Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

The Chair drew attention to the emergency evacuation procedure.

Councillor Oli Henman gave his apologies.

Councillor Malcolm Treby gave his apologies.

At this point in the meeting declarations of interest are received from Members in any of the agenda items under consideration at the meeting. Members are asked to indicate:

(a) The agenda item number in which they have an interest to declare.

(b) The nature of their interest.

(c) Whether their interest is a disclosable pecuniary interest or an other interest, (as defined in Part 4.4 Appendix B of the Code of Conduct and Rules for Registration of Interests)

Any Member who needs to clarify any matters relating to the declaration of interests is recommended to seek advice from the Council’s Monitoring Officeror a member of his staff before the meeting to expedite dealing with the item during the meeting.

There were none.

There was none.

There were none.

The Panel confirmed the minutes of the previous meeting as a true record and they were duly signed by the Chair.

The Cabinet Member will update the Panel on any relevant issues. Panel members may ask questions on the update provided.

There was none.

The Chair invited Councillor Paul Roper, Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development and Robert Campbell, Head of Heritage Services to introduce the report.

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions:

Councillor Halsall stated that the good news in the report was testament to all teams involved. He added that it was good news regarding access to the records office. He asked about the upper area in the Victoria Art Gallery and when the roof repair was expected so that there was a limit to this cultural loss. The officer explained that there had been a historical underinvestment in the roof and there was no choice now but to fix it so the gallery is closed until this can be done otherwise art could be damaged. The extent of the work is unknown until an inspection is carried out. He explained that listed building consent is expected in March/April and an inspection will follow. It is possible that there will need to be further listed building consent but if not, it is hoped that it can open in September. Confirmation can be given once the extent of the damage is known.

Councillor Blackburn stated that the report is shown as a Business Plan but is actually an Executive Summary. He asked what was being done to make things happen in terms of returning markets and protecting the asset. He asked what the big jump in education visitor numbers cost. He stated that income per visitor seems to be reducing but no reason is given for this. The Cabinet Member stated that ‘Visit West’ is used to promote the city. He explained that Asian tourism has not recovered since the pandemic, but this may be a geopolitical issue. The officer added that we do market in China on social media and trade delegations. We were only put back on the pre-approved travel destination last year. We are proactive and the market is likely to return in 2025/26. Regarding educational visitor costs, the officer did not have the exact costs but explained that there was a large education audience (around 16-19 thousand pupils) which is in line with a mandate set for the Council as an investment in improving the lives of local people. He stated that this is a long-term investment which will ensure future support of the monument. Councillor Moss stated that this is missing from the risk register in terms of the impact on profitability. Also, as numbers increase – visitor enjoyment may go down – a difficult balance. He agreed that educational experience is of benefit going forwards. The officer agreed regarding the balance between commercial activities and socially minded activities but added that some philanthropic donations can be linked to socially minded activities – the aim is to diversify the income streams to mitigate risk in times such as the pandemic.

Councillor Blackburn stated that scrutiny members are here to help but do need more details in reports.

Councillor Simon asked if  ...  view the full minutes text for item 64.

The Chair invited Councillor Mark Elliott, Cabinet Member for Resources and Richard Long, Head of Commercial Estate to introduce the report.

Panel members made the following points and asked the following questions:

Councillor Blackburn stated that he would like more information in order to understand the Commercial Estate. He asked about the recent budget which had identified a number of properties up for sale in order to pay off the WECA Post Office loan. He also asked about the amount of money needed for repairs and the impact of the voids. The Cabinet Member explained that the sale of properties was not in the Commercial or Corporate Estate but part of treasury management. The officer explained that he had been campaigning to get a war chest to address disrepair and resources are being combined to bring some properties back. He explained that disposals are dealt with in a different team and a partner is being commissioned to help form a process for declaring certain assets surplus. The Cabinet Member for Economic and Cultural Sustainable Development explained that currently data on Corporate Assets is held on 7/8 IT systems and work is being done on the specifications for a new system. There is a move to a new corporate landlord model. He explained that payments to WECA will be made over the next 5 years and part of this may be found in the disposal of Corporate Assets.

Councillor Halsall asked if most people in arrears eventually fulfil the debt and is there a cost to chase people. The Cabinet Member for Resources explained that there is a red/green split – some we are expecting to be paid and some is seen as risk. The officer added that we now chase all debt.

Councillor Hodge asked if there is a strategy to address outstanding works. The officer explained that it was done purely on the dateline. He explained that there is a backlog on maintenance and work is being done with the resources available, currently there is a focus on 18 properties.

Councillor Simon asked about the £220k debt (rated green but now 4 quarters old). He also asked if conversions to residential use can be part of a strategy to address housing. The officer stated that the debt is made up of areas where we are in dispute with the tenant over the level of debt. On the second point, he explained that we must comply with the Article 4 directive (which protects employment space) which means properties must have been marketed for employment purposes.

Councillor Saini asked about the key drivers of the Commercial Estate and how we compare regarding IPD (standard property index). He asked about notable trends and strategies to optimise performance going forwards. The officer explained that there had been concern about the trend for online shopping and how this would affect retail. Regarding the IPD, we are on par with similar mixed bag portfolio areas. He further explained that there is a landlords’ forum to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 65.

This report presents the latest workplan for the Panel. Any suggestions for further items or amendments to the current programme will be logged and scheduled in consultation with the Panel’s Chair and supporting officers.

The Panel noted the workplan.

Councillor Moss explained that there are ongoing discussions with Group Leaders and Cabinet Members regarding the presentation of items at PDS Panel meetings.