Decision details

The Cabinet Member with the Leisure and Local Environment Portfolio introduced the report of the Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services (previously circulated) requesting that consideration be given to making arrangements for the appointment of additional trustees of the Crown Street building, independent of the Council.

The submitted report stated that the Council was currently the sole trustee of the Crown Street Library building; as the Council operated a Leader and Executive (Cabinet) model of decision making, the role of the sole trustee sat with Cabinet; as both the separate legal responsibility for the service and building sat with the same decision maker there was a conflict of interest; one way of dealing with this conflict would be to appoint additional independent trustees; and outlined the suggested approach to the appointment of the trustees.

Particular reference was made to the plans to develop a Library Service Consultative Group, to be made up of service users and others who were interested in the Library Service, to enable them to meet key staff and the Portfolio holder, to discuss matters relating to the Library Service and provide a forum for concerns and issues to be raised.

A Member of the public in attendance at the meeting addressed Cabinet in respect of the proposal, and in doing so welcomed the opportunity to make the Library sustainable and highlighted the importance of good communication.  A visual artist in attendance at the meeting also addressed Cabinet in respect of the work that he was doing at Crown Street Library, as part of a special community art project to trace lines through the borough’s history, aimed at encouraging creative conversations around Darlington, with the help of free printmaking activities, and in doing so, stated that to date he had engaged with 987 people.

RESOLVED - (a)  That the appointment of up to three independent trustees, of the Crown Street Library building, be agreed.

(b)  That responsibility for the recruitment process of independent trustees, be delegated to:

                          (i)    the Assistant Director Law and Governance, to arrange the advertising, interview arrangements and deal with the legal formalities of appointment; and

                         (ii)    a Cabinet Sub Committee comprised of the three Portfolio holders of Leisure and Local Environment, Children and Young People and Housing Health and Partnerships (or substitute Cabinet Members) to interview and determine who to appoint.

(c)  That the appointment of the independent trustees be confirmed at the next Cabinet meeting following conclusion of the recruitment process.

(d)  That the intention to set up a Library Service Consultative Group, as detailed in the submitted report, be noted.

REASONS - (a)  To give more formal recognition to the role of the wider community, by moving from the Council as the Sole Trustee of the Crown Street building to appoint in addition a number of independent trustees.

(b)  To avoid potential future conflicts of interest between the Council’s service provider role and the building trustee role, by having independent Trustees who will be able to discharge the trustee role.

(c)  To widen participation about issues concerning library provision in Darlington (re the establishment of a Library Service Consultative group).