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Agenda item

Agenda item

AFRICAN CARIBBEAN CENTRE CONSULTATION FINDINGS

The Director of Neighbourhood Services submits a report to provide a summary of the public consultation exercise undertaken to gather views on the usage and future running of the African Caribbean Centre.  The report provides options and a recommendation for the future running of the facility.

 

Minutes:

The Director of Neighbourhood and Environmental Services submitted a report to provide a summary of the public consultation exercise undertaken to gather views on the usage and future running of the African Caribbean Centre (ACC).

 

The Head of Neighbourhood Services presented the item, it was noted that:

 

·         The ACC was currently used by several different community groups.

·         Previous investment to the ACC had come in to improve the facilities.

·         Most recently the building was run by a partnership arrangement.

·         The majority of the annual £170k running cost for the ACC was in running costs.

·         The consultation took place during a period where the ACC was operational and there were no Covid restrictions. The consultation was promoted across the city and online. Paper responses were available.

·         352 responses were received in total, 82% of respondents were users of the ACC.

·         Social and cultural functions were found to be the most popular usage of the ACC.

·         47% of respondents had expressed a preference for the ACC to be run in future by community organisations via the Community Asset Transfer policy.

·         The proposal was to trial the Community Asset Transfer with a 5-year lease, with a peppercorn rent.

·         Updated assessment criteria for the building were also proposed.

 

In response to Members’ questions, it was noted that:

 

·         There was a positive history of the Community Asset Transfer being used in Leicester.

·         As part of the Community Asset Transfer process, interested community organisations would need to submit a business case which would be assessed by the Council.  This would ensure a transparent process and provide assurances around the business plans submitted, as well as ensuring a consistent process for evaluating different organisations.

·         There would be an option for the Council to take the building back if the organisation running it ran into difficulties.

·         If the 5-year trial period was successful, there would be an option for the  lease to be continued.

·         Independent support would be provided to those writing the business plan in order to help to keep it realistic and avoid over-promising.

·         Community groups interested in the opportunity to run the ACC would have access to a full financial breakdown and details of the building and conditions survey.

·         Community benefit would be an important part of the assessment criteria that would be used to decide who would run the ACC.

 

Councillor Cole was invited to comment on the proposal. He said felt that it was important for the African Heritage Community to have a distinctive location as a focal point for the community, and that the proposal to have the ACC run by the community would better enable this. He also felt that the ACC being run by the community would allow the community to express itself more authentically.

 

AGREED:

 

1.    That the Commission recommends that Members’ comments raised be taken into account by Officers implementing this work.

2.    That the Commission recommends the proposal to allow community group to run the African Caribbean Centre via Community Asset Transfer. 

3.    That the Commission recommends that robust business and financial plans be in place for the Community Asset Transfer process.

Supporting documents: