Agenda item

With reference to article 5 of the minute of its previous meeting, the Committee had before it a report by the Chief Officer – City Growth which set out a proposal for a Socio-Economic Rescue Plan 2020/21, and Implementation Group and associated governance arrangements in response to the impact of Covid-19.  The report also set out a proposal for taking forward the delivery of an Aberdeen City Council Business Charter.

The report recommended:-

that Committee –

(a)       approve the Socio-Economic Rescue Plan 2020/21 in Appendix 2 and as summarised in the report, including an Aberdeen City Council Business Charter;

(b)       agree that a short life Socio-Economic Rescue Plan – Implementation Group should be established with the proposed membership and remit as set out at sections 6.6 and 6.7 and that this sits within the existing Community Planning Aberdeen structure and instructs the Chief Officer City Growth to (i) invite organisations (as listed in Table 2) to participate in the Group; and (ii) make appointments to the Group;

(c)        instruct the Chief Officer City Growth to update the CPA Board on 1 July 2020 on the agreed approach;

(d)       agree that the Chief Officer City Growth would report back to the Community Planning Aberdeen Board and the Council’s City Growth & Resources Committee with regular updates on the progress of the Socio-Economic Action Plan, via the Implementation Group, if approved;

(e)       instruct the Chief Officer City Growth, following consultation with the Chief Officer Customer Experience, to take all actions necessary in order to implement the ACC Business Charter working with the relevant Council services and business network representatives; instructs the relevant Chief Officers to monitor performance in delivering the charter; and report back to the Council’s City Growth & Resources Committee; and

(f)        note the level of the response and support by the community to the crisis and instructs the Chief Officer Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to explore how the present level of volunteering that has been experienced can be sustained across the city.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)         to approve the recommendations contained in the report;

(ii)        within the rescue plan, to instruct the Chief Executive, following consultation with the Chief Officer - City Growth to procure using our inhouse team video content that promotes the city’s assets, including investments by Aberdeen City Council, that will be the foundation from which future recovery, the Net Zero Vision and new investment will be secured; and agrees to promote the video extensively, within Aberdeen on social media platforms using existing budgets and Invest Aberdeen resources. The promotional video will be shown at the next City Growth and Resources Committee;

(iii)       to instruct the Chief Officer – Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to investigate the feasibility of the Council working in partnership with businesses, existing Co-ops, Co-operative UK and social enterprise, and local citizens to set up or enable citizens, communities’ entrepreneurs, social enterprise and others to set up Community Benefit Societies and Co-operatives within Aberdeen; and report back to the appropriate Committee;

(iv)       to agree to redistribute the £75,000 from the Co-op development fund to bring forward the initiative set out in paragraph 8 above and instruct the Chief Officer – Early Intervention and Community Empowerment to report to the City Growth and Resources Committee within 2 cycles and thereafter for the report to be forwarded to the Community Planning Partnership; and

(v)        to agree the proposed inclusive economic growth approach, outlined in the Socio-Economic Rescue Plan.