Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Councillors Bill Hartnett and Sharon Harvey.

In the absence of the Chair, the Vice Chair, Councillor Ian Woodall, chaired the meeting.

Councillor Jane Spilsbury declared an other disclosable interest in respect of Minute Item no. 25 – Shareholders Committee Annual Report 2025/26 - as her son worked for Rubicon Leisure Limited.  She remained present for the debate in respect of this item and voted thereon.

A draft copy of the Shareholders Committee’s Annual Report 2025/26 is attached for information.  The Chair’s Foreword will be published in a supplementary pack for the meeting.

The Principal Democratic Services Officer presented the Shareholders Committee’s draft Annual Report 2025/26 for Members’ consideration.

Members were advised that there was a requirement, detailed in the terms of reference for the Shareholders Committee in the Council’s constitution, for an Annual Report to be prepared each year which detailed the work of the Committee during the municipal year.  The draft report would be considered by the Shareholders Committee and subsequently by the Executive Committee, as the Shareholders Committee was a sub-committee of the Executive.  The final report was due to be presented at the first ordinary meeting of Council to be held in the 2026/27 municipal year.

There were certain reserved matters in the Articles for Rubicon Leisure Limited that could only be determined by the Shareholders Committee.  The Committee’s work in respect of these reserved matters had been detailed in the draft Annual Report and included approval of the company’s business plan for the following financial year.

There was a requirement in the Articles for at least four meetings of the Shareholders Committee to be held each year.  Members were advised that this requirement had been fulfilled in the 2025/26 municipal year.

Following the presentation of the report, Members commented that Rubicon Leisure Limited had had a successful year.  The suggestion was made that the achievements arising as a result of the Committee’s input during the year, including actions delivered under the previous business plan that had been approved by the Committee, should be highlighted in the report.  In addition, Members commented that these achievements could be further highlighted through the inclusion of images in the final version of the report.

Reference was made to the performance of Rubicon Leisure Limited.  Members commented that they were proud of the fact that the company was performing well in terms of income targets and was also making a positive contribution towards tackling health inequalities within the Borough.  However, it was also noted that the focus of the report was on the work of the Committee during the year, not the performance of the company or specific facilities managed by the company.

Consideration was given to the potential for the Council to assist Rubicon Leisure Limited with the promotion of the company’s achievements.  It was highlighted that the Council’s Communications team could assist with highlighting the company’s positive achievements.  However, Members were also asked to note that there were restrictions on Council publicity during the pre-election period.

Reference was made to the meetings of the Committee that had been held in 2025/26 and questions were raised about the extent to which other Members could attend and participate in the meetings.  Confirmation was provided that the Committee was a sub-committee of the Executive Committee, in line with national best practice, and therefore only Members of the Executive could be appointed to serve on the Committee.  However, in line with the terms of reference for the Committee, group leaders were invited to attend meetings, and they could participate in the debate.  Meetings of the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.