To note any declarations of interest made by Members, including those restricting Members from voting on the questions detailed in Section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act, 1992.  See attached note from the Monitoring Officer.

There were no declarations of pecuniary interests.

Councillor Marc Francis asked the Committee to note that his wife is Councillor Rachel Blake, Cabinet Member for Adults, Health and Wellbeing.

To consider a call in on the Leisure Estate Investment Plan decision made by Cabinet on 9 February 2022.

Call-In Members’ Presentation

Call-in members presented the reasons for call-in and proposed alternative course of action, and added that:

·         There were two main refurbishment options for St George’s Leisure Centre, a short term option and a longer term. The short term option had not been fully explored.

·         There was a marked difference in the estimate to refurbish the site compared to the Tiller Leisure Centre. It is unclear how the estimate of £9.9m to allow reopening has been calculated.

·         Welcomed that the Council had since agreed to allow a tour of the building by interested persons, but conditions had been imposed which would limit the effectiveness of this tour.

·         The redacted costs within the condition survey should be made available to enable a full understanding of the refurbishment options.

·         There had been no clear argument made as to why a reduction in pool length is necessary.  Guidance from Sport England has been referred to, but not provided.

·         References had been made to housing on the site, but it was not clear if housing was necessary on the site.

·         Extended closure of the school would have detrimental impact on local residents and the community. It was unclear how this was to be measured or mitigated. Unclear if the equality impact assessment has considered BAME aspects.

Following questions from Committee members, the call in members provided opinion on:

·         Calculation of the short-term cost option.

·         Timescale of the closure under the current proposal.

·         The age and reliability of the existing condition survey. 

·         Redacted cost figures and the rationale for the £9.9million reopening calculation.

·         Carbon and environmental impact. Had the impact of demolition and rebuild been included in the environmental impact comparisons of the options?

Lead Member’s Presentation

The Lead Member for Culture, Arts and Sports, Councillor Sabina Akhtar, set out the context of the Cabinet Decision and reviewed the key elements of the decision:

·         The record of decisions of the Cabinet accurately reflects the discussion at the Cabinet meeting.

·         The Council’s objective is to ensure that its facilities are fit for purpose, offer value for money, and meet residents’ needs. The current facility does not, in the Council’s informed view, achieve these objectives.

·         The Council commissioned surveyors to provide an independent assessment of the condition of the building. The surveys had been shared, the redacted costs cannot be shared due to commercial confidentiality.

·         The Council had worked with Friends of St George’s” and had agreed to grant access to the building for them to undertake a review with the caveat that any such review must meet a demonstrably transparent standard.

·         The current facility can provide a relatively limited range and quantum of facilities.

·         Extending the current building is technically and financially challenging and would not provide the same quality and quantity of activities that a new facility could.

·         A new facility would be built to a far higher environmental standard, reducing both its energy use and the need for extensive investment in the patch and mend of a life expired building. A  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.1

The Call-In documents are presented as unrestricted documents on the agenda. However, should the committee need to discuss any matters that were exempt/restricted then the Committee are recommended to adopt the following motion:

“That, under the provisions of Section 100A of the Local Government Act 1972, as amended by the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, the press and public be excluded from the remainder of the meeting for the consideration of the Section Two business on the grounds that it contains information defined as Exempt in Part 1 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act, 1972.”

As the agenda circulated contained no exempt/ confidential business and there was therefore no requirement to exclude the press and public to allow for its consideration.