Leisure, Arts And Communities Committee - 18/10/2004

At a MEETING of the COMMUNITIES COMMITTEE held at Dundee on 18th October, 2004.

 

Present:-

 

Lord Provost John R LETFORD

 

 

 

BAILIES

 

C D P FARQUHAR

John CORRIGAN

Bruce D MACKIE

Helen WRIGHT

Neil I C POWRIE

Ian BORTHWICK

 

COUNCILLORS

 

Jill SHIMI

Fraser MACPHERSON

Christina ROBERTS

Kevin KEENAN

Helen DICK

Jim BARRIE

George REGAN

Nigel DON

Will DAWSON

Julia M STURROCK

Bob DUNCAN

Elizabeth F FORDYCE

Fiona M GRANT

Richard BEATTIE

Roderick A J WALLACE

Christopher HIND

Willie W SAWERS

Charles A WEBSTER

Joe MORROW

Joe FITZPATRICK

Derek J SCOTT

 

Councillor HIND, Convener, in the Chair.

 

The minute of meeting of this Committee of 30th September, 2004 was held as read.

 

Unless marked thus * all items stand delegated.

 

I COMMUNITY LEARNING PARTNERSHIP - LITERACIES INITIATIVE PROGRESS

 

There was submitted Report No 698-2004 by the Head of Communities informing members of progress in implementing the Community Learning Partnership - Literacies Initiative and the updating of website discoverlearning.org.

 

The Committee noted the progress being made by the Literacies Initiative in reaching its targets.

 

II SOCIAL INCLUSION PARTNERSHIP - ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES - SMALL GRANTS 2004/2005

 

Councillors Grant and W Dawson declared non-financial interests in the following item being Council representatives on the Grey Lodge Management Committee.

 

There was submitted Report No 688-2004 by the Head of Communities noting the allocation of funding for SIP1 from Communities Scotland and making recommendations for the allocation of SIP1 funding for the financial year 2004/2005.

 

The Committee noted the allocations from SIP1 Small Grants allocation as detailed in Appendix A of the report.

 

III SOCIAL INCLUSION PARTNERSHIP - ALLOCATION OF RESOURCES 2004 - RADIO RAMADAN

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN362-2004 reporting for the information of the Committee that the Head of Communities, after consultation with the Convener and spokespersons of other groups, had approved payment of an award of 4,990 to Radio Ramadan from Social Inclusion Partnership 1 Empowering Communities funding in view of the timescales involved. The grant contributed to the cost of a month long radio station that reached the City's minority ethnic community.

IV DUNDEE COMMUNITY SAFETY PARTNERSHIP - DIVERSIONARY YOUTH ACTIVITIES (AGES 12-16 YEARS) - SUMMER 2004

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN363-2004 asking the Committee to note the successful programme of summer youth initiatives (11 in total) targeted at young people and externally financed with support from the Scottish Executive. In accordance with Award conditions, a monitoring and evaluation report had been completed and submitted to the Scottish Executive.

 

Key outputs/outcomes included:

 

                                             1550 participants involved;

                                             221 sessions of activity offered;

                                             667 hours of tuition delivered;

                                             105 different activities offered;

                                             motor crime, vandalism and youth nuisance calls reduced.

 

The Committee noted the success of the summer youth activities.

 

V SCOTTISH URBAN REGENERATION FORUM ANNUAL CONFERENCE - 1ST NOVEMBER 2004 - WEST PARKCENTRE, DUNDEE

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN364-2004 advising that, for the first time, Dundee was playing host to the SURF Annual Conference. The focus of this year's Conference was on leadership and community planning. Dundee City Council was a member of SURF and, as such, delegate places were reduced to 90 per delegate.

 

The Committee approved the attendance of one member of the Administration, one member of the SNP Group and one member of the Conservative Group.

 

VI WHITFIELD ACTIVITY COMPLEX - MEMORANDUM AND ARTICLES OF ASSOCIATION

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN365-2004 advising that at an Extraordinary General Meeting held on 17th March, 2004, a resolution proposing changes to the Memorandum and Article of Association for the Whitfield Activity Complex was approved. Prior to this approval being enacted, the Committee was required to approve the proposed changes which were as follows:-

 

Special Resolution A

Article 43 - No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present; one quarter of all members of the company being present shall constitute a quorum.

to be amended to read

No business shall be transacted at any meeting unless a quorum is present: twenty persons entitled to vote upon the business to be transacted, each being a member of the company, shall constitute a quorum.

 

Special Resolution B

Article 60 - Unless otherwise determined by special resolution, the maximum number of directors (other than alternate directors) shall be sixteen, of whom a maximum of six directors shall be Member Directors, a maximum of four directors shall be Representative Directors and a maximum of three shall be Special Directors.

to be amended to read

Unless otherwise determined by special resolution, the maximum number of directors (other than alternate directors) shall be sixteen, of whom a maximum of four directors shall be Representative Directors and a maximum of three shall be Special Directors.

Special Resolution C

Article 61 - Unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution, the maximum number of directors shall be two, of whom a minimum of two shall be Member Directors.

to be amended to read

Unless otherwise determined by ordinary resolution, the minimum number of directors shall be six, of whom a minimum of six directors shall be Member Directors.

 

Special Resolution D

Article 89 - Any director may call a meeting of the directors or request the Secretary to call a meeting of the directors.

to be amended to read

A minimum of three directors may collectively call a meeting of the directors or request the Secretary to call a meeting of the directors.

 

The Committee approved the changes as detailed above.

 

VII LOCAL GOVERNMENT PENSION SCHEME - REQUESTS FOR ADMISSION BY GREY LODGE SETTLEMENT AND WHITFIELD ACTIVITYCOMPLEX

 

Councillors Grant and W Dawson declared non-financial interests in the following item being Council representatives on the Grey Lodge Management Committee.

 

There was submitted Agenda Note AN366-2004 making reference to Article IV of 10th November, 2003 which required the Communities Committee to manage through a process, over a two year period, which would end the practice of long-term secondments to third party organisations.

 

Given that the lead workers for both the Whitfield Activity Complex and the Grey Lodge Settlement had considerable length of service with Dundee City Council, and were currently members of the Local Government Pension Scheme, both organisations and the Department were anxious to enable staff to remain within the Local Government Pension Scheme. The costs of meeting the employers contributions and the salary costs for the two seconded lead workers would be transferred at a future date to be mutually agreed.

 

Dundee City Council had enjoyed a long-standing partnership agreement with both Grey Lodge and the Whitfield Activity Complex. This agreement was reflected in the Councils three-year Revenue Budget and formed part of a long term commitment to the work of both organisations.

 

In light of the partnership agreement, it was recommended that Dundee City Council agree to act as guarantor in respect of applications from Grey Lodge and Whitfield Activity Complex to be admitted into the Local Government Pension Scheme.

 

This agreement would be offered on the understanding that if other employees of Grey Lodge and WAC wished to join the Local Government Superannuation Scheme, the additional employers costs would require to be contained within their existing funding agreement with the Council or paid by income generated independently by these organisations.

 

If the Committee was in agreement that Dundee City Council should act as guarantor, this would be communicated to the Management Groups of both projects who would require to confirm that they can contain any increased costs arising from their employees wishing to join the Local Government Superannuation Scheme. A formal request for admission to the Scheme would then be brought to a future meeting of the Finance Committee.

 

The Committee approved the terms of the Agenda Note.

VIII NON-RECURRING REVENUE GRANTS FUND IV - 2004/2005

 

There was submitted Report No 713-2004 by the Head of Communities making a recommendation for a grant award from the Non-Recurring Revenue Grants Fund. The grant award would be met from the Department's Revenue Budget 2004/2005.

 

The Committee approved payment of the recommended grant of 1,520 to the Young Quality Scot Awards Dundee Group.

 

 

 

 

CHRIS HIND, Convener.