Agenda item

To consider a report of the Corporate Director, Corporate and Support Services and Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report sets out the proposal to develop a new cultural and social hub in Stockport town centre, provisionally titled ‘One Stockport Hub’.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the report.

Officer Contacts: Paul Richards/Kirsteen Roe on 0161 474 2940/3376 or email:

paul.richards@stockport.gov.uk/kirsteen.roe@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director, Corporate and Support Services submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the proposal to develop a new cultural and social hub in Stockport town centre, provisionally titled ‘One Stockport Hub’. The idea was that the One Stockport Hub would attract more service users into the library and locate the hub in a high profile location with good accessibility by public transport. It was a pre-cursor to the Future High Streets Fund bid which aimed to bring together a number of community uses and support Merseyway by driving footfall.

The Cabinet Member for Citizen Focus and Engagement (Councillor Kate Butler) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Although the perception may be that there were the same number of members of staff working in a particular library, there were a lot more staff working in the back office.

·         Whilst supporting the principle of a One Stockport Hub in Stockport Town Centre was supported a Member felt that there needed to be more work carried out on how the Central Library building would be used in the future.

·         The total occupation cost of both the Central Library and the vacant former Argos unit should the proposal for One Stockport Hub not go forward was in the region of £250,000. This was because the Council would continue to have a liability for the former Argos unit for service charge, insurance and business rates until such time as an occupier was found. The report highlighted that in the current retail market the unit was unlikely to be let in the near future and attracted significant void costs.

·         A Member highlighted that the budget figure for the One Stockport Hub did not cover the refurbishment of the first floor for public use.

·         Concern was expressed that there had been a central library in Stockport for 107 years and that other local authorities had either improved the facilities at the existing library or moved to another library and that this Council was proposing to establish a new local library. The report should contain a process and timeline on the Council’s plans for the future use of the Central Library building.

·         Concern was expressed that there was no specific reference in the consultation to closing the Central Library and therefore residents were not afforded the opportunity to express whether or not they wished to retain the Central Library. It was suggested that there should be a second round of consultation on this aspect and the outcome reported back to this Scrutiny Committee.

·         A Member felt that although the Central Library was in a good location when it was built it was no longer located in the middle of the town centre. There was a lack of space for pupils wishing to study at the Central Library. The increase in the number of young people living in the town centre in the future would place greater pressure on the amount of space available for study at the Central Library.

It was then

MOVED AND SECONDED

(1) That the Cabinet be recommended to undertake further work on the future of the Central Library building and subsequently undertake a further round of consultation on the proposal to develop a ‘One Stockport Hub’ making clear what the Council’s plans are for the Central Library building.

(2) That the outcome of the further round of consultation be reported back to this Scrutiny Committee.

For the motion 6, against 1, abstentions 2

MOTION CARRIED

It was then

RESOLVED  –  (1) That the Cabinet be recommended to undertake further work on the future of the Central Library building and subsequently undertake a further round of consultation on the proposal to develop a ‘One Stockport Hub’ making clear what the Council’s plans are for the Central Library building.

(2) That the outcome of the further round of consultation be reported back to this Scrutiny Committee.