The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses were noted.

The exempt appendices were noted.

DECISION

1.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to Extend the existing leisure management contract (LMC) and the Poplar Baths leisure services contract by two years each to 2024. This extension will allow the leisure market to stabilise and give GLL additional time to repay the management fee to the Council

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture in consultation with the Corporate Director Place to extend the leisure centre leases.

3.    To note the financial information regarding the leisure portfolio in Appendix 1 to the report.

4.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to begin preparatory work for the re-procurement of the leisure management contract, including the Poplar Baths Leisure Services and that a further report be brought to Cabinet setting out the options for the procurement in due course.

5.    To note that an Equalities Impact Assessment has not been completed as yet because the procurement planning has not begun at this stage.

6.       To authorise the execution of any agreements necessary to give effect to the recommendations.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILDREN AND CULTURE (J. THOMAS)

(Divisional Director, Sport, Leisure and Culture (J. St John)

Councillor Sabina Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Brexit, introduced the report on procurement of the Council’s Leisure Management Contract. She explained that the contract was due to expire in April 2020. However, leisure centres have been severely impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. It is therefore appropriate to extend the existing contract to give time to deal with the issues created by the pandemic and to allow a proper re-tendering process to take place. There will be opportunities for Members to shape the new contract as that is prepared.

The Pre-Decision Scrutiny Questions and officer responses and the exempt appendices (Exempted due to Paragraph 3 – the financial affairs of the authority) were noted.

During discussion it was noted that the way the contract was being extended it meant that GLL would be required to pay back the management fee by the end of the contract period.

The Mayor welcomed the report and noted the detailed work that had been undertaken to work out the best solution given the pandemic related closure of leisure centres and the implications of that. He proposed the recommendations as set out and these were agreed without dissent. It was:

RESOLVED

1.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to Extend the existing leisure management contract (LMC) and the Poplar Baths leisure services contract by two years each to 2024. This extension will allow the leisure market to stabilise and give GLL additional time to repay the management fee to the Council

2.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture in consultation with the Corporate Director Place to extend the leisure centre leases.

3.    To note the financial information regarding the leisure portfolio in Appendix 1 to the report.

4.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to begin preparatory work for the re-procurement of the leisure management contract, including the Poplar Baths Leisure Services and that a further report be brought to Cabinet setting out the options for the procurement in due course.

5.    To note that an Equalities Impact Assessment has not been completed as yet because the procurement planning has not begun at this stage.

6.       To authorise the execution of any agreements necessary to give effect to the recommendations.