Agenda and minutes

Councillors and Officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations of interest were made.

To consider whether it is in the public to exclude the public during consideration of agenda item 4 “Report into SMBC public buildings with provision of community use” which contains information “not for publication by virtue of Category 3 ‘Information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority)’ as set out in the Local Government Act 1972 (as amended).

RESOLVED – That in order to prevent the disclosure of information which was not for publication relating to the financial or business affairs of the any particular person (including the authority), the disclosure of which would not be in the public interest, would not be fair and would be in breach of Data Protection principles, the public be excluded from the meeting during consideration of the ‘not for publication’ appendix to agenda item 4 “Report Into SMBC Public Buildings With Provision Of Community Use”.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The report sets out the Scrutiny Review Panel Procedure Rules and suggests that the Panel should adopt them for the purpose of conducting the review.

The Panel are requested to formally adopt the Scrutiny Review Panel Rules for the purpose of conducting the review.

Officer Contact: Craig Ainsworth on 0161 474 3204 or email:craig.ainsworth@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) requesting the Panel to formally adopt the scrutiny review panel procedure rules for the purpose of the review.

RESOLVED – That the scrutiny review panel procedure rules be adopted for the purpose of conducting the review.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The Scrutiny Panel is to consider the report and provide comments. 

Officer Contact: Murray Carr, 0161 474 3019, email murray.carr@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) in order to provide the Panel with a variety of confidential information in relation to the Council’s public buildings with provision for community use across the Borough.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

• Councillors requested that the information on community buildings be arranged by Area Committee area and should include a map to enable them to identify where there may be a specific need for or surplus of community buildings.
• It was suggested that other Councillors may wish to contribute by providing a more detailed insight into the situation regarding community buildings in their area.
• The review would benefit from information on community buildings offered by other organisations such as church halls and war memorial halls.
• The review would benefit from further information from the Hub and Asset team, who are undertaking a locality model which would include information from the third sector.
• Consideration should be given to the sustainability of Voluntary Management Committees.
• Reports should only include libraries that contain hireable space, and the measurement information should only pertain to the hireable space as opposed to the whole library.
• Reports should only contain the main parameters to allow members to focus on the key information.
• Councillors suggested that Stockport Homes be requested to provide information which they hold which was missing from the report.

RESOLVED – (1) That the scope of the review, as set out in the report, be agreed and, in particular, the review focuses on five aspects of community buildings, namely:-

• The geographical need for community buildings
• The availability of community buildings
• How community buildings are currently utilised
• The current management arrangements
• The current condition of community buildings

(2) That the Democratic Services Manager be requested to ascertain further information from local Councillors regarding community buildings in their area.

(3) That the representative of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services provides a report at the next scheduled meeting addressing comments made by panel members.

To agree the dates of future meetings and the timescales for undertaking the review.

RESOLVED – That the next meeting of the Panel be held on Monday 12 January 2015 at 6:00 pm.

The meeting closed at 19:02 pm.