Agenda and minutes

There were no Declarations of Interests.

RESOLVED – That the minutes of the meeting held on 7 August 2017 be confirmed as an accurate record and signed by the Chairman.

Oral update

The Committee received an update in relation to the trust land adjacent to Dosthill Primary School known as The Broom. They were informed that the Dosthill and Two Gates Residents Association had requested permission to make improvements to the land by installing benches, planting trees, clearing shrub’s, putting up a notice board and making improvements to the footpath.

The Local member informed the Committee that this area of land had sparked considerable interest in the local area as there were rumours about its potential development and local residents were keen to see it retained as an open space.  In response, the Director for Strategy, Governance and Change indicated that it was understood that there were proposals for development on the Dosthill Primary School site but these were confined to the existing school site did not include land held in trust

The Committee were also requested to consider granting the School continued permission to use the trust land once it had converted to Academy status. They were informed that the school currently arranges for the grass on the trust land to be mown.  Were the committee not minded to permit the school/academy to continue to use the land for recreational purposes then they may cease to maintain the land, placing a financial burden on the Trustees.  The Committee considered the possibility of the Dosthill and Two Gates Residents Association or other local community groups being requested to maintain the land, however the local member informed the Committee that the Resident’s Association’s proposal was to tidy up the Broom and they were not interested in taking on the responsibility for the maintenance of the land.

The Committee were reassured that any change to the use of the land would require the approval of the Charities Commission.

RESOLVED – (a) That the request from the Dosthill and Two Gates Residents Association for permission to make improvements to the land by installing benches, planting trees, clearing shrub’s, putting up a notice board and making improvements to the footpath be agreed.

(b) That the Dosthill Primary School be allowed to continue to use the Broom once converted the School converts to Academy status and that the necessary arrangements be made to amend the objects of the charity accordingly.

Note by Clerk: County Councillor Michael Greatorex asked that his name be recorded as not supporting the above resolutions.

The Chairman to move:-

PART TWO

(reports in this section are exempt)

RESOLVED - That the public be excluded from the meeting for the following items of business which involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in the paragraphs of Part 1 of Schedule 12A (as amended) of the Local Government Act 1972 indicated below.

PART TWO

The Committee then considered the following matters:

(Exemption paragraph 3)

(Exemption paragraph 3)

(Exemption paragraph 3)

Oral update

(Exemption paragraph 3)

(Exemption Paragraph 3)

Oral update

(Exemption paragraph 3)

(Exemption paragraph 3)

Report of the Director for Strategy, Governance and Change

(Exemption paragraph 3)

(Exemption paragraph 3)