Agenda item

-        Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services to report.

Councillor Smith, Cabinet Member for Regeneration and Environment, introduced a report by the Strategic Director of Environment and Development Services, which set out details of the proposed transfer of the Rotherham Adventure Playground asset to YMCA White Rose in order to secure the long term sustainability of the facility and remove future budget pressures.

If a transfer of the capital asset was made to the voluntary sector this would create the opportunity for the adventure playground to become sustainable and prevent future Council budgetary pressures. There was a requirement to publicise any proposed disposal and consider objections if they arose. The board of YMCA White Rose (formerly Chantry YMCA) was keen to take on the facility if the asset could be transferred to them. It would be necessary to have covenants in place that ensured that the facility continued to be used for the purposes that it had been created and that if the YMCA defaults on this clause, then the facility would be returned to the Council at zero cost (other than associated legal costs).

The YMCA had advised that they would work to raise sufficient grant against the capital asset to run the facility sustainably. The YMCA had indicated that it was not willing to take on the facility on a lease arrangement even if it were to be on a long term lease of ninety-nine years. The facility would have a synergy with the Myplace facility on St Ann’s roundabout which was currently under development and which was also run by the YMCA.

A funding application for the facility was currently being considered by the Big Lottery Fund’s Reaching Communities Programme.  This would be determined at their June Board meeting, but the Stage II application was not guaranteed to be successful. If it was successful, it provided funding for two years. The success of this bid could not be counted on and movement towards a transfer was needed as soon as possible as time was required for the legal and other associated work to be completed.

Reasonable in house costs for legal and valuation work would be met by the YMCA.

Until the asset was transferred to the YMCA there was uncertainty about the future of the adventure playground and it remained a potential budget pressure for the Council. The responsibility to deliver the facility transferred with the asset to the YMCA which undertook to deliver it beyond the transfer date. In the event that the YMCA defaulted on this commitment then the facility would revert into Council ownership at zero cost to the authority.

Resolved:-  (1)  That the Rotherham Adventure Playground be legally transferred to the YMCA White Rose and that appropriate covenants be put in place to ensure the continued delivery of play at the facility or the return of the asset at no cost to the Council.

(2)  That an exemption be made to the general decision to defer all transfers because of the risk that the Council would lose the opportunity and indeed the facility if it were not to take place.