Issue - meetings

To consider (a) a joint report of the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Leisure and Board Director Service Delivery regarding the Options Appraisal – Leisure Commissioning, and (b) Minute 5 of the Cabinet relating to this report.

          The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Leisure Services and the Board Director, Service Delivery submitted a joint report concerning the implementation of the next stage of the Leisure and Culture Commissioning Change Programme in respect of the Council’s leisure and golf facilities, that would ensure the most viable option for continued delivery of a sustainable provision within the Borough, and the results of additional consultation and engagement.

          The Mayor drew Members’’ attention to Minute 21 of Council (Petition on the future of the Croft Playing Fields set out on pages 2 and 3 of the agenda papers.

          Councillor Keith Wiillams moved and Councillor David Renard seconded:

“That Minutes 5(2) to (10) of the Cabinet (Options Appraisal – Leisure Commissioning) be confirmed and adopted.”

          Councillor Jim Grant moved and Councillor Jim Robbins seconded that the Motion be amended to read:

“This Council notes the recommendations of Cabinet to grant to external operators a lease of specified leisure and golf facilities and resolves to exclude from any lease the following:

·       Broome Manor and Highworth Golf Courses.

·       Croft Playing Fields and the Croft Sports Centre Car Park.

·       The Haydon Centre.

Council instructs the Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Leisure to work with Haydon Wick Parish Council on a detailed business plan for the Haydon Centre to be leased to the Parish Council to enable them to take over the operations of that facility.”

          The amendment was put to the vote and declared lost.

          The Substantive Motion was put to the vote and declared carried.

A formal division was requested in accordance with Standing Order 14(2).

          Members voting for the motion were Councillors Andrew Bennett, Alan Bishop, Mick Bray, Wayne Crabbe, Oliver Donachie, Mark Edwards, Toby Elliot, Emma Faramarzi, Fionuala Foley, Brian Ford, Mary Friend, Brian Ford, John Haines, Dale Heenan, Russell Holland, Richard Hurley, Colin Lovell, Mary Martin, Nick Martin, Brian Mattock, Gemma McCraken, Maureen Penny, Garry Perkins, David Renard, Eric Shaw, Tim Swinyard, Vera Tomlinson Steve Weisinger and Keith Williams.

          Members voting against the motion were Councillors Junab Ali, Steve Allsopp, Abdul Amin, John Ballman, Ray Ballman, Mark Dempsey, Jim Grant, Neil Heavens, Fay Howard, Cindy Matthews, Des Moffatt, Derique Montaut, Teresa Page, Stan Pajak, Ann Richards, Jim Robbins, Kevin Small, Joe Tray, Steve Wakefield, Nadine Watts, Peter Watts, Bob Wright and Julie Wright.

          (Councillor Steve Wakefield made a personal declaration of interest in respect of the above item as he was a Haydon Wick Parish Councillor.)

The Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Leisure and the Board Director, Service Delivery submitted a joint report concerning the implementation of the next stage of the Leisure and Culture Commissioning change programme in respect of the Council’s leisure and golf facilities, which will ensure the most viable option for continued delivery of a sustainable provision within the Borough. The report outlines the results of additional consultation and engagement, and will be considered by both Cabinet and Council.

Councillor Keith Williams, Cabinet Member for Corporate Services and Leisure, introduced the report and referred to how the proposals will both reduce the leisure subsidy to zero and remove any maintenance costs to the Council. He noted the two prospective providers that have been shortlisted, and set out their suitability and commitment to these proposals.

Councillor Des Moffatt (Rodbourne Cheney Ward) welcomed the exclusion of Moredon Golf from the proposals and asked for further consideration of the area with a view to creating a sports and leisure hub with possible third party management of the site.

Councillor Williams noted that proposals for the Moredon Golf site are aspirational and would require funding. Sport England is keen to develop sporting hubs, but local support would be required to move proposals forward.

Councillor Jim Robbins, Opposition Spokesperson for Leisure, Libraries and Culture, indicated his support of the proposals contained within the report, and noted the possibility of Haydon Wick Parish Council taking over responsibility for the Haydon Centre. He also suggested that the Council should retain golf courses rather than lease them out, and asked that the Croft playing fields be removed from the proposals with Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) managing them on the Council’s behalf.  

Sue Mendham, Head of Commercial Services, advised that representatives of Haydon Wick Parish Council had attended the soft market testing meetings undertaken by the Council in June 2013, but unfortunately had been unable to answer the questions supplied in advance of the meeting.  She further advised that the Council had tried to contact the Parish Council at the point of publication of the July 2013 Cabinet report on the Leisure Options, but received no response. She also noted that if Croft playing fields were removed from the proposal and were required to be managed under a Management Contract, under EU procurement law there would have to be a tender for the services and GLL could choose whether or not they wished to bid.

Councillor Williams noted that if the Council retains control of the golf courses they also retain liability if profits are not meeting expectations.

Councillor Russell Holland, Cabinet Member for Finance, queried the implications on the proposals if the golf courses were retained by the Council. Councillor Williams noted that the golf courses are the subject of a separate proposal already.

Councillor Stan Pajak, Leader of the Minority Group, indicated his support of the proposals but noted the length of the lease for golf was still quite long. He also queried if the private operators  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5