Agenda, decisions and minutes

At this point Members are asked to declare any personal or prejudicial interests they may have in the business on this agenda.

Members were invited to declare at this point in the meeting any personal or prejudicial interests they might have in the business on the agenda.

Councillors Jamieson-Ball and Sunderland withdrew from the room during consideration of agenda item 8 (Former Lendal Bridge Sub-Station – Secure Cycle Park), under the provisions of the Planning Code of Good Practice, as members of the West & City Centre Area Planning Sub-Committee, which would consider the planning application for the site, and took no part in the discussion or decision thereon.

To consider the exclusion of the press and public from the meeting during consideration of the following:

Annex B to Agenda Item 9 (Leisure Facilities Strategy Update – Yearsley Swimming Pool) on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).  This information is classed as exempt under paragraph 3 of Schedule 12A to Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972 (as revised by The Local Government (Access to Information) (Variation) Order 2006).

[Note: As the date for the submission of tenders has now past, it is no longer necessary to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of Annex B to Agenda Item 9 (Leisure Facilities Strategy Update – Yearsley Swimming Pool).]

As the date for the submission of tenders had past, it was no longer necessary to exclude the press and public from the meeting during consideration of Annex B to Agenda Item 9 (Leisure Facilities Strategy Update – Yearsley Swimming Pool) (minute 9 refers).

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Executive held on 24 April 2007.

RESOLVED:             That the minutes of the Executive meeting held on 24 April 2007 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Executive’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is 5:00 pm on Monday 11 June 2007.

It was reported that there had been one registration to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Fiona Evans spoke regarding agenda item 9 (Leisure Facilities Strategy Update: Yearsley Swimming Pool) (minute 9 refers), on behalf of Yearsley Pool Action Group, in support of the officer recommendations for refurbishment of the pool.

To receive an update on those items that are currently listed on the Executive Forward Plan.

Members received and noted a revised and updated list of items included on the Executive Forward Plan which had been circulated at the meeting.

It was also noted that the format of these updates was under review to ensure that the information provided was as up to date and detailed as possible, given the importance of the Forward Plan within the new political management arrangements and the need to review the content of reports well in advance of them being published.

This report presents the minutes of a recent meeting Social Inclusion Working Group and asks Members to consider the advice given by the Working Group in its capacity as an advisory body to the Executive.

RESOLVED:             That the minutes of the Social Inclusion Working Group meeting held on 21 March 2007 be noted.

Members received a report which presented the minutes of a recent meeting Social Inclusion Working Group and asked them to consider the advice given by the Working Group in its capacity as an advisory body to the Executive.

The report drew Members’ attention to the Working Group’s decisions to support proposals for the effective involvement of young people in their work (minute 30) and to support the setting up of a Strategic Working Group to examine the best way of collecting data about sexuality (minute 32).

Members welcomed the proposals for the involvement of young people in Group’s work.

RESOLVED:             That the minutes of the Social Inclusion Working Group meeting held on 21 March 2007 be noted.

REASON:                  To fulfil the requirements of the Council’s Constitution in relation to the role of Working Groups.

This report asks the Executive to consider and endorse an Agreement entered into by the Leaders of the four political groups represented on the Council following the elections in May 2007, and to commission appropriate action to implement that Agreement.

RESOLVED:(i) (a) That the principles for future political management arrangements set out in Cllr Galloway’s letter to Group Leaders be endorsed;

                        (b) That the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to put in hand an early, independent review of member allowances with a view to any new rates coming into effect as soon as they have been agreed by full Council, but not backdated;

                        (ii) (a) That the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to exercise her delegated authority to implement those changes to the Constitution set out at paragraph 1 of Annex 1 of the Agreement which command the unanimous support of all party groups;

                        (b) That the “constitutional changes to be subject to officer report and review during 2007” set out at paragraph 2 of Annex 1 to the Agreement be noted and the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to put in hand a programme of work to complete reviews, report to full Council and implement agreed changes no later than May 2008 at the latest;

                        (iii) (a) That the policy prospectus set out at Annex 2 to the Agreement be approved;

                        (b) That Directors be instructed to note and implement the actions contained within the policy prospectus, subject to seeking appropriate Member authority as may be necessary;

                        (c) That Directors be instructed to confirm on the Council’s forward plan, dates on which the review reports specified in the prospectus will be brought forward for consideration by the Executive;

                        (iv) That the Chief Executive be requested to provide a full update report to the Executive on actions arising from the Agreement by March 2008.

Members received a report which asked them to consider and endorse an Agreement entered into by the Leaders of the four political groups represented on the Council following the elections in May 2007, and to commission appropriate action to implement that Agreement.

The Agreement was set out formally in a letter from Councillor Steve Galloway to the other three Group Leaders.  This letter and responses to it were attached as an Appendix to the report.  Annex 1 to the Agreement set out constitutional changes, some of which commanded unanimous support from the political groups and could be implemented immediately by the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services under her delegated authority, and some of which would be subject to an officer report and review during 2007.  Annex 2 to the Agreement set out the policy prospectus drawn up by the Group Leaders.

RESOLVED:(i) (a) That the principles for future political management arrangements set out in Cllr Galloway’s letter to Group Leaders be endorsed;

                        (b) That the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to put in hand an early, independent review of member allowances with a view to any new rates coming into effect as soon as they have been agreed by full Council, but not backdated;

                        (ii) (a) That the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to exercise her delegated authority to implement those changes to the Constitution set out at paragraph 1 of Annex 1 of the Agreement which command the unanimous support of all party groups;

                        (b) That the “constitutional changes to be subject to officer report and review during 2007” set out at paragraph 2 of Annex 1 to the Agreement be noted and the Head of Civic, Democratic & Legal Services be instructed to put in hand a programme of work to complete reviews, report to full Council and implement agreed changes no later than May 2008 at the latest;

                        (iii) (a) That the policy prospectus set out at Annex 2 to the Agreement be approved;

                        (b) That Directors be instructed to note and implement the actions contained within the policy prospectus, subject to seeking appropriate Member authority as may be necessary;

                        (c) That Directors be instructed to confirm on the Council’s forward plan, dates on which the review reports specified in the prospectus will be brought forward for consideration by the Executive;

                        (iv) That the Chief Executive be requested to provide a full update report to the Executive on actions arising from the Agreement by March 2008.

REASON:(i) To recognise and support an effective system of political management for the Council and implement action as soon as required by the Leaders’ Agreement;

                        (ii) To implement agreed changes to the Constitution as required by the Leaders’ Agreement;

(iii)             To implement Members’ Agreement on policy issues;

                        (iv)                        To allow Members to formally review progress.

This report informs members of the responses received from two parties interested in operating the former Lendal Bridge Sub-Station as a secure cycle park and the results of their investigation into grant funding and a business plan.

RESOLVED:(i) That Option C, to lease the former Lendal Bridge Sub-Station to Bike Rescue for use as a cycle park, subject to obtaining planning permission and sufficient grant funding to fully convert the sub-station, be approved, and the agreement to lease and the terms and conditions of the lease be delegated to the Corporate Landlord;

                        (ii) That, if Bike Rescue is only successful in obtaining partial grant funding, it be agreed that the Council match fund to a maximum of £50,000 from the Transport Planning Unit (TPU) capital programme, provided this will be sufficient to convert the sub-station to a secure cycle park, and the terms and conditions of the lease be delegated to the Corporate Landlord;

                        (iii) That the sale of Lendal Bridge Sub-Station be removed from the capital receipts funding schedule and replaced by the overachievement of other capital receipts already achieved.

Members received a report which informed them of the responses received from two parties interested in operating the former Lendal Bridge Sub-Station as a secure cycle park and the results of their investigation into grant funding and a business plan.

The proposals included in the two submissions, from Bike Rescue and from Lewis Hull, an entrepreneur, were set out in paragraphs 10-16 of the report, and a comparison of these bids was attached as Annex 1 of the report.

The report presented the following options for consideration:

·  Option A – Sell the sub-station;

·  Option B – The Council funds the conversion and leases it to the selected party at a rent to be agreed;

·  Option C – The Council to lease the sub-station as it stands, at a rent to be agreed to the selected party, subject to full grant funding for the conversion being obtained;

·  Option D – The Council agreed to carry out partial conversion and lease it to the selected party, subject to their obtaining grant funding to complete the conversion;

·  Option E – The Council seeks grant funding to convert the sub-station;

·  Option F – Alternative premises are sought to site the cycle park;

The sub-station was currently earmarked for sale to contribute to the funding of the Council’s capital programme.  The cost of replacing this funding with borrowing would be £17,300 pa.  However, following advice from the Environment Agency and restrictions in relation to its use, it was unlikely that the budgeted receipt would be achieved.  An overachievement of capital receipts from other asset sales meant that the current approved capital programme could be funded without a reliance on either the sale of the sub-station or borrowing, although any receipt raised could be reallocated to address the Council’s other capital priorities through the Capital Resource Allocation Model (CRAM) process.

Members thanked officers for responding to their requests to explore the use of the building further.  They expressed the hope that this would be the first of a number of secure cycle stores around the city and highlighted the need to make available appropriate support for drawing up the business plan.

RESOLVED:(i) That Option C, to lease the former Lendal Bridge Sub-Station to Bike Rescue for use as a cycle park, subject to obtaining planning permission and sufficient grant funding to fully convert the sub-station, be approved, and the agreement to lease and the terms and conditions of the lease be delegated to the Corporate Landlord;

                        (ii) That, if Bike Rescue is only successful in obtaining partial grant funding, it be agreed that the Council match fund to a maximum of £50,000 from the Transport Planning Unit (TPU) capital programme, provided this will be sufficient to convert the sub-station to a secure cycle park, and the terms and conditions of the lease be delegated to the Corporate Landlord;

                        (iii) That the sale of Lendal Bridge Sub-Station be removed from the capital receipts funding schedule and replaced by the overachievement of other capital receipts already  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.

This report asks the Executive to approve a scheme to undertake repairs at Yearsley Swimming Pool.

RESOLVED:(i) That the programme of repairs at Yearsley Swimming Pool, as set out in Annex B and including a virement of £10k from the Property Services Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) scheme, be agreed;

                        (ii) That the use of contingencies, from within the swimming pools programme, to fund the additional costs of this project be agreed;

                        (iii) That a Venture Fund loan of £40k, to be repaid from future energy savings, and a non-recurring supplementary estimate of £40k be agreed to cover the net revenue costs associated with the pool closure period.

Members received a report which asked them to approve a scheme to undertake repairs at Yearsley Swimming Pool.

The key issues which the scheme needed to address were set out in paragraph 4 of the report.  In the light of these issues, a shortlist of essential works, attached as Annex A of the report, had been drawn up.  These works were required on either structural, operational, or health and safety grounds, in order to extend the life of the pool to 2012.  The work would take approximately 16 weeks, starting on 9 July 2007, and a communications strategy had been drawn up to provide information to key users and the public about the closure.  The estimated cost of the work was set in Annex B of the report.

The report presented three options for consideration:

·  To undertake the scheme as identified;

·  Not to undertake the scheme as identified;

·  To carry out a more comprehensive scheme.

The report proposed the use of contingencies from within the swimming pools programme to fund additional capital expenditure which had been identified, in addition to the indicative sum of £500k plus fees that had been set out in the Leisure Facilities Strategy in February 2006. 

The closure period would result in an estimated one-off revenue cost of £80k.  The options included in the report for funding this cost were a Venture Fund loan, use of the Corporate Contingency and savings in other Leisure & Culture services.

A revised version of Annex B, a carbon statement, and a schedule of energy and carbon savings and a comparison of energy efficiency had been circulated to Members for consideration.

Officers confirmed that the refurbishment work would have an expected life of at least 25 years.

Members welcomed the carbon and energy savings that the scheme would deliver and requested that carbon statements be included in reports for any similar schemes in the future.

RESOLVED:(i) That the programme of repairs at Yearsley Swimming Pool, as set out in Annex B and including a virement of £10k from the Property Services Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) scheme, be agreed;

                        (ii) That the use of contingencies, from within the swimming pools programme, to fund the additional costs of this project be agreed;

                        (iii) That a Venture Fund loan of £40k, to be repaid from future energy savings, and a non-recurring supplementary estimate of £40k be agreed to cover the net revenue costs associated with the pool closure period.

REASON:                  To extend the lift of Yearsley Pool to 2012.

The Chair welcomed Councillors Aspden and Vassie to the Executive and recorded his thanks to Councillor Orrell and former Councillor Macdonald for their work on the Executive.