Issue - meetings

Assembly Rooms

Meeting: 02/09/2014 - Cabinet (Item 33)

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Barry)

Report of Chief Officer (Environmental)

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Barry)

Ms Fiona Gordon who had registered to speak in accordance with the City Council’s agreed procedure and Cabinet Procedure Rule 2.7 addressed the meeting on this item and responded to questions raised by Cabinet Members.

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Environment) to enable Cabinet to consider an option for a future use of the Assembly Rooms.

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:

	Option 1: To agree to develop the business model outlined above in greater detail.	Option 2: To maintain the status quo until a range of options can be brought forward
Advantages	Consistent with Cairn report and previous decision of Cabinet Provides a sense of direction Provides a mandate to explore other options e.g. HLF bid	Maintains the status quo but allows more time for other options to be brought forward
Disadvantages	Creates further uncertainty for existing traders and further destabilises the existing Assembly Room operation. The Fig Tree is not well known by Officers or Elected Members so difficult to establish at this stage what a partnership would entail and whether it would actually be advantageous.	Requires further officer time and resource.
Risks	The Council / Fig Tree may decide in developing the business case that it isn’t in their interests so it will come to nothing.	Unmanaged decline No guarantee that any of the other options will be without significant risks

The Officer preferred option is option 1. However, it should be made clear that for the reasons outlined in the report there is no certainty that this option could be implemented.

Councillor Barry proposed:-

“(1) That the Council is committed to keeping on as many existing traders as possible and for the Assembly Rooms to be a tourist and resident attraction.

(2) That it be agreed in principle for officers to proceed with actions in 2.17.

(3) That management details be requested when further reports are brought back.”

However, it was noted that there was no seconder to the proposition, and therefore, the proposition was deemed to have fallen.

It was then moved by Councillor Hanson and seconded by Councillor David Smith:

“That Option 2, to maintain the status quo, as set out in the report be approved with officers requested to bring a further report back in conjunction with existing traders to propose how current arrangements can be improved including marketing.”

Councillors then voted:-

Resolved:

(5 Members (Councillors Blamire, Bryning, Hanson, Leytham and David Smith) voted in favour, and 1 Member (Councillor Barry) abstained.)

(1) That Option 2, to maintain the status quo, as set out in the report be approved with officers requested to bring a further report back in conjunction with existing traders to propose how current arrangements can be improved including marketing.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Officer (Environment)

Reasons for making the decision:

The decision is consistent with the Corporate Plan priority - Sustainable Economic ... view the full minutes text for item 33