Issue - meetings

The report provides service update information to the Lower Gardens Trust Board to demonstrate the Council commitment to maintain the public gardens known as "The Lower Central Gardens" in Bournemouth for the recreation and enjoyment of the public in accordance with the terms of the Charity Scheme made by the Charity Commission on the 13 May 2011.

Items include:
- Council Directorates updates
- Proposed Scheme of Officer Delegations
- Events programme
- Concessions trading
- Operational service updates:

o   Grounds maintenance

o   Cleansing

o   Public conveniences

o   Community safety

Kate Langdown - Director for Environmental Services, presented a report, a copy of which had been circulated to each Member and a copy of which appears as Appendix 'A' to these Minutes in the Minute Book.

The report provided service update information to the Lower Gardens Trust Board to demonstrate the Council's commitment to maintain the public gardens known as "The Lower Central Gardens" in Bournemouth for the recreation and enjoyment of the public in accordance with the terms of the Charity Scheme made by the Charity Commission on the 13 May 2011.

Topics highlighted included:
- Council Directorates updates
- Proposed Scheme of Officer Delegations
- Events programme
- Concessions trading
- Operational service updates:

o   Grounds maintenance

o   Cleansing

o   Public conveniences

o   Community safety

The Board was reminded of the training with legal services that took place in July, which explained the role of the Trust Board. The Board confirmed that they had signed the conflict-of-interest and Charity Scheme documents prior to the meeting.

The Board was asked to note the challenging financial situation the council was facing. It was confirmed that the Trust would receive updates on the matter at future meetings.

Officers advised that included within the report were the details of internal restructuring, which took place in April 2023, including the new service leads covering the Lower Central Garden, and their roles within that new structure.

The Board queried who had the overall responsibility for the management of the activities set out within the report officers advised that matters that that impacted the park were managed by the Council’s Environment team, while commercial operations were managed by the Operations team and were not the exclusive responsibility of one person. Officers confirmed that anything outside of operational would then be brought to the Board.

The Board queried why the report did not include the financial details as well as commercial operation details.

The officers confirmed that the commercial operation of the Lower Central Gardens sat with the Commercial Operations team and did, and the report did not include finance as it sat under a separate service area.

The Board asked why the Pavilion was not mentioned in the report and queried who would be responsible for the Pavilion within the new structure. The Board suggested that if the Pavilion was under lease, then it would fall under the responsibility of the Trust. If the Trust was not responsible for the pavilion's maintenance, the Board asked why the charges for the site were reflected in the Trust's account. The Board went on to suggest that the internal aspects of the building would be managed by the leaseholder, but the maintenance of the building was the responsibility of the Council and was therefore reflected in the Trust’s accounts. Officers advised that they would seek more information as to who managed the Pavilion, what licensing contract it was under and whether the trust should be considering the Pavilion as part of their responsibilities and would feedback accordingly. The  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28