Agenda item

The Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources presented the Strategic Intervention Update that was undertaken with regard to the purpose of “Provide Good Things to See, Do and Visit”.  (a copy of the presentation slides are attached at Appendix 2).

The Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources highlighted that since Members had only received the report and Strategic Intervention Framework 24 hours prior to the meeting, she would go through the proposed next steps in more detail and that the presentation would cover everything contained within the report.

She highlighted to the Committee that leisure services was a small element of ‘Things To Do’.  During the last 18 months officers had been identifying and delivering ways to reduce the costs of leisure provision to ensure that should an alternative delivery model be approved then the service was at its most efficient.

The Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources drew Members’ attention to page 15 in the report, which looked at the overall system purpose, to help understand and look at the purpose of those leisure facilities, what people’s needs were and if they were being met.

Partnership working was also seen as an important link, with regard to health preventative measures, working with relevant partners to provide and improve activities that encouraged people to be active.

Members were further informed that officers had identified 3 options for the delivery of leisure and cultural services across the Borough:

·         Continued in-house management

·         External Delivery via an external leisure management

·         Creation of a new leisure trust

There was a need for local authorities to be more commercial whilst still maintaining a social conscience.  There was an opportunity for the Council to establish its own company to undertake the operation of the facilities and services. This would be either a Teckal company or other social enterprise model (trust).  These both offered the opportunity for the Council to retain greater influence and control.  Both models would benefit from VAT and Business rate savings.

Having considered a recent creation of a Teckal arrangement for Newark and Sherwood, officers had identified that the cost of setting up such a model would be approximately £30,000 to £50,000.

The Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources clarified to the Committee, the membership requirements for a Teckal company and that relevant elected Members would sit on that Board. 

The Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources stated that as the Section 151 (s151) officer, she would advise the Committee that additional work needed to be carried out.  In her opinion there was not sufficient information currently, an additional survey should be conducted, to include consulting on a wider scale with residents who did not use / access services. 

At this stage in the meeting and with the agreement of the Chair, the Democratic Services Officer reminded Members of the findings and recommendations from the Leisure Services Options Short, Sharp Review Final Report, which had looked at the potential of a leisure trust; and that the recommendations included in the final report had been deferred pending further completion work by officers. 

Following on from the information, as detailed in the preamble above, Members were in agreement that a separate meeting should be organised with the Head of Leisure & Cultural Services, the Portfolio Holder and Task Group Members, to revisit (in detail) the original Leisure Services Provision Short Sharp Review Task Group report with regard to a leisure trust.

Further discussion followed on what to include in the additional survey that should be carried out and how to engage and encourage elderly residents and ethnic minority groups to participate in the survey.  Members made a number of suggestions which included:-

·         Look at how the Sandycroft Centre engages with elderly residents and ethnic minority groups who participated in their activities.

·         Liaise with key members from the local mosque.

·         Would residents use / like tennis court facilities in the Borough.

RESOLVED that

a)    the Strategic Intervention Update report and recommendations as detailed in the report, be noted;

b)   the findings from the robust consultation survey with residents, to include those residents who do not currently participate in leisure activities; to be reported back to the Overview and Scrutiny Committee; 

c)    the  Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources provide information on how the savings, as highlighted in the presentation, have impacted on the costs;

d)   officers look at how the Sandycroft Centre engages with elderly residents and minority ethnic groups who participated in their activities; and

e)    a separate meeting be arranged, as detailed in the preamble above.