Issue - meetings

Appendix 2 to this report is contained in the exempt section of the agenda due to the commercially sensitive nature of the information.

The Leader of the Council introduced a report on the outcome of a high-level options appraisal in respect of the future delivery and management of the Council’s culture and sport services, in order to achieve the efficiencies within the service that were required to realise the £1m savings target by 2016/17.

Four main options had been identified and the preferred option related to the formation of a new Trust, which would be a non-profit distributing organisation (NPDO) in the form of a limited company with charitable status.  The Leader explained that an ‘in principle’ decision was being sought that would enable officers to further develop the preferred option and report back to Cabinet later in the year.  Arising from the discussions, officers clarified issues relating to the business rates saving, community halls and library services.

Cabinet resolved to:

(i)  Note the range of options available for the future management of culture and sport services;

(ii)  Agree, in principle, that culture and sport services shall transfer to a new model of operation;

(iii)  Approve the formation of a Trust (non-profit distributing organisation) to deliver a range of health and wellbeing services;

(iv)  Agree that the Council will play an active part in the new Trust through nominations by the Leader of the Council to the Board of the Trust;

(v)  Agree that the Trust shall become operational on or as soon as possible after 1 January 2016;

(vi)  Agree that one-off revenue expenditure of up to £250,000 be allocated from the £500,000 contingency identified within the use of General Fund reserves for invest to save initiatives, to meet the legal and other costs associated with transferring the services to the new Trust; and

(vii)  Note that prior to implementation a further report shall be presented to Cabinet setting out the services to be commissioned from the Trust, the expected outcomes and the financial arrangements.