[Email transcript - Subject: Polling Stations]

Dear Mr Miller,

Whilst agreeing with Cllr Mackay’s comments as to the proposal for polling stations, I would like to point out that Overnewton Recreation Centre is only closing in the sense that Culture and Sport Glasgow are no longer going to operate it as from 31^st March. It will from that point revert to our direct control, under the DRS remit. It is therefore still totally available to the council to use, without having to close a school for the day. This would be the case even if the hoped-for community solution was not in place by the time of the election.

Everyone knows that the public find it extremely confusing when polling stations are altered. Since Kelvinhaugh school is itself to close soon, that would require a further alteration to the choice of polling station location next year. This is unacceptable and completely undermines all parties’  and government efforts to encourage a higher level of voter turnout.

I therefore  strongly propose that you reconsider the proposal to move the polling station, and discussions are held immediately with DRS to ensure its availability whenever polling day turns out to be. Since special staff have to attend polling stations, the absence of the former managerial staff from CSG is irrelevant. Retain Overnewtonas the polling station

Regards

Bailie Dr NIna Baker

Scottish Green Party

Councillor for Anderston / City Ward (Ward 10)

Surgeries: First Thursday of each month, Noon to 1pm, GOMA Public Library, and 5-6pm at the Mitchell public library. NO surgeries during school holidays and midterm holidays.

To apply for funding from the Anderston /CIty Area Committee, go to: http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/YourCouncil/Council_Committees/Committees/AreaCommittees/applicationformsandguidance.htm

_____________________________________________
From: Miller,[...] (CED)
Sent: 11 February 2010 11:40
To: Baker, Nina; Braat, Philip; Mackay, Craig; Matheson, Gordon(Cllr)
Subject: Polling Scheme

Councillors

I am currently working on a new Polling Scheme for the up coming UK Parliamentary Election

In your ward 1 of the Polling Places is about to close since they were last used for the European Election in June 2009

I enclose the previous portion of the Polling Scheme and also a proposal to replace this Polling Place with a new Polling Place

Could you please give me your comments on the proposals and if not in agreement with these an alternative venue

Existing Polling Scheme

.   CENTRAL CONSTITUENCY

Print Nos

        Polling Place   Electors        No      Serial nos     
KE61    Overnewton Recreation Centre *

 2 Overnewton Square

G3 8RW

        2,580   3        1 – 3

       

Proposed Polling Scheme

 CENTRAL CONSTITUENCY

Print Nos

        Polling Place   Electors        No      Serial nos     
KE61    Kelvinhaugh Primary 

Gilbert Street   

G3 8QJ

        2,415   3        1 – 3

       

[..] Miller, Election Co-ordinator,

Glasgow City Council

Corporate Services, City Chambers G2 1DU

Phone 0141 [...]  Fax 0141 [...]

Mobile 077 [...]

Glasgow - Proud Host City of the 2014 Commonwealth Games

GCC is committed to strengthening communities throughout Glasgow by hosting free training events, whilst at the same time sanctioning the closure of the facilities communities use. This blatant lack of joined up working probably wastes more money than closing ORC and other facilities would save!

From Cllr MacKay:

consultation - noun

1. the act of consulting; conference.
2. a meeting for deliberation, discussion, or decision.

The above are the top two definitions of "consultation" and clearly indicate some kind of meeting between parties and dialogue between them.  So what was the sum total of the consultation with C&SG and the groups over the proposal to close Overnewton Recreation Centre?  One single, solitary letter to each group involved!

Yorkhill & Kelvingrove Community Council have written to Cllr Purcell highlighting the fact that closing Overnewton Recreation Centre will not result in any savings for Glasgow City Council.

The full letter and and supporting information is available from here. The reports mentioned in their letter are available from here.

Received form Craig Mackay (SNP Councillor for Anderson/City Ward) at 16:20 hrs:

We’re all aware that budgets are tight and cuts are inevitable, but it is my strong view that community facilities are the wrong areas to target, as the benefit they provide to grassroots community organisations far outweighs the voids that will result from their closure.

Culture & Sport Glasgow have been unco-operative throughout this review of community facilities. I had initially written to Bridget McConnell in April last year, when I first heard rumours that some local halls may be under threat. I wrote to her another twice over the summer and autumn, and each time received vague replies which gave no details about which halls were being included in the review, or what the timescales were for implementing it.

Even more worryingly, there was absolutely no consultation with the regular users, the community council, or indeed local councillors, before the recommendation to close the Overnewton Recreation Centre was finally published in December.

However I met with Karen Cunningham, Culture & Sport’s Head of Community Facilities, before Christmas. She was quite clear that if it was the Council’s will to retain the Overnewton Centre, that this would be done. Effectively this would mean finding the financial resources to do so, and would need to be incorporated into the council’s Budget on 28^th January. Given the arithmetic of the council chamber, the Labour Administration would need to accept such a proposal, either as part of their own budget, or by accepting a costed amendment by another party. This is by no means impossible, and I don’t believe it would harm Labour in any way to do so – this should not be a party political issue.

As has been discussed several times now, there is little chance of any community group or trust being in place to take over the management of the hall before the end of March, and I am therefore keen that the hall be kept under CSG management for an additional 12 months to either give the community time to set up a trust, or for a further CSG review to decide to keep it under CSG control. If the centre was to close for even a short period, regular users would be forced to find alternative venues, and would not necessarily come back to the Overnewton Centre once it re-opened. It is clear that existing users are already having to find alternative venues, as they cannot risk not having anywhere to use in April should the Overnewton Centre close.

The building survey report details a number of issues which require attention. The “wish list” comes to over £78,000, but most of this could wait at least a year. The items which are statutory requirements for accessibility and fire safety total £10750, and these would need to be prioritised, if possible from the 2010/11 budget.

The major costs which would need to be looked at the following year, are a replacement boiler and rewiring of the building, totalling £35,000. The remaining £30,000 of work is not essential, although some of it will create efficiencies which will pay themselves back over a period.

As such, I believe we are looking for somewhere in the region of £25,000 to keep the hall open for another year, which would enable either a trust to take over the hall, or for CSG to agree to retain it in the long term.

This is not a huge amount of money, and a drop in the ocean out of CSG’s budget. I am convinced that if the will exists, the Overnewton Centre can be saved. I urge local residents and members of groups who use the hall to write or email those listed on the Help Us page of this site, and continue to put pressure on both the Board of Culture & Sport and the Labour Administration.