Agenda item

The Committee had before it reports by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport (1) referring to article 32 of the minute of meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee of 17 June, 2011 and outlining the implications of establishing a Community Development Fund to which community groups could submit bids in order to provide not for profit registered childcare and out of school provision;  and (2) referring to article 13 of the minute of its previous meeting of 15 September, 2011 and outlining progress made towards the transfer of community learning centres to lease centre status.  

In accordance with the decision to hear a deputation on this item (article 3 of this minute refers), the Committee heard from Mr. Steve Delaney of Mastrick, Sheddocksley and Summerhill Community Council, who highlighted the excellent work undertaken at Mastrick Young People’s Project (MYPP) over the previous 30 years which had concentrated on helping young people to develop life skills, working in collaboration with Grampian Police.   The project had been responsible for reducing youth crime in the area and since its closure six months previously there had been no facilities available for young people to go to.   Mr. Delaney suggested that the views of Grampian Police should have been sought as part of the proposal, and expressed the view that some of the alternatives to MYPP listed within the report were not viable.   The report itself was not, in his opinion, evidence-based and it was felt to be irresponsible of officers to state that there was now no revenue funding available for the project despite capital funding for the project having been approved previously.   Furthermore, Mr. Delaney queried the statement made within the report that it would cost between £60,000 and £80,000 per year to run the Centre as a fully staffed youth centre.   Consultation on the report has been poorly undertaken, with no early engagement and false rumours surrounding the proposal.   Mr. Delaney closed by requesting the Committee to honour its previous commitments to relocate Mastrick Young People’s Project to the Hillylands Centre, to work in liaison with Grampian Police, and to set up a monitoring group to monitor the running of the facility, including a representative from Grampian Police, residents and local members. 

The report at (1) recommended:-

that the Committee confirm that the current Council policies, these being the Out of School Care policy and the Bookings and Lettings policy, in relation to providing free access for non-profit making registered childcare and pre-school providers would continue to apply in relation to those Council establishments that had become leased or equivalent.

The report at (2) recommended:-

that the Committee –

(a)       note that officers would refer the Hillylands Centre to the Corporate Asset Group as surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service, in accordance with the new Surplus Property Procedure as approved at the meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee on 29 September, 2011; 

(b)       agree that Loirston Community Wing ceases operating formally as a community centre and instead be managed by the school for school and community use as required, with bookings being administered through the bookings and lettings team;

(c)        note the ongoing work in relation to Rosemount Community Centre;

(d)       declare Pittodrie Community Centre surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Service, and refer this matter to the Corporate Asset Group;

(e)       instruct officers to continue to progress negotiations with Station House Media Unit with a view to them managing the operation of the Tilly Youth Project;

(f)         instruct officers to complete the negotiations with community centre representatives to finalise the management agreement, lease and model constitution, and to report back to the next meeting on 23 February 2012;

(g)       agree whether it would wish to include community centres into the decision of the Finance and Resources Committee of 29 September, 2011 (article 35 of that minute refers) that a “resident’s pass” be introduced to the Accord Card, permitting discounted local access to community centres.   If so, to confirm whether it wish a standard discount, e.g. 10%, to apply across all community centres, or require community centres to set their own discount;  and to instruct officers to include this requirement within the relevant legal agreements between the Council and Management Committees;  and

(h)        agree that Council activities in community school and 3Rs facilities outwith core hours be supported via the £10,000 floating hours for 3Rs facilities and spare janitorial hours resulting from the cessation of janitorial cover within stand-alone facilities for community school facilities as outlined within Section 5.6 of the report.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to instruct officers to refer the Hillylands Centre and Mastrick Young People’s Project to the budget process for consideration in the 2012/13 budget; 

(ii)        that Loirston Community Wing continue to be managed by the school for community use as required, with bookings being administered through the bookings and lettings team pending further discussion with the Loirston Annexe Management Committee;

(iii)       to note the ongoing work in relation to Rosemount Community Centre;

(iv)       to declare Pittodrie Community Centre surplus to the requirements of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee, and to refer this matter to the Corporate Asset Group, and the future use of ongoing revenue previously spent in relation to Pittodrie Community Centre to the budget process;

(v)        to instruct officers to continue to progress negotiations with Station House Media Unit with a view to them managing the operation of the Tilly Youth Project;

(vi)       to instruct officers to complete the negotiations with community centre representatives to finalise the management agreement, lease and model constitution, and to report back to the next meeting on 23 February 2012;

(vii)      in respect of recommendation (g) in the report, to refer this matter to the negotiations with the community centre representatives referred to at resolution (vi) above, to be reported back to the next meeting on 23 February 2012; 

(viii)     in relation to recommendation (h) in the report, to refer this matter to the negotiations with the community centre representatives referred to at resolution (vi) above, to be reported back to the next meeting on 23 February 2012;

(ix)       to instruct officers to report back to the Committee on the matters covered within the report at item 6.2 on the agenda (Community Development Fund – Childcare and Out-of-School Provision) following the negotiations with the community centre representatives referred to at resolution (vi) above; 

(x)        that the negotiations being undertaken with the community centre representatives continue to discuss the matter of indemnity insurance;

(xi)       to instruct officers to circulate to all local members for Torry information on the current and planned youth work in the area; and

(xii)      to instruct officers to circulate to Committee members the Education Scotland follow-up inspection of Harlaw Associated School Group.