Agenda and minutes

Councillor Carole Jones – other council business

Malcolm Townroe

None.

To confirm the minutes of the meeting dated 11 September 2015.

The minutes of the meeting held on 11 September 2015 were confirmed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Report of Corporate Director for Resilience.

Tom Straw, Finance Analyst, presented the repot of the Corporate Director for Resilience detailing the forecast outturn for 2015/16 Bridge Estate, Highfields Leisure Park Trust and Harvey Hadden Stadium Trust, based on Period 6 budget monitoring (September 15). Tom highlighted the following:

Bridge Estate

(a)  there is an increase in income of £4,067 due to additional rent following rent review, increased rent and new lettings;

(b)  there is an underspend on support services due to a reduction in Nottingham City Council property management fees;

(c)  the trust also holds non-property investments of £648,511 as well as a Trent Bridge repairs reserve of £397,699

Harvey Hadden Stadium Trust

(d)  income has been affected by the major building works that started in July 2014 increasing the net deficit by £7,000. The grant from Nottingham City Council will be increased by £7,000 to match this deficit;

Highfields Leisure Park Trust

(e)  there has been a net underspend due to increased boating income and an increase in concessions. The grant from Nottingham City Council will be reduced by £8,872 to match the net underspend.

The Committee agreed that maintenance of the new facilities at Hadden Park Stadium and Highfields must be maintained and kept to a high standard.

RESOLVED to note the forecast outturn for each of the trusts for 2015/16

Report of Strategic Director for Finance.

Tom Straw, Finance Analyst, presented the report of the Strategic Director for Finance, setting out the 2014/15 accounts for Highfields Leisure Park Trust and Harvey Hadden Stadium Trust, which have been independently examined by the city council’s internal audit service as required by the Charity Commission. Tom highlighted the following:

Harvey Hadden Stadium Trust

(a)  there was an increase in grant from Nottingham City Council in 2014/15 of £6,855;

(b)  rental income has decreased as a result of the major construction works which started in July 2014;

(c)  there is an increase in grounds maintenance expenditure as a result of the major construction works around the stadium;

Highfields Leisure Park Trust

(d)  there was a reduction in grant from Nottingham City Council in 2014/15 by £35,183;

(e)  a decrease in fees and charges income and refreshment concessions was due to the effect of the extended tram works.

RESOLVED to

(1)  approve the Harvey Hadden Stadium Trust annual report and financial statements for the financial year 2014/15;

(2)  approve the Highfields Leisure Park Trust annual report and financial statements for the financial year 2014/15

Report of Corporate Director of Resilience.

Barry Dryden, Senior Finance Manager, introduced the report of the Corporate Director of Resilience detailing the grounds maintenance charges levied by the council to Highfields Trust based on outturn actuals and budget for the current financial year.

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Committee:

(a)  The overall trend is for ground maintenance charges to decrease, with a 4.5% reduction in charges from 2012/13 to 2015/16. This is due to efficiency savings identified by Parks and Open Spaces;

(b)  The priority is to maintain the level of service even in the current financial climate;

(c)  A condition of the Heritage Lottery Funding was a 5 year plan to maintain the site to a high standard.

RESOLVED to note the trend of grounds maintenance expenditure at Highfields from 2012/13 actual to 2015/16

Report of  Deputy Chief Executive/Corporate Director of Development and Growth.

Chris Capewell, Team Leader, Bridges and Drainage, Highway Design presented the report of the Corporate Director of Development and Growth outlining information from Highways regarding the maintenance of Trent Bridge. Chris highlighted the following:

(a)  one the objectives of the Bridge Estate is to provide for the efficient maintenance and repair of Trent Bridge and the approaches to it. Trent Bridge is an important, visible approach to the city;

(b)  at last inspection, the bridge is structurally sound and is satisfactory for 40/44 tonne vehicles. This will only need to be reassessed if there is a significant change in the condition of the structure or changes in legislation;

(c)  the bridge is due to be repainted in 2018, which will be 16 years since it was last repainted except for the inside faces of the parapets which were painted in early 2015 to enhance the appearance of the bridge. As repainting the bridge is costly a balance must be struck between deterioration of metalwork and cost;

(d)  in 2015 a bid was made to the Highway Maintenance Challenge Fund for a scheme that would see the bridge re-waterproofed and repainted, as well as the footways and carriageway resurfaced. Unfortunately this bid was unsuccessful however there is another opportunity to bid for this funding in 18 months’ time. If successful a small amount of match funding would be required;

(e)  there has been some deterioration to stonework which could be very expensive to repair as sections would need to be replaced in new stone and would need agreement with English Heritage;

The following answers were given in response to questions from the Committee:

(f)  Neighbourhood Services is responsible for the cleaning, and general maintenance of pavements on the bridge is with Highway and Energy Infrastructure;

(g)  the legal definition of ‘and approaches to it’ is unknown, but this is often defined as being where the embankment rises up;

(h)  Nottingham City Council has a Heritage Officer but they are not currently involved with Trent Bridge;

(i)  £72,000 a year from the Bridge Estate are reserved towards the maintenance of Trent Bridge. This should cover the cost of repainting in 2017/18, subject to garnering quotes. This would not cover the cost of waterproofing the bridge. Other options to pay for waterproofing the bridge to use the Trust’s assets, which would need approval, or to borrow the funds;

(j)  the Committee expressed the view that the current maintenance regime should be reviewed with then aim of improving the appearance of the bridge.

RESOLVED to

(1)  note the contents of the report;

(2)  approach the Heritage Officer on the possibility of applying for Heritage Lottery Fund money for the bridge;

(3)  investigate the installation of a ‘Welcome to Nottingham’ sign on the approach to the bridge;

(4)  investigate installation of an interpretation panel outlining the history of the bridge;

(5)  investigate updating the decorative lights to a more modern standard and making them more accessible for repairs;

(6)  provide figures on actual spend on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 30.