated to the Head of Legal and Democratic Services, Head of Asset Management and Operations and Head of Communities, Culture and Sport.

The Committee resolved:-

(a)       to note the progress made 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, and agree recommendations in relation to the following centres:-

(i)         Rosemount Community Centre – officers to report back to a future Committee on negotiations with Arts Development, Arts Education, City Moves and Peacock Visual Arts and any other interested organisations, about potentially being based in this building along with the Community Centre and potentially other public bodies;

(ii)        Cults Primary School Community Rooms – to cease operating formally as a community centre and instead to be managed by the school for school and community use as required;

(iii)       Loirston Community Wing – to approve the recommendation in the interim, and to instruct officers to consult with Loirston Annexe Steering Group on the future management of the community wing;

(iv)       Hillylands – to take no action at present, and to instruct officers to report back to the Committee on Mastrick Young Peoples Project; and

(v)        subject to Torry Community Learning Centre being declared surplus to requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service and the associated costs no longer being borne by the Service (article 6 of this minute refers), to agree that the associated building costs be used for the delivery of youth development and adult learning within the Torry area (the Committee noted that this was an alteration to the recommendation highlighted by officers);

(c)        to approve the virement of £190,000 from this year’s sports budget to a communities budget to fund transitional grants for Management Committees transferring to leased centre status, as set out in section 3.3 of the report;

(d)       to note that the model Management Agreement complies with the decision taken at the Finance and Resources Committee on 17 June, 2011, but in doing so, does not comply with councils current Following the Public Pound requirements;

(e)       to suspend standing orders to revoke the Committee’s decision of
2 June, 2011 delegating authority to officers to finalise the Management Agreement, Constitution and Lease and to instruct officers to continue negotiations on these documents, in consultation with the Conveners and Vice-Conveners of the Education, Culture and Sport, Finance and Resources and Corporate Policy and Performance Committees, and to report back to the November meeting of the Committee on the outcome; and

(f)         to instruct officers to carry out further investigations regarding the provision of more comprehensive indemnity insurance cover for members of community centre Management Committees, including volunteers, and that this include an examination of the financial implications; and to report back to the November meeting of Committee on the outcome.