Agenda, decisions and minutes

1.1       RESOLVED:

That Councillor Rudi Schmidt be elected Chair of the Task and Finish Group (TFG).

1.1       RESOLVED:

That Councillor Rudi Schmidt be elected Chair of the Task and Finish Group (TFG).

2.1       RESOLVED:

Councillor Mark Ingleby declared a personal interest in item 3 as he was a member of the Musicians' Union.

2.1       RESOLVED:

Councillor Mark Ingleby declared a personal interest in item 3 as he was a member of the Musicians' Union.

3.5       RESOLVED:

1)    That the scope be agreed subject to the addition of a focus on:

·         Inclusivity including looking at building in equality and diversity considerations to the TFG’s review.

·         Considering spaces for mixed use in particular to include workspaces with study spaces as well as looking at the role of libraries in providing work spaces for young people.

2)    That Councillor Ingleby provide the TFG with information on the work he had carried out with colleagues in the previous municipal year including looking at the asset register.

3.1      Katie Wood, Scrutiny Manager introduced the report to the Committee and highlighted that the scope included two main workstreams – the affordable workspace stream and the live music strategy stream. Section 5 highlighted the first iteration of expected outcomes, but the scope did not have to be static and as the TFG investigated the issues during the discovery phase of the review, these could be amended. Following the discussion and presentation received on item 4 on Affordable Workspaces Strategy, the Committee had mentioned a number of additional areas of focus and were asked to think carefully about the time and capacity of Members and Officers and to prioritise work on areas where they felt they would most add value. The additional areas of focus mentioned were:

·         To include a focus on spaces for young people as part of the review including considering the role of libraries in providing spaces for young people to study.

·         To add information and discussion on inequalities and accessibility in the cultural sector and ensure equalities and inclusion was a strong focus of both the TFG and the Affordable Workspaces Strategy.

·         For Councillor Ingleby to provide details of work previously carried out by himself and colleagues to be included in the evidence considered as part of the discovery phase of the review.

3.3       The following additional key points were made during the discussion:

·         A member of the TFG mentioned reviewing the asset register as part of the review and possibly sending a questionnaire to all members of the Council asking them to let the TFG know if they knew any areas in their ward that might be suitable for workspaces. The TFG were informed that reviewing the asset register would be a very big piece of work and they should carefully consider whether it was the best use of time and be clear what outcomes they would hope to achieve.

·         Regarding the Live Music Strategy, it was suggested that the TFG could ask the Musicians Union if it could survey members in the borough.

·         A member of the TFG suggested that consideration of remote workers’ needs could form part of the review.

·         As part of the High Streets survey, the Council tracked empty commercial properties in high streets.

3.4       Councillor Schmidt highlighted the proposals for the Affordable Workspace Strategy working in partnership with the TFG listed in the presentation at item 4. Some of these were already included in the scope of the review. The proposals included:

·         Engagement session with PRD.

·         Engagement with community groups.

·         Attending the next Affordable Workspace Forum (Dec 2022)

·         Scrutinising and feeding into the Draft of the Affordable Workspace Strategy and Action Plan (due Dec 2022)

·         Involvement in the launch of the Strategy.

3.5       RESOLVED:

1)    That the scope be agreed subject to the addition of a focus on:

·         Inclusivity including looking at building in equality and diversity considerations to the TFG’s review.

·         Considering spaces for mixed use in particular to include workspaces with study spaces as well as looking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

4.2       RESOLVED:

That the information and findings from the presentation and discussion be used by the TFG as evidence for their review.

That larger version of the maps included in the presentation listing workspaces would be provided for the TFG including further details on the workspaces listed.

4.1       Joe Lee, Principal Business Development Officer, Economy and Partnership gave a presentation to the Committee - a copy of which is included in the agenda documentation. Patrick Dubeck, Director of Inclusive Regeneration was also in attendance. During the discussion the following key points were noted:

·         Larger versions of the maps included in the presentation listing workspaces could be provided for the TFG. Further details on the workspaces listed on the map could also be provided.

·         The definition of “affordable” had not been finalised in the Strategy and getting an agreed definition was a focus. Different providers suggesting different monetary amounts per square foot. The TFG were informed that previous definitions included a rate that was approximately 80% of market rate value. This would mean the exact amount would be different in each ward depending on location and a number of other factors that influenced market value.

·         There was a lack of workspace in the South of the borough.

·         A member of the TFG wanted to include consideration of workspaces for students and children as part of the TFGs remit and also wanted consideration of workspaces that included childcare options or spaces for children.

·         The TFG were informed that Mother House Studios in Catford were delivering an innovative model of creative and affordable workspaces combined with childcare.

·         Engagement with schools and young people could be part of the strategy and there was potential for it to be part of the social-value outcomes when using Council buildings. There could also be engagement with developers as part of the strategy to discuss focus on support for young people through the process. Officers could request that PRD look further into this to see what models had been successful in the past. This would also be added to the scope of the TFG.

·         Size, building condition, light, location and price were all key components.

·         The TFG would be able to meet PRD to engage with them and feed into the Strategy any results from community engagement that had taken place through the TFG. The TFG would also be able to attend the next Affordable Workspace Forum meeting.

·         A member of the TFG commented that it was important that within the strategy there was a focus on making sure that through the providers and through the planning process there was an emphasis on ensuring the workspaces were of high quality and maintenance was kept up.

·         A member of the Committee asked for details of the gap analysis in terms of what data was missing. The TFG heard that the mapping exercise was showing that other than in the creative sector, there was a lack of affordable workspaces in the borough for other sectors and a lack of longer-term leases for spaces.

·         The 2017 Creative Digital Strategy was carried out as part of the bid for the Creative Enterprise Zone (CEZ).

·         S106 funding can only be used where there was a specific policy calling for it a specific need was identified. The planning process was not  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.