Glossop Town Hall

Yesterday evening saw the first step of the council's budget approval process with a meeting of the corporate select committee.

Amongst the items on the agenda for last nights meeting was a report on the council's third quarter performance and financial review, which considered along with a range of other issues a report on the council's capital program.

Within the details on the capital program it identified that there were no new approved schemes to report this Quarter, with the details that a revised scheme for Glossop Town Hall will be presented in a detailed report for scrutiny at a future Corporate Select Committee meeting.

Now you may recall along with other's, I'd flagged up concerns over what was happening with regards to the proposals for Glossop Town Hall at the recent Regeneration Select Committee, where the current administration wanted the ok for the proposals to be approved without Glossopdale Councillor's having seen them before approval.

So going back to last night's meeting, I asked a question over the proposals for the Town Hall particularly in light of a report considered by the Derbyshire County Council cabinet member for finance on the 25th February which talks about relocating Glossop's Library from it's current home to Glossop Town Hall, and was advised that discussions were at an early point and would be reported once further details / firms plans were available.

Image by Sir Garlichad via Flickr

So imagine my surprise when today a press release was circulated by the council entitled "Plans take place for Town Hall facelift", including quotes from the leader of the council and detailing proposals around the library and for works on the town hall itself along with a rehash of the Howard Town Mill plans.

So in less than 24 hours, we've gone from details and plans being at an early stage to a press release detailing the proposals - anyone would think there's an election coming up and a sudden need for the current Tory administration in charge of the council to rectify there mismanagement of public halls in Glossopdale, and come up with the alternative future for the Town Hall that was expected when our own version of a Condem alliance ran the council and started on the process of closing it.

Corporate Select Committee

The Corporate Select Committee met last Tuesday evening, and as usual had a
good range of topics up for discussion.

The reports under discussion included the corporate plan, 3 year financial
plan, along with reports on Glossop Town Hall, revisions to the council
media policy and protocol's along with confidential reports on a call in of
a decision of the executive along with a report / presentation on the
Pavilion

Gardens.

During consideration of the media policy and protocol's I asked that given
the supposed importance of local / non executive 'frontline' councillor's
would it be possible when press release are issued by the council relating
to a particular ward could efforts be made to include a comment from the
ward councillor of the ward concerned. A proposal which although noted I
expect will fall on deaf ears when the issue is considered by the executive.

A further issue that I didn't recall at the meeting, but would address some
of the concerns raised around the Glossop Town Hall proposals noted below is
why can't the council circulate to all councillors press releases from the
council at the time of release, rather than as part of the weekly news
bulletin after the event thus enabling any comments from ward councillors to
be made when the story is considered rather than after event as it currently
often is. This idea would cause much extra work or cost as all local
councillors are on the council's email system.

The Glossop Town Hall report expanded a little on the details within the
press and was generally welcomed by all members present with concerns mainly
been around suitability of the venue for its future use mainly with regards
to the acoustics of the venue along with concerns the lack of notification
to local councillors about the plans by the council with the first 'news'
about the proposals been from the stories in the local press rather than via
any notification from the council.

Corporate Select

Tuesday saw the last meeting of this cycle for the corporate select committee. A range of items on the agenda including the council's website / IT, gender equality, disposal of surplus land and the council's assest management plan.

With regards to the surplus land item, there are only a few 'smaller' sites under consideration for Glossopdale, with things like Howard Town House and the industrial units at Dinting Lane under consideration.

One issue that will need to be looked at soon(going off rumours from the social inclusion committee) is some of the ideas from the ALMO on land 'useage', but more to come on that later, once I have further information.

Corporate Select

Tuesday saw a meeting of the Corporate Select Committee, with reports on performance monitoring, procurement overview, disability equality, an update on the Capital Programme, and discussion’s around scrutiny of the foodhall feasibility study, and the local government white paper.