Agenda and minutes

None.

Apologies were received from Cllr Webster.

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Leader.

None.

Rafal Hejne, Interim Head of Organisational Development introduced the report which set out the options for the site following receipt of the report from BOP, the Council’s lead advisor on the project.  He reminded the Cabinet that the Council had agreed a data driven approach and had set up a steering group as recommended in the report.  He noted that it is difficult to deliver projects of this nature in the current economic climate and he thanked the experts who helped shape the final recommendations in the BOP report.

The Leader thanked the Interim Head of Organisational Development and welcomed the report, he highlighted the robust evidence-based approach.  In response to a question Rachel Kuhn, Associate Director of BOPadvised the responses of the experts on the success criteria of the project had been very positive, the success criteria were achievable, and they were appreciative of the work the Council had undertaken to date.

The Cabinet Members thanked BOP for providing some case studies in their report and raised several questions.

The Cabinet Member for Leisure and Parking requested more information on the current state of the sector and future predictions due to the current economic climate, asked for more details on the use of an independent cultural anchor tenant, broker and property agent.  Paul Owens, Co-Founder and Director of BOP confirmed the cultural sector was still feeling the effects of the pandemic, was in survival mode and the Cultural Recovery Fund has helped to make up for box office losses.  He noted that people look for cultural experiences closer to home.  The Interim Head of Organisational Development confirmed an estate agent or broker would be required to have experience or access to expert knowledge of working with the leisure/ cultural sector.

The Cabinet Member for Economic Growth and Net Zero asked what the key risks were for a project as large as the Clair Hall site.  The Associate Director confirmed the economic climate would make obtaining funding challenging. There had been changes since the report had been published with much funding going to existing facilities. She confirmed some commercial investors are more optimistic, but they are still cautious.  To mitigate the risks the Council would need an organisation that understands the market and complete their due diligence on potential bidders. It was noted that it would be essential for the Council to keep up to date on what was happening in the district and the region.

In response to questions on the key risks of a project as large as the Clair Hall site and about the flexibility of the space provided, the BOP’s Associate Director confirmed that a key is that  a chosen organisation must have an ability and the autonomy to respond quickly to the community needs; BOP thinks an independent organisation are equipped to be more flexible. Careful consideration and due diligence around the interested partners should  result in a successful, focused organisation running the site.  There need to be agreement around the primary use of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

Kathryn Hall, Chief Executive introduced the report and noted the debate at the Scrutiny Committee meeting for Leader, Deputy Leader & Housing and Customer Service at the meeting on 21 September 2022.

The Deputy Leader highlighted that he had attended the meeting of the Scrutiny Committee and thanked the committee members for their comments. He noted the positive feedback from the Food Waste Trial for 3,000 homes in the district, current recycle rates are ahead of the target and he hoped the data will indicate the effect if the trial is rolled out across the whole district. He confirmed that 96% of fly tipping is cleared the same day, where the Council is responsible for collecting it on public land; he thanked the Council’s contractor Serco.

The Leader acknowledged the importance of the Food Waste Trial, and as no Member wished to speak further, he moved to vote on the recommendations which were agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED

Cabinet noted the Council’s performance in the first quarter of the year, identifying any areas where further reporting or information was required.