Issue - meetings

The Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources presented the Leisure Services Business Plan for Members’ consideration. 

The Committee was advised that the business plan provided further detail about the arrangements for the Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) that would be established to provide a number of leisure services on behalf of the Council.  The same services had been included in the business plan, as they had in March, with the exception of the allotments service, and the Council wanted the company to operate on a not-for-profit basis.  A number of new activities, to be provided at locations such as Forge Mill Needle Museum, had been identified and included within the Business Plan which were designed to attract more customers and to enhance services.  The company would be expected to maintain an effective working relationship with the Council and a suite of strategic measures had been developed to enable the authority to monitor performance.

The Council had already placed an advert in the national press inviting people to apply to become the Managing Director of the company.  Formal consultation with existing staff affected by TUPE arrangements was due to begin on 24^th October 2018, though the Council would aim to start informal engagement in respect of this matter at an earlier stage.  Relevant staff would subsequently be transferred to the company in December.

Members were advised that the Council was considering naming the company Forge Leisure.  There were some legal implications in relation to naming the organisation and therefore Officers were keen to alter one of the proposals in the report to provide the Head of Leisure and Cultural Services, Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources and the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism with the power to name the company after investigating these issues further.

After the report had been presented Members raised the following matters:

·                The hard work that had been undertaken in relation to the LATC over the last 18 months.  Councillor Mike Rouse thanked his predecessors as Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism, Councillors Roger Bennett and Pat Witherspoon, for their work.

·                The key assumptions and the changes that had been made to these.  Officers advised that these were largely the same as they had been in March 2018.

·                The identity of the project sponsors.  Members were advised that this was the Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources.

·                The potential for redundancies to occur following the introduction of the LATC and how the redundancy payments would be funded.  Officer explained that any redundancy payments would be provided from balances.

·                The potential for the LATC to charge people to attend events and the implications for Morton Stanley Festival.  The Committee was informed that there were no plans to charge for attending the festival. 

·                The need for the LATC to report any changes in respect of charging for to the Shareholders Committee for approval.

·                The potential for ticket sales to generate more income that could be reinvested in services.

·                The foreword to the business plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39