Agenda item

At this juncture the Committee agreed, given the late hour, to take item 6.4 (Progress with Community Learning Satellite Options: St. Machar ASG and Transfer of Two buildings to Leased Centre Status) and the related deputation as the next item on the agenda.

(A)       Deputation

In accordance with the decision of the Committee at Article 2 above, the Convener welcomed Mr. Ian Fryer to the meeting.   Mr. Fryer advised the Committee that he represented Portal Community Centre and thanked members for the opportunity to speak to Committee.   He noted that the report contained a recommendation to close Portal Community Centre and advised that he felt the statement contained in the report that other locations had been identified for the activities currently undertaken at Portal was inaccurate.   He felt that the closure of Portal would damage the community, and would result in the removal of opportunities for adult education.   Mr. Fryer stated that the closure of the crèche would affect the Centre users who depended on the crèche to allow them to attend job interviews and college.   Mr. Fryer further noted that the report mentioned that the land on which Portal was situated was identified for housing, but that he had spoken with the Director of Housing and Environment and the Convener of that Committee and had been advised that the housing would not be built for at least five years.   Mr. Fryer felt that the immediate closure of Portal would therefore lead to empty buildings which would deteriorate and attract vandalism.   He requested that the Committee remove the recommendation to close Portal Community Centre.  

The Convener thanked Mr. Fryer for his contribution.

(B)       Report

With reference to Article 7 of the minute of the Education, Culture and Sport Committee of 27 May 2010, the Committee had before it a report by the Director of Education, Culture and Sport which provided an update on service delivery options for Tilly Youth Project and Portal Community Learning and Development Centre;  funding for services at Seaton Community Learning and Development Centre at School Road;  and the establishment of Abbey Place Community Centre and Ruthrieston Community Learning and Development Centre as voluntary leased community centres.

With reference to Tilly Youth Project and Portal Community Learning and Development (CLD) Centre, the report advised that officers had been working to ensure the continuity of services for learning in the wider Tillydrone area.   At the last meeting of the Committee, officers had identified opportunities for some of the Tilly Youth Project activities to be undertaken in Portal CLD Centre and for certain Portal activities to be relocated to other local venues.   However, the retention of activities at Portal would require the isolation of utility supplies previously supplied to St. Machar Primary School.   This work was estimated at £50,000 pending detailed discussions with service companies.   Although this would allow Portal to continue to operate for an estimated two to three years prior to the land being cleared for housing, this did not include the cost of fencing the site off from the St. Machar Primary site nor the additional costs which would be incurred by two separate demolition contracts for the school and the Community Centre.   The closure of the primary school left no revenue budget stream to support building related costs at Portal.   It was noted that retaining the Centre did not provide best value and therefore, cross directorate working had identified that the best option was to relocate all services currently undertaken at Portal CLD Centre to other venues within the community, such as Tillydrone Flat, Tillydrone Library and Tilly Youth Project as well as utilising other local service providers.   As a result of this, Tilly Youth Project would be retained in its current location for the time being, and the report advised that Housing and Regeneration officers also intended to develop a limited liability partnership to attract external funding to support regeneration plans for the area which would include improved community facilities.

The report advised that it had been thought that the operational costs of the Seaton (School Road) Community Learning and Development Centre were being met from the 3Rs budget cost centre, however further investigation had shown that the existing Seaton project CLD budget had met the operational costs of the centre prior to and during the 3Rs relocation of services.  Therefore, there would be no additional costs associated with the continued occupation of the centre by the drug rehabilitation service as the operational costs were contained within existing budgets.  The report advised that given the age and condition of the building, it would not however be advisable to invest in any major repair works.  A review of alternative accommodation for the rehabilitation service had not identified anywhere suitable within the immediate area and the report noted that officers would continue to work with internal and external partners to try to identify alternative accommodation in the area.

In relation to Torry Community Centre at Abbey Place, the report advised that as the Torry Community Centre revenue budget had been removed as part of the 2008/09 budget process, the establishment of the centre as a voluntary leased centre would require the creation of a new budget stream to cover premises revenue costs and a development programme grant.  The report advised that officers from the Communities team would require to work with volunteers at Abbey Place to assist them to develop a more viable and self-sustaining programme of activities to meet the local needs.  It was also noted that a centre management committee would have to be elected as the centre did not have one at present.  Furthermore, future funding for the centre would be subject to committee decision on the report on leased centres due back to Committee at its November meeting.

The report advised that following the decision at the Committee meeting  in May 2010, the transfer of Ruthrieston Community Learning & Development Centre to leased centre status had progressed with the establishment of a transition group which had begun to work on both the transfer to leased centre status and any requests for lets in the building.  It was noted that the transfer would also be affected by the future report to Committee on leased centres, and subject to Committee decision on that report, it was envisaged that the centre would be working to a new model lease and management agreement, revised leased centre constitution and devolved finance arrangements.  The report advised that a development programme grant of £5,280 had been identified for the centre for the remainder of the calendar year, and that a further development programme grant would be implemented at the start of the new financial year, subject to Committee approval of the new award criteria.

Finally the report also outlined the review of progress against the savings originally identified through implementation of community learning hubs and noted that savings of £65,921 had been made to date against the projected figure of £270,889.

The report recommended:-

(a)       to approve the closure of the Portal Community Learning and Development Centre and relocation of community learning and development activities to other sites as outlined in the report;

(b)       to note the intention to retain the Tilly Youth Project building until such time as the site was required for housing development and to investigate collaborative opportunities for new community facilities for the Tillydrone area as outlined in the report;

(c)        to note the intention to retain Seaton School Road Community Learning and Development Centre using existing funding streams until improved premises were available;

(d)       to note progress on the establishment of Abbey Place Community Centre and Ruthrieston Community Learning and Development Centre as voluntary leased community centres as detailed in the report.

The Convener, seconded by the Vice-Convener, moved the recommendations contained in the report within an addendum to recommendation (d), namely:-

            “to note progress on the establishment of Abbey Place and Ruthrieston Community Learning and Development Centre as voluntary leased community centres as detailed in the report, and to welcome the progress being made in progressing the transfer of Ruthrieston Community Learning and Development Centre to leased status including the timetable agreed by officers and representatives of the Ruthrieston Transition Group with the agreed date of 1 February, 2011 for Ruthrieston Community Centre to become a leased centre run by volunteers.”

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

            “to replace recommendation (a) and defer closure of Portal Community Centre until the relocation of all current activities have been confirmed within the Tillydrone area and to refer the matter to the next meeting of the Finance and Resources Committee to approve the release of the appropriate finances from reserves; and to approve recommendations (b), (c) and (d).”

The Committee heard from the Finance representative at the meeting on the advisability of meeting the costs of the proposed amendment from the Council’s reserves.

On a division, there voted:- for the motion (11) – the Convener, the Vice-Convener and Councillors Corall, Cormack, McCaig, Reynolds, Jennifer Stewart, Kevin Stewart, Kirsty West and Yuill; and Mr G Bruce; for the amendment (8) – Councillors Boulton, Collie, Cooney, Crockett, Farquharson, Laing and Robertson; and Mr P Campbell; declined to vote (1) – Councillor Wisely.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendations contained in the report with the addendum to recommendation (d) listed above.