Issue - meetings

Report of the Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth is attached.

Councillor Eamonn O’Brien, Leader and Cabinet Member for Strategic Growth, presented the report regarding the bid to GM’s UKSPF SME (Small and Medium Size Enterprises) Workspace Fund (E22) to turn Radcliffe Library into an enterprise centre. Members discussed the report, agreeing that this was good way to further develop Radcliffe and ensure the library building did not fall into disuse while meeting the wording and the spirit of the covenant securing public access to the site. Members noted that library provision would be temporarily relocated until the Hub was complete, and options for this were being explored.

Decision:

Cabinet:

1.    Approved £367,000 match funding from Council budgets plus an agreement to meet the £78,577 shortfall bringing the total Council contribution to £445,577 in order to secure £1,270,423 of UKSPF funding towards the development of Radcliffe Enterprise Centre;

2.    Noted the timescale constraints and the options being considered for the temporary relocation of the library and Radcliffe Integrated Neighbourhood Team; and

3.    Noted the legal position regarding the positive covenants affecting the use of the current library building and the mitigation measures proposed.

Reasons for the decision:

Given the reduced timescales it is now imperative that this project moves forward. GMCA require confirmation of match funding in order to issue the grant funding agreement. Whilst a number of key approvals for expenditure have been undertaken at risk whilst the GFA is prepared (the appointment of a Project Manager and additional consultancy resource), the agreement must be in place by September 2023 to enable the project to move into RIBA Stage 2 - Concept design.

Other options considered and rejected:

·         Return the allocation of £1.4m to the GMCA to be spent elsewhere in Greater Manchester - Not recommended. The Council would be left holding the library as an empty building once the Hub is activated and would remain liable for the costs of securing the building, such as installing steel sheets to the windows and doors. The Council would also have to maintain a security regime. The costs of this, based on similar buildings, is likely to be between £30k and £50k per-annum, with escalating costs for maintaining the structure as wind and waterproof.

·         Re-allocate funding to an alternative project/use - Not a viable option. The GM UKSPF E22 allocation is an SME Workspace Fund and its monies must be used for “Investing in enterprise infrastructure and employment / innovation site development projects which will support growth in places” Therefore it cannot be reallocated to an alternative project or utilised for an alternative use at Radcliffe library.