Agenda item

(Leisure & Wellbeing Portfolio Holder) To consider the attached report (C-012-2010/11).

(1)        That the progress being made in relation to the construction of the Lea Valley White Water Canoe Centre and the potential Legacy Benefits arising from the 2012 Olympic Games be noted;

(2)        That, subject to the formal agreement of the post’s work programme, a contribution of £10,000 per annum from existing budgets within the District Development Fund over the next two years to fund the appointment of a shared Olympics Officer be agreed in principle; and

(3)        That, in return for the Council’s contribution to the funding of this post, the shared Olympics Officer be expected to report to Council meetings on a regular basis.

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure & Wellbeing presented a report concerning a shared Olympics Officer Post, for which the Council had been invited to contribute.

The Portfolio Holder reported that the Olympic White Water Canoe Centre, currently under construction on the border between Waltham Abbey and Waltham Cross, had the potential to provide significant legacy benefits for the local area. The Council was an active partner in the multi-agency Olympic Legacy Partnership Board, chaired by the Leader of Broxbourne Council, and a contribution was being sought from Epping Forest District Council for a shared Olympics Officer post, in partnership with Broxbourne Borough Council and Hertfordshire County Council. The role of the Officer would primarily be to deliver projects and promote actions to ensure that the optimum positive outcomes were achieved by the Canoe Centre in terms of economic development and regeneration, environmental improvement and tourism. A draft job description for the post had been included within the report, however the Portfolio Holder expected the final version to be more robust and to include liaison with the Council’s Member Olympic Champion.

The Deputy Chief Executive informed the Cabinet that the proposed post would report directly to Broxbourne Borough Council and would have a seat on the Legacy Partnership Board. One of the most important proposed roles would be to attract funding to improve the areas adjacent to the Centre, which would hopefully provide further funding for the regeneration of Waltham Abbey. The Olympic Centre was expected to attract at least 70,000 visitors per annum after the Games, which should also provide a boost to the local economy of nearby Waltham Abbey. It was acknowledged that the attached Job Description and Work Programme was only in draft form and could be amended, whilst it was suggested that the post could be agreed in principle subject to a stronger Job Description being developed. The post had yet to be properly evaluated, but the salary was not expected to exceed £50,000 per annum. It was anticipated that the post would report through both the Council Bulletin and the Member Olympic Champion.

The Cabinet felt that the Job Description and indicative salary suggested that an experienced Project Manager was being sought for this position. The Cabinet was minded to agree to part-fund the post in principle, provided that a more robust work programme was agreed for the post and that the Olympics Officer would be expected to report to Council meetings periodically in return for the Council’s contribution to the costs. The Portfolio Holder for Finance & Economic Development felt that the post  should be funded from existing budgets within either the District Development Fund or the Local Authority Business Growth Incentive scheme, rather than through a request for supplementary finance.

Decision:

(1)        That the progress being made in relation to the construction of the Lea Valley White Water Canoe Centre and the potential Legacy Benefits arising from the 2012 Olympic Games be noted;

(2)        That, subject to the formal agreement of the post’s work programme, a contribution of £10,000 per annum from existing budgets within the District Development Fund over the next two years to fund the appointment of a shared Olympics Officer be agreed in principle; and

(3)        That, in return for the Council’s contribution to the funding of this post, the shared Olympics Officer be expected to report to Council meetings on a regular basis.

Reasons for Proposed Decision:

To attract funding and visitors to the Waltham Abbey area of the District, both during and after the Olympic Games.

Other Options for Action:

To not contribute to the cost of the shared post, however this might result in the focus of the work programme shifting to Broxbourne and the Hertfordshire area.