Agenda and minutes

To receive any disclosures of interest from councillors in accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct for members.

There were none.

To consider the report to Cabinet on the Community Asset Policy, and make any recommendations the Committee considers appropriate for consideration by the Cabinet at its meeting on 23^rd September 2020.

The Group Head for Regeneration and Growth, Heather Morgan, gave an outline of the proposed Community Asset Policy which was due to be considered at the Cabinet meeting on 23 September. She explained how the Council would advertise any opportunities which arose for the use of its assets to organisations and community groups and the new three stage process by which the Council would make a decision on who to lease a building or piece of land to.

The Committee welcomed the principle of the Policy in that it would bring an open and transparent process to the assessment of applicants for use of the borough's municipal assets.

Members accepted the need for a proper assessment of the potential viability of applicants to ensure best use of the Council's assets and resources.  However, they were concerned that the points-based system of evaluating applications was weighted towards established organisations with existing funding and that small or new organisations, such as those that emerged during the pandemic, with much to offer to local communities would not do so well on the basis of a scoring matrix.

The Committee agreed that new, or small local organisations and community groups may meet the criteria through the benefits they could bring to the local community and the Borough, which were outweighed by their score on the points-based system and that the Council should encourage and support applications from such groups.

The Committee requested that a complete list of the Council’s assets to which the Policy relates, be appended to the Policy so that it was clear which buildings and pieces of land were covered by the Policy.

Resolved to recommend to Cabinet:

1. This Committee invites Cabinet to order a reconsideration of the policy taking into account Overview & Scrutiny Members' views and come back with a revised report and score card, to better reflect supporting organisations, including small and young organisations, of value to the community, giving Overview & Scrutiny members 10 days to make submissions.

2. That further work is done to collate a full list of all assets to which this policy relates and that this will be appended to the policy.