The plan to set up a charity to take over city council-owned libraries, sports facilities and arts centres in Dundee is about to take a step forward.
A constitution for the new body, to be known as Leisure & Culture Dundee, has been drawn up and it will be presented to councillors for their approval on Monday.
If that is given, the Office for the Scottish Charity Regulator (OSCR) will be asked to okay the proposals too.
That will pave the way for the organisation to take charge of iconic buildings such as the Caird Hall and The McManus galleries which cater to tens of thousands of users every year and have multi-million-pound budgets.
The charity will also swallow up Dundee Leisure, which runs the Olympia and Lochee swimming centres and several sports centres.
It will operate as a Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO), a new legal form that has just become available.
This set-up creates a legal entity that is able to enter into contracts, employ staff and own property, while providing charity trustees with protection against personal liability.
The constitution of Leisure & Culture Dundee states that it will be overseen by a board of 13 trustees.
This will include four councillors, with the convener of the council’s policy and resources committee acting as chairman, along with the council’s finance director and the charity’s managing director.
There will also be seven independent trustees, who cannot be elected members, council officers or Leisure & Culture Dundee employees.
Although the independents will have a majority on the board, the city council will retain ultimate control of the charity, having the power to order the trustees to act.
Jane Ryder, OSCR chief executive, said she expected the SCIO form to be an “attractive option” for new groups applying for charitable status and for existing charities wishing to convert.