Friday's Executive Committee saw a debate on the Labour proposal to float off Culture and Leisure Services into a separate charity. While ownership of the buildings (like Kelvingrove) would remain with the Council, management would be by a separate legal body. Despite this being such an important issue, the whole report about it consisted of only two and a half pages. And the report contained only positive features, no potential drawbacks at all were reported. The main attraction of having a charitable body is that some £36 million of rates would not have to be paid (over 5 years). The 2 opposition members on the committee voted for continuation for a fuller report but were defeated by 13 votes to 2. 

The SNP's member, John Mason, made 2 main points:

• He said the report was not full enough and should have included weaknesses and threats as well as strengths and opportunities. "It always makes me wary when a report only gives the good news. You have to assume the bad news is being suppressed. Maybe there are good answers to the potential problems but all of that should have been in the report. That is why we asked for a fuller report before giving approval in principle and before moving on to a more detailed business plan.
  
• "Secondly there is the clear risk that the £36m rates saving might not be achieved. Is it definite that this new body, which is apparently not independent at all, will be granted charitable status? And will the Scottish Executive seek to claw back any of the £36 million they will be losing in income?"

He continued, "I would find it hard to turn down £36 million if there were no strings attached. Another of these "strings" would be the democratic deficit, with the charity potentially drifting off on its own merry way. But the report presented to us was inadequate in failing to even mention these issues."