Issue - decisions

The Cabinet Member Sport and Culture introduced the report as circulated with the agenda.

The development of the Art Gallery and Museum (AG&M) had been a long standing issue for the Council since the initial outline proposals in 2005. 

There were no issues with the current scheme, however, recent changes with the Heritage Lottery had resulted in the need to ensure that that the fundraising campaign either secured or had underwritten £5,500,000.

The report sought approval by Council to underwrite any shortfall to the £5,500,000 funding required for the development scheme, up to a maximum of £922,000 and subject to a wholly successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid of £750,000.

The Cabinet Member Finance and Community Development confirmed that Cabinet fully supported the development scheme, which he felt was more practical than that proposed by the previous administration.  He did however reinforce the prudential borrowing risks detailed within the financial implications of the report.

Councillor Smith felt that the recommendations were sensible given that they underpinned the guarantees required by the HLF.

The following responses were given by the Cabinet Member Sport and Culture to questions from Members;

• He was not aware of specific details of meetings with individual groups, which had included disabled groups, but he could arrange for the minutes to be incorporated into the report and Members were assured that access and practical usage issues had been addressed.
• Risk 1.02 in Appendix 1 related the risk of the development scheme being aborted and was being managed through ongoing dialogue with the media and key stakeholders.  The Gloucestershire Echo had already written some very favourable articles. It was felt that the public and stakeholders may be sympathetic to the current economic climate and reduction in funds since the original development scheme was proposed. 

Upon a vote it was unanimously

RESOLVED that:

1.      Subject to a wholly successful Heritage Lottery Fund bid, underwriting of any shortfall to the £5,550,000 funding required for the Development Scheme up to a maximum of £922,000 be approved.

2.      The final project cost of £6.3m as outlined in the report be approved.

RESOLVED THAT:

1. Option 2 be pursued as the best option
   
   
2. The Cabinet supports the underwriting of any shortfall to the £5,550,000 funding required for the Development Scheme up to a maximum of £922,000 and Cabinet recommend to Council that this is agreed as part of the budget process for 2011/12.