Agenda item - Leisure and Cultural Strategy

(Leisure & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-040-2014/15).

(1) That the Leisure and Cultural Strategy be noted;

(2) That the Key Recommendations of the Strategy be agreed as detailed below, as the basis of the Council’s future role and priorities with respect to the provision of Leisure and Cultural opportunities:

2.1 That the key aim of the District Council with respect to the future provision of Leisure and Cultural activity, be to increase the number of people actively participating, by ensuring that provision was accessible and of the highest affordable quality;

2.2 That the ability of Leisure and Cultural activities to deliver across a number of broader themes, such as Health and Wellbeing, Social Inclusion, Regeneration, Skills and Employment, Community Safety and Economic Development, be acknowledged and as such, be considered important to delivering policy objectives in these areas;

2.3 That the Leisure and Cultural Strategy sets out a medium term vision of 10 years, with a formal review after 5 years, to coincide with the length of the District Council’s Corporate Plan;

2.4 That the Draft Vision Statement developed by the Community Visioning consultation exercise of the Local Plan, steers the longer term aspirations of the Leisure and Cultural Strategy;

2.5 That the Council’s Leisure and Cultural Strategy takes account of National and Regional Policy, which should be kept under review;

2.6 That future service provision delivered by the Council maintains alignment to the locally relevant priorities of National/Regional grant making bodies, to maximise external funding opportunities;

2.7 That, since the Council’s investment in purpose built leisure facilities represented the largest area of discretionary spend, future provision should be delivered by the most cost effective means possible and that maximum Value for Money be sought in terms of cost and quality;

2.8 That whilst this Leisure and Cultural Strategy focused on the role of the District Council, with respect to the services it delivered directly or played a significant role in enabling, the conclusions of the “Epping Forest Open Space, Sport and Recreation Assessment” should form part of the key deliverables with respect to the Local Plan;

2.9 (a) That the conclusions of the Assessment Report with respect to future provision be accepted with regard to the quantative adequacy of Swimming Pools, Health and Fitness Facilities, Squash Courts and Synthetic Pitches, based on current and future demand;

(b) That the need to provide additional sports hall provision be accepted and that the opportunity to meet the deficiency by working with Epping Forest College, be positively explored;

(c) That it was acknowledged that the current level of provision was adequate with respect to catchment standards, (although age and condition of the Council’s facilities would need to be addressed), but that future leisure facility provision was kept under review, as growth scenarios develop as part of the Local Plan; and

(d) That provision of dual purpose spaces and facilities, where practically possible and affordable, be included within any development of new Leisure Facilities in the District, in order to accommodate arts, cultural and community activity;

2.10 That the current relative performance of the Council’s Leisure Facilities with respect to cost, participation and subsidy, be noted and form a key consideration with respect to future provision;

2.11 That, subject to confirmation of the final results of the building condition surveys, Waltham Abbey Pool be deemed to have reached the end of its viable life, and be replaced by a new facility in Waltham Abbey, the part of the District with amongst the poorest health outcomes, with further work undertaken on the most suitable location, and how it might be funded;

2.12 That, in the medium term and depending on growth in the locality, the opportunity to re-provide a replacement facility for Epping Sports Centre should be investigated and that any new Leisure Management Contract had appropriate break clauses to enable relocation;

2.13 That, now confirmation of funding for the new Ongar Academy had been confirmed and on the basis that the site adjacent to the existing Leisure Centre remained the preferred location, negotiations be entered into with respect to a dual-use arrangement for the Leisure Centre, with the intention of increasing use and sharing cost;

2.14 That the Council’s Key Objectives with respect to Leisure Management be re-affirmed as the basis for any future management contract, with the preferred option being to outsource to either the private sector or external trust;

2.15 That the procurement approach to the new Leisure Management Contract be by Competitive Dialogue, seeking to deliver flexibility for any partner to develop income streams to reduce costs, whilst still meeting the Council’s Key Objectives with respect to participation and community access;

2.16 That based on the success of other authorities, any new management partners be encouraged to invest in new facilities, which may involve the Council in providing capital finance;

2.17 (a) That the future Community and Cultural Priorities for the Council be Community and Cultural Cohesion, Health Inequalities, Young People and Youth Unemployment, Anti-Social Behaviour, Ageing Population and Rural isolation; and

(b) That the potential for a further community hub development at Hillhouse, Waltham Abbey, be positively explored with the aim of co- locating community, health and wellbeing services to improve the quality of life of residents, in this area of health inequality;

2.18 That the priorities of the West Essex Health and Wellbeing Strategy be adopted by the Council and continue to play a key role in the local delivery of services, which had a positive impact on addressing health inequality, allowing people to live a longer more active life;

2.19 That the Council, whilst acknowledging the important role of the voluntary sector, undertook a review of its Grant Aid Policy and Discretionary Rate Relief Policy for Voluntary Organisations to ensure that resources were used in the most efficient way possible, and that policy priorities were met; and

2.20 That the Council continued to support the work of “One Epping Forest” generally, but specifically the work of the Tourism Taskforce in delivering their Action Plan, given the economic and social benefits that increased visitors to the District could bring; and

(3) That the Leisure and Cultural Strategy be recommended to the Council for adoption.

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Community Services presented a report on the Leisure & Culture Strategy.

The Portfolio Holder stated that the Council currently provided a range of Leisure and Cultural services, with the most significant being the provision of four Sports/Leisure Centres managed under contract for the Council. This contract was due to expire in 2016 and the Council needed to consider the services it wished to provide in the future as well as contractual options to procure. Therefore, one of the Council’s Key Objectives for 2014/15 was the development of a new Leisure and Culture Strategy to identify future need within the District.

The Portfolio Holder reminded the Cabinet that a Portfolio Holder Advisory Group had been established to develop the Strategy, with Members drawn from across the District. The Group met on a number of occasions and considered the Council’s Community & Cultural Services, the future provision and procurement options for the new Leisure Management Contract, and the key demographic and health issues across the District. Site visits were also undertaken to the Council’s facilities.

The Portfolio Holder reported that a draft Leisure and Cultural Strategy had been developed by the Portfolio Holder Advisory Group, and its formal adoption was being sought. The Strategy had made 20 key recommendations as the basis of the Council’s future role and priorities for the provision of Leisure and Cultural opportunities, a number of which would be central to the procurement of the Council’s new Leisure Management Contract in 2016. It was highlighted that the Strategy would need to be formally adopted by the Council if approved by the Cabinet.

In response to questions from the Members present, the Director of Neighbourhoods stated that the Council had a very good record of working with people with special needs and that this would continue. However, the Council would look to address the access issues at the current sites. There were no plans to reduce the number of parking spaces currently available at Ongar Sports Centre. The “Learn to Swim” programme was an integral part of the service provision provided by Sports & Leisure Management (SLM) Limited and it was an aspiration of Sport for England for all children to undertake swimming lessons. The Council needed to understand the specific reasons for residents not using the facilities currently provided by the Council.

A local Member for Loughton Fairmead expressed alarm at the current condition of Loughton Leisure Centre/Swimming Pool as it was only built in 2003, and the perceived weakness of the management team at the facility. It was also highlighted that there were no Diving Boards at the Loughton facility, no mention of Badminton in the ‘Future Need’ section of the Strategy, no mention of ‘Lifewalks’ and no mention of Countrycare Volunteering. The Portfolio Holder stated that the current condition of the building at Loughton had been noted, as had the weak management currently in place but this could be improved in the future. The Director of Neighbourhoods added that diving was only permitted in a separate pool under health & safety regulations, and these were very expensive to provide. The nearest facility to provide diving capability was based in Waltham Forest.

The Cabinet was advised to look for further savings from the Council’s Sports and Leisure Facilities, as they were used by a minority of the residents, although the recommendation to employ competitive dialogue as the method to procure the new Leisure Management Contract was welcomed following its success with the new Waste Management Contract. The attendance figures for the four Council-owned sites were listed in the draft Strategy, but the Director of Neighbourhoods informed the Cabinet that the Contract Monitoring Board had further figures which partitioned the attendance figures by activity, and this could be distributed to Members.

Decision: