Agenda and draft minutes

The Panel is asked to elect a Chair for the duration of the meeting.

RESOLVED – That Councillor Stretton be elected as chair for the duration of the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Akhtar.  Councillor Harrison attended as substitute.

Urgent business, if any, introduced by the Chair

There were no items of urgent business received.

To Receive Declarations of Interest in any Contract or matter to be discussed at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest received.

To receive Questions from the Public, in accordance with the Council’s Constitution.

No Public Questions were received.

RESOLVED – That the Appeals Procedure be agreed.

This item was taken in conjunction with Item 8 of the agenda.

The Sub Committee gave consideration to the appeal presented by members of the Lees Community Association (LCA) against the refusal of Oldham MBC to transfer Mellor House as a Community Asset.  The presentation focussed on the value of the building to the local community and the uses that would form part of the business case which included Oldham Band situated within Lees and other various community events.  A caterer had also shown interest in using the building as a base for their business as well as other prospective tenants.

The presentation also featured the estimated budget costs and proposed income as well as a rebuttal of the projected costs presented by Oldham MBC.  Emphasis was given to the fact that the group had attempted to source the most economically suitable solutions.  The LCA also emphasised that most of the work would be completed by volunteers which would significantly reduce their costs.

The LCA queried the concerns raised by Officers of Oldham MBC regarding the assessment of projected income and practical steps offered and reiterated that the LCA had volunteers within its membership that would provide the necessary skill set to make the Asset Transfer a viable option.

The Sub Committee then considered the presentation from the Asset Transfer Team within Oldham MBC.  The Team noted the enthusiasm and commitment that the LCA had shown to the process.  However, concerns still existed as to the business case submitted by the LCA and whether it was sufficiently robust and sustainable for the minimum amount of time allowed by the Council’s policy for the transfer of a lease to the group which would be approximately 5 years.  As details of prospective tenants’ intent had not been evidenced it was difficult to assess the income projections given by the group which included rental incomewhich appeared higher than comparable rents in the immediate vicinity.  Concerns were also raised that the details given for the capital costs for repairs were very low and again evidence of funding in place to complete the repairs had not been produced.

The Team stated that they had received ten requests for transfers of assets within the Borough.  One application had already resulted in a successful transfer and eight others were going through the same process.  In comparison with the information provided by the other volunteer groups the LCA application had not provided the same level of detail.  The Team emphasised that the process had taken over fourteen months at a cost to the Council of £1,000 per month in order to support the LCA’s bid for the building.  However, the risk to the Council was too great to allow the building to be transferred.

The LCA and the Asset Management Team queried the respective presentations and the Sub Committee sought clarification on several points.  Each party then summarised their cases to the Sub Committee.

The Sub Committee agreed to go into closed session and withdrew from the meeting to consider their response.

RESOLVED – That the appeal be dismissed  ...  view the full minutes text for item 8.