Issue - meetings

The covering report and an extract from the strategy, detailing a number of recommendations, have been included in the main agenda.  The full report, including all of the appendices, has been published in a separate supplementary pack.

This report is due to be pre-scrutinised at a meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee scheduled to take place on Thursday 20^th October 2022.  Any recommendations arising from this meeting will be reported in a supplementary pack for the Executive Committee’s consideration.

The Head of Planning, Regeneration and Leisure Services presented the Leisure and Cultural Strategy for the Executive Committee’s consideration.

The Executive Committee was advised that external consultants had been commissioned to work on the Leisure Strategy.   The Leisure Strategy was designed to provide strategic direction for the Council’s approach to delivering and supporting leisure and cultural activities and services in the Borough up to 2032.  The strategy comprised a number of different parts, including the main Leisure and Cultural Strategy and two other strategies which underpinned this document, including the Arts and Culture Strategy and the Parks and Open Spaces Strategy.  Two further leisure strategies were due to be presented for the consideration of the Executive Committee in 2023 on the subjects of built facilities strategy and playing pitches strategy.

In developing the Leisure Strategy, Officers and the consultants had identified a number of actions that could be taken within budget to enhance leisure and cultural service provision in the Borough.  These actions were the subject of recommendations detailed in a table within the Leisure Strategy.  Any actions that would require additional financial expenditure would need to be outlined in business cases and presented for Members’ consideration.

The vision of the Leisure and Cultural Strategy was to ensure that communities were physically active and connected to leisure and cultural spaces in the Borough.  There was the potential for participation in Leisure and Cultural activities to have a positive impact on people’s health and wellbeing.

During consideration of this item, Members noted that at the meeting of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee held on 20^th October 2022, Members had pre-scrutinised this report.  At the end of the debate, Members had proposed the following recommendation on the Leisure Strategy:

“O&S to advise the executive on Social Prescribing as there is no mention in the strategy of the Council working with the NHS, CCG and Rubicon. Other Councils (e.g. Cannock Chase) have such arrangements where patients who have recently been discharged from hospital with e.g. Stroke/ Heart Conditions can greatly benefit from gentle exercise.  I think this strategy has missed an opportunity and I ask executive to consider including such a strategy. The benefits are many to individuals and the costs are low to the NHS.” 

The Executive Committee considered this recommendation and in doing so noted that there would be some benefit to making reference to social prescribing in the Leisure Strategy.  However, Members concurred that the recommendation from the Overview and Scrutiny Committee in its current wording would be difficult to implement.  With that in mind, the Executive Committee agreed that an amendment should instead be made to the end of paragraph 1.7 of the Leisure Strategy, as detailed below:

“The priority of Improved Health and Wellbeing is key to this Leisure and Culture Strategy. The addendum to the Council Plan 2019-2024 states that Redditch Borough Council will work with communities to help them identify and develop their strengths. We will look at ways to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 69