Minutes:
The Council had before it the following questions, of which due notice had been given in terms of Standing Order 20(2), which had been placed on the agenda as Councillor Young, the questioner, had indicated he was unhappy with the responses.
Councillor Young
QUESTION –
To the Chief Executive
“To ask the Chief Executive or Acting Chief Executive if he is aware of the report which went to Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure on 18th January 2011, if not the report stated “During the course of January 2011, Council Officers will launch a procurement process to locate suitable development/investment partners to initiate a Hotel development as part of a larger development plan for Council owned land in and around the AECC. In parallel with this activity, the Council’s asset management and legal teams will commence negotiations with AECC Ltd. to acquire control of all land and buildings currently owned by, or leased to, AECC.” Can the Chief Executive or Acting Chief Executive confirm that this has been done in January 2011 and give Council an update on any progress?”
ANSWER (by the Acting Chief Executive) -
With regard to the proposed procurement process, this is underway. A draft Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) has been prepared and submitted to the Council’s procurement team. Subsequent meetings have been held to discuss this document and determine what staff resources were available to support and manage the tender process. During these meetings, it was determined that external legal advice would be required and that Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure would need to meet the cost of obtaining this advice from within Enterprise, Planning and Infrastructure budgets. Officers are therefore currently assembling the resources needed to initiate, support and manage the procurement process. The likelihood is that the PQQ will be issued at the beginning of March.
With regard to the reversion of leases and assets to the Council, this process is also underway. Discussions have been held between the Council’s external legal advisers and officers from our Asset Management, Legal and Economic and Business Development teams to determine the resource inputs required from each team, to complete this task. Once this is clear, AECC will be informed of any assistance required from them to complete the transfer process. There is no immediate pressure to complete the transfer process, providing this is done in time to enable completion of the proposed development agreement, with a suitable development partner.
The Council resolved:-
in Councillor Young’s absence, to defer consideration of the question to the next Council meeting, in accordance with Standing Order 20(9).
QUESTION -
To the Depute Council Leader
“To ask the Depute Council Leader if he agrees with his partner, Council Leader John Stewart, who insisted compulsory job cuts will go ahead even if more savings are found and who said ‘until there is additional money from the Government specifically for avoiding compulsory redundancies any additional money we find in the Council I would rather spend on saving services. Unless Alex Salmond is going to come along with a bail out I don’t see any other solution’?”
ANSWER (by Councillor Kevin Stewart) -
The question does not make sense, but I will try to answer.
The Cabinet Secretary for Finance, John Swinney, announced recently that Councils would receive a flat cash settlement until 2015, which changed the circumstances that we face. The objective of the SNP Group has always been to avoid compulsory redundancies and we believe that Mr Swinney's announcement meant that VS/ER packages were affordable, achievable and desirable.
The Council Leader and I do not always agree on every issue, if we did we'd be in the same party, but we share common ground in trying to do our best for the Council, our city and its citizens by being prudent with our finances and by protecting frontline services during tough times. It is a great pity that the Labour Group have failed to deliver a budget during this term, have failed to tell the citizens of this city what their priorities are and have failed to recognise that their government in Westminster caused the economic chaos that this country now has to face.
The Council resolved:-
in Councillor Young’s absence, to defer consideration of the question to the next Council meeting, in accordance with Standing Order 20(9).
QUESTION -
To the Council Leader
“To ask the Leader of the Council if he agrees with the criticisms made against Councillor Kevin Stewart, his partner, by the SNP Finance Minister in Edinburgh regarding the SNP/Lib Dem Coalition’s proposals to cut 900 jobs - would he agree with the Finance Secretary John Swinney who said ‘I do not think that the steps that have been considered in Aberdeen City Council are required. What I think is important is that there is dialogue with the trade unions to find a constructive way through this.’?”
ANSWER (by Councillor John Stewart) -
No. Mr Swinney is entitled to his opinion, though I would prefer he turn his attention to addressing the unfair distribution formula that sees Aberdeen City Council receive 83% of average Scottish per capita funding. The issue of costs of Voluntary Severance and Early Retirement will be dealt at the Council's Budget meeting on 10th February.
The Council resolved:-
in Councillor Young’s absence, to defer consideration of the question to the next Council meeting, in accordance with Standing Order 20(9).
QUESTIONS -
To the Chief Executive
(1) “To ask the Chief Executive or Acting Chief Executive the total cost in respect of Solicitor/Advocates/Counsel fees in respect of defending the need to honour Increments to our employees?”
(2) “To ask the Chief Executive or Acting Chief Executive why and on whose instructions was the description of the most loved Public Gardens Union Terrace Gardens changed on the City Council’s website and would the Chief Executive agree or otherwise that by publically degrading this Public Garden to what one constituent described as ‘a pile of rubble’ on its website does the city’s credibility no good and undermines the credibility of the Council?”
ANSWERS (by the Acting Chief Executive) -
(1) The total cost excluding VAT is £23,372.
(2) The website does not describe Union Terrace Gardens as ‘a pile of rubble’.
The description on the website is:
This is a one-hectare park and is located right in the heart of the city, to one side of Union Terrace, off the city’s main thoroughfare of Union Street.
Contrary to popular belief, it is not a natural amphitheatre but instead a valley that has had a Victorian Viaduct built (1888) at its North end. The amphitheatre shape and the pocket park are only the covered remains of Denburn Terrace that was reduced to rubble when the viaduct was being constructed.
Union Terrace Gardens are used for occasional concerts and leisure activities as well as providing an oasis for relaxation in the city centre. On the north side is a magnificent floral crest depicting the city's coat of arms. At the Union Street end of the gardens a group of mature elms, approximately 200 years old, are a remnant of a site known as Corbie Woods. “Corbie” is the traditional Scots word for “crow”, and indeed crows nest there to this day.
Park Details
Address: Union Terrace Gardens, Rosemount Viaduct, Aberdeen.
Opening Times: 8.00am until 1 hour before dusk.
This is a city centre park with a large grass area, banking, floral crests and a formal garden area.
For bus information please click the following link:
www.firstgroup.com/ukbus/scotland/nescot/home/
Union Terrace Gardens Location map
The Council resolved:-
in Councillor Young’s absence, to defer consideration of the questions to the next Council meeting, in accordance with Standing Order 20(9).