Agenda 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.

Councillor Steve Galloway declared a personal non-prejudicial interest in agenda item 5 (Community Stadium) as a season ticket holder at the York Knights.

Councillor Gillies declared a personal non-prejudicial interest in agenda item 5 (Community Stadium) as a season ticket holder with York City Football Club (YCFC), as a supporter and former season ticker holder with the York Knights, and as his daughter and son in law had previously been on the board of trustees for YCFC.

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

Annexes 1 and 2 to Agenda Item 5 (Community Stadium) on the grounds that it contains information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons.  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).

RESOLVED:That the press and public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the following:

Annexes 1 and 2 to Agenda Item 5(Community Stadium) (minute 44 refers) on the grounds that they contained information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons.  This information was 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).

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting of the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee held on 9 May 2008.

RESOLVED:That the minutes of the Staffing Matters and Urgency Committee meeting held on 9 May 2008 be approved and signed by the Chair as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Committee’s remit can do so.  The deadline for registering is Monday 20 May 2008, at 5.00 pm.

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

Neil Hunter spoke on behalf of the City of York Athletics Club, in relation to agenda item 5 (Community Stadium) (minute 44 refers).  He was supportive of the opportunities that would be offered by the proposals but expressed concern  regarding the lack of consultation with amateur clubs.  He also highlighted the need for a more detailed option appraisal, contingency planning and a risk assessment.

This report sets out a proposed way forward towards delivering a Community Stadium for York.  It also suggests further steps that the Council could take in order to help bring about a community stadium and to support York City Football Club in the period of transition from their current stadium to the new one.

Members received a report which set out a proposed way forward towards delivering a Community Stadium for York.  It also suggested further steps that the Council could take in order to help bring about a community stadium and to support York City Football Club (YCFC) in the period of transition from their current stadium to the new one.

The reason that the matter was urgent was that the football club faced both deadlines from the Football Foundation and current financial pressures and thus a decision was needed before the next full council meeting at the end of June 2008.

The report presented the following options for consideration:

·  Option 1 – To sell Huntington stadium and use the majority of the proceeds (along with those from Bootham Crescent) to fund a community stadium to be used by both the Knights and YCFC, and relocate the athletic users to a new track with appropriate viewing facilities;

·  Option 2 – To commit about £200k from the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive (LABGI) reward money to fund 3-4 years work of an experienced project manager, who could work for a steering group consisting of the Council, the Clubs and perhaps the landowner of the chosen site;

·  Option 3 – To include the new stadium as a recognised development for the City with dedicated officer time likely to be to a value of £100 - £150k, funded through an external bid to support planning and development work on major city developments;

·  Option 4 – To repay the £2m loan to the Football Foundation and secure this against Bootham Crescent, and to allow YCFC to roll up the interest in the period prior to the move to the new stadium, thus relieving the club of a cost of £138k per year.

The Director of Resources confirmed that further work would be carried out covering the issues raised by the speaker under Public Participation (minute 43 refers).

Members noted that this was just the initial stage of a lengthy process, and that a robust business case would need to be developed and legal implications fully considered. 

Some Members expressed concerns relating to the lack of consultation with the City of York Athletics Club, the proposal to divert some funding from other major planning and development work, and the need to ensure that the proposal to take over the Football Foundation loan was affordable.

RESOLVED:(i) That the sale of Huntington Stadium and the commitment of sufficient resources generated from that sale, alongside those from the sale of Bootham Crescent, to fund a Community Stadium for York be agreed in principle, subject to consultation with residents and users of the Stadium;

(ii)               That it be agreed that the first £1m of the sale value of Huntington stadium be utilised to relocate the athletics facilities at the stadium to another site with suitable viewing facilities;

(iii)             That it be agreed that £200k of the Council’s LABGI reward money be allocated to fund programme management to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.