Issue - meetings

Aspire (CRP) Ltd Request for Funding

Meeting: 04/12/2018 - Council (Item 21)

Aspire (CRP) Ltd Request for Funding

To consider the report on the Aspire (CRP) Ltd request for funding.

Minutes:

Members received a presentation given by the Director of Finance and Corporate Services, and considered the report of the Portfolio Holder for Finance & Administration on a request for funding in relation to Aspire (CRP) Ltd.  The funding request was to enable the fitting out of a building at Chesterford Research Park. Councillor Howell explained the reasons for the exemption of the report from publication, in that commercial confidentiality had to be respected.  He proposed the recommendation, which Councillor Rolfe seconded.

 

Members debated the matter in detail. 

 

Councillor Fairhurst proposed deferral of the consideration of the item to give time to bring more information before the Council.   

 

Councillor Rolfe said the report had been available for some days, and there were commercially good reasons to proceed.

 

The motion to defer being put to the vote, it was not carried.

 

The recommendation in the report was put to the vote, and carried by 21 votes to 4. 

 

 

                        RESOLVED to agree the request for funding of Aspire (CRP) Ltd

 

 

The meeting ended at 11pm.

 

Summaries of public speaking statements

 

Daniel Brett

 

Daniel Brett raised the following points:

 

In light of Essex County Council’s consultation on library services I am concerned that ECC claims diminishing use of libraries due to more use of e-books.  There is a budget of £4m for such services, but since 2011 the service has been run down in the same way as Youth Services has been. Even if the services in Stansted were re-categorised as Tier 3, we would have no real library service.  The consultation exercise is deeply flawed; Stansted is given a score which is the lowest level of deprivation:  1 in 4 children in Stansted South lives in poverty.  More funding is given to Saffron Walden, exacerbating inequality at the expense of poor areas. 

 

 

Maureen Caton

 

I speak as the Chairman of Stansted Mountfitchet Parish Council.  In 2011, discussion was started regarding a new community building which UDC agreed to fund.  Residents have invested £1.2m in the Essex Hub.  We consider the Tier 4 proposal for our library a complete betrayal.  We have been chased for our input, there have been no communications, but have been told only via a resident.  The assessment process is flawed, the deprivation levels in Stansted South are being ignored.  The nearest library will be in Saffon Walden, which discriminates against those with no transport.  Stansted Mountfitchet is the third largest settlement in the District.  It is also forecast that primary schools will increase their number of pupils in the next 5 years, but this fact has been ignored.  I would urge Members to support retaining this library and to continue working to develop it into the tourist information centre as agreed.