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

The exempt appendices were noted.

In respect of Recommendations 2, 6 and 7 the Mayor agreed for officers to undertake a ‘desktop review’ (simultaneously with preparation works being undertaken) to consider the value for money of any representations made by 25 March to refurbish as opposed to rebuild the St George’s Leisure Centre. A briefing on this work would be presented to the Mayor who will provide an update to a summer Cabinet meeting on whether an alternative course of action was now being considered.

DECISION

1.    To agree that officers further develop a ten-year detailed investment plan, as part of an overarching 30-year rolling programme for the whole Leisure estate based on the model set out in this report, to be brought back to Cabinet in summer 2022.

2.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, which contains a request for £25.163m of capital funding for this project over the next three financial years, agree to the building of a new leisure centre on the St George’s Leisure Centre site at a total cost of c. £35m.

3.    To approve further work to investigate options for investing in the leisure facilities on the John Orwell Sports Centre site.

4.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, which contains a request for £3m of capital funding for these works, agree to address the existing condition needs of the rest of the leisure estate in the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

5.    Subject to agreement of the need to develop a ten-year detailed investment plan, authorise the establishment of a programme team with external consultancy support to oversee the development of the investment plan through to Cabinet approval in c. July 2022, in line with the resource schedule in Appendix 1 to the report, with a funding requirement of c. £130,000 for external support. This is included in the £25.163m referred to in recommendation 2 above.

6.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, to allocate funding to build a new leisure centre, authorise the procurement of an architect and multi-disciplinary design team to take the design and construction of a new build proposal through to RIBA Stage 4 and gain planning permission, in line with the resource schedule in Appendix 1 to the report, with a funding requirement of c. £1.3m for that phase, as set out in the capital budget report being considered separately at this Cabinet meeting. This is included in the £25.163m referred to in recommendation 2 above.

7.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to instruct the execution of any necessary documentation and agreements required to give effect to recommendation 6 following an appropriate procurement process

8.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment set out in Paragraph 4.1 of the report.

Action by:

CORPORATE DIRECTOR, CHILDREN AND CULTURE (J. THOMAS)

(Director, Commissioning and Culture, Children’s Services (J. St John)

(Interim Leisure Programme Director (M. Coleman)

The Mayor agreed to consider this report alongside Agenda Item 6.4 (Overview and Scrutiny review of Swimming Provision in the Borough) and the combined minute is presented here.

The two appendices exempted by virtue of paragraph 3 of Part 1 Schedule 12(A) of Local Government Act 1972 (financial impact on the authority) were considered.

Councillor Sabina Akhtar, Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Sports, introduced the reports. Initially she presented the Executive’s response to the Scrutiny review on Swimming provision. She welcomed the report and the proposed action plan. She recognised the importance of providing opportunity for healthy activities such as swimming and welcomed the Mayor’s commitment to retaining 5 swimming pools in the borough. The Council also had many activities, such as during school holidays, to encourage use of the borough’s pools.

The Mayor proposed the recommendations set out in Agenda Item 6.4. These were unanimously agreed by the Members present. [Note - the resolution is under Agenda Item 6.4]

Councillor Sabina Akhtar then introduced the Leisure Estate Investment Plan which set out commitments for both short- and longer-term investments in the borough’s leisure estate. The Covid pandemic had highlighted the importance of ensuring a healthy borough.

The Council was committed to providing a report to a future meeting on a ten-year investment plan in leisure services with a rolling programme of investment for the following 20 years. It will prioritise investment in the existing leisure estate. The first part of this work will be to replace the existing, uneconomic and unsatisfactory St George’s Leisure Centre with a new building to better meet the needs of local people.

The Mayor welcomed the report, he highlighted that as well as 5 swimming pools it also covered all other leisure estate assets. The growing population of the borough needed good leisure services. The future of St George’s Baths was a key issue at present.

Cabinet heard from a number of Members and residents (representing the Friends of St George’s Group) who raised a number of questions and concerns including:

·       Requests for an independent feasibility study on the option of refurbishing the existing St George’s Baths.

·       Questions as to whether a full feasibility study had yet been undertaken and how the Council was able to make a decision without that information and to see what information the council had used to take its decision not to bring forward a refurbishment option.

·       Refurbishment removes the disruption of a new build and enables a pool to be available sooner and new facilities could be provided using the existing buildings and they could be made more environmentally sustainable.

·       The proposed new building removed some of the current facilities such as diving and spectator areas.

·       A request to see details of the breakdown of respondents to the consultation.

·       Should action have been taken under the Leisure contract in relation to failures to maintain the pool.

·       Noting that every few years a report keeps coming back to Cabinet requesting further refurbishment funding for St George’s.

Responding to questions, Councillor Sabina Akhtar highlighted a number of points including:

·       Over the expected life-cycle of a new building it would have a lower carbon impact than refurbishing the existing building.

·       A new building would offer the opportunity for many new facilities which would not be available through a refurbishment.

·       Sport England were recommending 25 meter length pools instead of the existing 33m pool and as few people used the diving pool reprovision of that was not seen as cost effective especially with specialist facilities available in Stratford.

·       Members and officers had met with local groups and residents and significant efforts had been undertaken to encourage responses to the consultation exercise.

·       The architects had considered options for refurbishment but these were not seen as viable and a new building would also be able to accommodate desired new facilities.

·       Provision of a temporary pool during rebuild/refurbishment was not practical and other pools were available within a reasonable distance.

The Mayor welcomed the report. He noted that all the contributions had related to the St George’s Leisure Centre and that he would therefore propose the main recommendations without amendment.

In relation to St George’s, the advice received by the Mayor was that the Council could extend the life of the existing building for a period of time but that this would result in inferior leisure facilities for residents at a high cost. The Mayor noted that the spiral of decline of the building needed to be tackled.

The Mayor’s view was that demolition and replacement should continue but considered it important to examine the concerns raised. He proposed to agree the recommendations but that the feasibility of refurbishment options of the existing building should be further explored and if that proved to be a more attractive option then the decision should be reviewed.

Determination of these matters should be finalised before project planning for the rebuild of the site was concluded. Cabinet would be updated on the outcome of this review and a new report would be presented should that be required.

RESOLVED

1.    To agree that officers further develop a ten-year detailed investment plan, as part of an overarching 30-year rolling programme for the whole Leisure estate based on the model set out in this report, to be brought back to Cabinet in summer 2022.

2.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, which contains a request for £25.163m of capital funding for this project over the next three financial years, agree to the building of a new leisure centre on the St George’s Leisure Centre site at a total cost of c. £35m.

3.    To approve further work to investigate options for investing in the leisure facilities on the John Orwell Sports Centre site.

4.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium-Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, which contains a request for £3m of capital funding for these works, agree to address the existing condition needs of the rest of the leisure estate in the financial years 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25.

5.    Subject to agreement of the need to develop a ten-year detailed investment plan, authorise the establishment of a programme team with external consultancy support to oversee the development of the investment plan through to Cabinet approval in c. July 2022, in line with the resource schedule in Appendix 1 to the report, with a funding requirement of c. £130,000 for external support. This is included in the £25.163m referred to in recommendation 2 above.

6.    Subject to approving the Council’s 2022-23 Budget Report and Medium Term Financial Strategy 2022-25, to allocate funding to build a new leisure centre, authorise the procurement of an architect and multi-disciplinary design team to take the design and construction of a new build proposal through to RIBA Stage 4 and gain planning permission, in line with the resource schedule in Appendix 1 to the report, with a funding requirement of c. £1.3m for that phase, as set out in the capital budget report being considered separately at this Cabinet meeting. This is included in the £25.163m referred to in recommendation 2 above.

7.    To authorise the Corporate Director Children and Culture to instruct the execution of any necessary documentation and agreements required to give effect to recommendation 6 following an appropriate procurement process

8.    To note the Equalities Impact Assessment set out in Paragraph 4.1 of the report.