Agenda item
Cabinet Member update
The Cabinet Member will update the panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions
Minutes:
The Chairman invited Councillor Ben Stevens (Cabinet Member for Sustainable Development) to give an update to the Panel (attached to these minutes).
The Panel made the following points:
Councillor Andrew Furse asked about the Guild co-working hub and asked what the take-up is in number of clients and whether it is working as expected.
Councillor Stevens replied that the initial expression of interested massively outperforming anything that was predicted. It is still too early to report if it is working as expected considering that formal opening was only last night (25th September).
Councillor Furse added he would like for the Panel to monitor this project as it is quite exciting project
Councillor Cherry Beath added that the Guild Hub was instigated by her and backed by the Cabinet during her time as Cabinet Member and she was quite pleased with the progress in these early days. The project had drawn a lot of interest and support from the creative and digital sectors.
Councillor David Martin commented that one of his residents took the opportunity to be in the hub and that they were very enthusiastic with the whole idea – the prospect to work with other people from similar industries and the support available from the facility. Councillor Martin welcomed this initiative from the Council.
Councillor Dave Laming congratulated Councillor Stevens on working closely alongside the River Regeneration Trust. Councillor Laming suggested that the Panel, with the Cabinet Member, could look at the rugby ground proposals which will have some impact on the river.
Councillor Patrick Anketell-Jones asked if looking at options for improving the conditions in which our nationally important archive collections are kept and accessed by the public is for archive kept in the Guildhall.
Councillor Stevens replied he was working with the Bath Abbey and universities to see if they want to combine with the Council, and/or to share best practice, rather than proposing to move our archives away from the city centre.
The Chairman said that he is a Member of the Radstock and Westfield Economic Partnership. The Chairman asked if the trading profit forecast of £758k above the annual target level forecast in the Heritage Services Business Plan is in comparison to last year or if this is a target that was looking over the last 5 years as an average.
Councillor Stevens replied that the target is based on the average was based on previous years not just the previous year. It is a record year not a record rise; there have been more visitors than ever before.
The Chairman asked about the Tourism Levy.
Councillor Stevens replied that he would hope that a report on Tourism Levy will be ready after April 2014. There will be a need for very close working with partners, like Bath Tourism Plus, to make sure that this is deliverable.
Councillor Furse asked if the report on Tourism Levy could include options that were dismissed along with the options that were approved.
It was RESOLVED to note the update.