Issue - meetings

Having considered an open officer report, and presentations from the Cabinet

Member for Health, Well Being & Older People, Councillor Chris Best, and by

Councillor Jim Mallory, a local ward member, Mayor and Cabinet (Contracts)

agreed that:

(1) V22 Foundation be approved as the preferred partner for Manor House;

(2) authority be given to the Executive Director for Resources and

Regeneration to negotiate and agree the terms of a 25 year lease as outlined

for the Manor House Library building and grounds to enable the provision of a

community library in partnership with the council; and

(3) authority be given to the Executive Director for Community Services to

negotiate and agree the terms of an operating agreement for the provision of

community library services at the Manor House Library building.

The report was introduced by Councillor Chris Best who highlighted Appendix

1 of the report which confirmed V22 Foundation was based in the UK.

The Executive Director for Community Services representative reported an

addendum had been tabled with a third recommendation pertaining to an

operating agreement.

Councillor Bonavia asked if a failure by the V22 Foundation to obtain

charitable status should be a termination event and was informed by the

Executive Director for Community Services this was not crucial and had not

formed part of the specification. She believed that the existing status of the

V22 Foundation as a not for profit organisation gave grounds for a positive

recommendation.

A local ward member, Councillor Jim Mallory, advised the Mayor the Lee

Green Assembly had set up a Stakeholder Group representing several local

groups including the Friends of Manor House Library. He stated there was still

a concern that the breadth of offer for community use was not as flexible as

hoped for.

Having considered an open officer report, and presentations from the Cabinet

Member for Health, Well Being & Older People, Councillor Chris Best, and by

Councillor Jim Mallory, a local ward member, Mayor and Cabinet (Contracts),

for the reasons set out in the report:

RESOLVED that:

(1) V22 Foundation be approved as the preferred partner for Manor House;

(2) authority be given to the Executive Director for Resources and

Regeneration to negotiate and agree the terms of a 25 year lease as outlined

for the Manor House Library building and grounds to enable the provision of a

community library in partnership with the council; and

(3) authority be given to the Executive Director for Community Services to

negotiate and agree the terms of an operating agreement for the provision of

community library services at the Manor House Library building.