Decision details

For the Director of Communities & Environment to determine a way forward for the future of the Bangladeshi Centre.

The Director of Communities and Environment submitted a report providing an outline of the events that had led to a dispute between the directors of the Bangladeshi Centre Charity. The report set out the steps that had been taken to date in order to seek to resolve the conflict, and looked to allow for a Council-facilitated approach towards the effective governance of the Charity.

The report proposed deadlines for progress to be made to secure the future of the centre or guide action to be taken for the Council to recover or take control of the centre. A request for Members to be briefed on the progress made against the milestones was noted.

RESOLVED –

(a)  That the work undertaken by officers since 30th May 2015 to seek to resolve the dispute between the two sets of directors responsible for the running of the centre be noted;

(b)  That the Director of Communities and Environment be requested to work with the directors of the Bangladeshi Centre and the Charity Commission in order to seek a joint solution to the effective governance of the Charity which satisfies the requirements of the Council by the deadlines as stated in paragraph 3.13 of the submitted report;

(c)  That in the absence of a joint solution which satisfies the requirements of the Council, or should the Charity become insolvent, the Director of Communities and Environment be requested to work with the Charity Commission in order to request the Charity Commission to create a scheme for the Centre with the Council as the sole trustee, or ultimately, to begin court proceedings to recover the asset and run the community centre in the interests of the Bangladeshi and wider community, and that such a decision be delegated by Executive Board to the Director of Communities and Environment, in consultation with the Executive Member for Communities, and in taking account of the running costs and liabilities that would arise to the Council in taking such action.

Various meetings and discussions with appropriate stakeholders.

Appropriate elected members and the Bangladeshi centre engagement group.