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Minutes from virtual meeting of Stonnall Youth & Community Centre Working Party held on Wednesday January 6^th 2021

1 Register of members in attendance:

Cllrs David Thompson, Sheila Beilby, Gail Nicholls, Mick Cox, Neil Perry & Stuart Jones. Clerk- Shirley O’Mara.

2 Apologies received:

None

3 Cllr Thompson asked for the minutes of the last meeting of Full Council to be read out to refresh the minds of everyone.

An overview was then given of the meeting with Mr Ian Turner of Staffs CC held on Dec 21st. Cllr Thompson reiterated that there was no time pressure to come to a decision as far as County are concerned and that it would be useful to engage with County Cllr David Smith as the initial approach to County was instigated by him.

Mr Turner had also discussed governance arrangements as Custodial Trustees saying that legal advice can be taken to alter the relationship should that be required.

4 SYCC Survey.

The building condition survey which has been completed was discussed. As the SCC have clarified timescales and as the development of any option will take 2/3 years out of the surveys 75k of recommendations it is necessary to identify the work which needs to be completed urgently and the work that needs to be completed in the fullness of time.

Cllr Thompson proposed that we request a detailed breakdown to highlight what is absolutely necessary in order to ensure safety. The Working Party agreed to progress this with a modest additional survey cost expected.

5 Communication.

Cllr Thompson reminded the Working Party of the next steps agreed at Full Council in terms of communicating with Stonnall residents. There was some discussion re the workings & findings of the working group and the same of Full Council. The recorded minutes from Full Council state all options should be explored.

Cllr Thompson indicated we should also, because of the previous work of the Working Group, look at the preferred option of the development of Stonnall Village Hall.

The options put forward were :

1) Keep the SYCC repaired and maintained until the expiry of its lease in 2030/31.

2) Demolish the existing building & build a new one.

3) Extend Stonnall Village Hall to cover the needs of the SYCC.

Cllr Jones said he agreed with the options but that it was important residents understood what has been looked at so far & how decisions have been made, effectively the advantages and disadvantage of all options, to avoid going back over old ground.

Cllr Beilby clarified that it was the Working Party that concluded option 3 was the preferred option not Full Council, and that that was before the costings had been provided. Cllr Cox agreed that there has been no vote or decision on option 3 since the costings, stressing that they are actually higher than the proposed costs from the survey. He requested this is made clear.

To obtain a further comparison to compare against the Village Hall alteration options the meeting agreed that Mr Punch be invited to secure SYCC replacement options via his own building surveying and construction industry contacts. Cllr Thompson pointed out these were all informal estimates but would add to the working groups knowledge of likely costs.

Cllr Nicholls explained at length why re-builds on the current site would be a problem, largely due to access and Cllr Jones reminded the group that this option has been looked at and the group had agreed this was not a viable option.

It would be unfair to ignore all the evidence and work to date and this info needs to be put in the public domain. Cllr Nicholls agreed entirely and expressed disappointment that the situation appears to be going backwards & that backing to do what needs to be done is not forthcoming.

Cllr Nicholls requested that in the communication, residents are told just how little the SYCC is used. Cllr Beilby felt that bookings at the SYCC would increase with an improved building. Comments were also made re the existing committee.

It was agreed that the utilisation of all Parish buildings should be looked at in the same way.

6 Summary.

Cllr Thompson summed up by saying that it was useful for everyone to express their views and he will now draft the communication for the public- to go to Council for approval. This will include inviting members of the village to join the Working Group.

Cllr Jones said that the focus of the communication should be to share all the evidence and agreed with Cllr Beilby who said it is important to go with what residents actually want. All were in agreement.