Issue - meetings

To consider any requests received in accordance with Committee Standing Orders.

The Cabinet had received both a Petition and Deputation from the Friends of Wolves Lane Centre in relation to agenda item 9, the future delivery of Wolves Lanes Horticultural Centre.

The Petition was supporting the continuation of current activities at the Wolves Lane Centre and opposing any closure or movement of the functions of the Centre.

As indicated in committee standing order 31.1, the Petition was handed to the Leader and a response to the Petition would be reported to the next ordinary meeting of the Cabinet on the 14^th of June 2016.

Mr Chinn, spokesperson for the Friends of Wolves Lane Group, was invited by the Leader to put forward his deputation to the Cabinet. Mr Chinn began by welcoming the commitment of the Council to extend funding for the Horticultural Centre until the end of March 2017. This would allow the Friends of Wolves Lane Group to work with the existing Members of staff of the Horticultural Centre on developing a social enterprise for supporting the Centre continue in operation. Key to their structure would be working with the Council in an efficient working partnership and establishing a co- operative arrangement with other like minded organisations to help utilise parts of the Centre as the Council relinquish them. It was essential to have transitional arrangements in place to support vulnerable members of the community with learning difficulties and mental health issues that worked and used the services of the Centre.

Mr Chinn referred to the consultation which had been considered as part of the decision making on Adult’s service provision in November 2015.This indicated the Centre as a valuable resource and one of the few places in the borough that offered day opportunities for teenagers and adults with learning difficulties and autism.

Mr Chinn referred to the proposal to proceed with an expression of interest process for the future management of the site. The group felt that that the criteria must include continuing and developing services at the Horticultural Centre. The deputation explained that, currently, the adult learning and teaching facility at the Centre helped 60 adults/teenagers with learning difficulties, with the support of 9 volunteers, and was able to support the visit of 3000 primary school children. Mr Chinn spoke of the two local teenager groups, funded by the Council, using the Centre which could be expanded and continued.

Mr Chinn continued to highlight the unique characteristics of the Centre, its value to the local community and some alternative ideas that can be taken forward to utilise the available facilities at the Centre and attract further visitors. This could be supported by the Friends group.

In response to the Cabinet Member for Environment’s question, the group would consider working with other like minded organisations that had a horticultural background in taking the Centre’s services forward.

The Leader was familiar with the work of the Wolves Lane Horticultural Centre and had recently visited the Centre with Mr Chinn. The Leader asked Mr Chinn to set out the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7