Agenda item

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Ashworth)

 

Report of Corporate Director (Regeneration).

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Ashworth)

 

The Corporate Director (Regeneration) submitted a report to enable Members to consider savings options in respect of the 3 Community Swimming Pools in Carnforth, Heysham and Hornby.

 

The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option and comments, were set out in the report as follows:

 

Option A: As to-date, no significant progress, in terms of cost savings, has been made from attempting a renegotiation of the Partnership Agreement between Lancashire County Council and Lancaster City Council, Cabinet is asked whether it wishes to give consideration to issuing twelve months notice from 1^st April 2010, of Lancaster City Council termination of the Partnership Agreement (i.e., to be implemented after 31^st March 2011) i.e., to refer the operation of the 3 Community Swimming Pools, back to Lancashire County Council.

 

No cost savings have been assumed so far for 2010/11. However, on the basis of Lancaster City Council referring the operation of the 3 Community Swimming Pools, back to Lancashire County Council, there would, with effect from 1^st April 2011, be potential annual savings to Lancaster City Council of;-

 

Carnforth                     £68,900           }

or/and                                                  }

Heysham                     £44,900           }           Total £147,700

or/and                                                  }

Hornby                         £33,900           }

 

There will also be HR implications (costs as yet undetermined)

 

Option B: Investigate whether an alternative operator can be found for the Community Swimming Pools at Carnforth, Heysham and Hornby.

 

As part of the 2009/10 budget deliberations, this option was pursued, but the outcome was that the alternative (private) sector operator was seeking an operating/management fee (not much less that the current revenue expenditure), and a guarantee that community and schools usage would remain at current levels, for the duration of any operating agreement. As neither the City Council nor County Council could offer such guarantees, discussions regarding alternative (private) sector management to operate one or more of the three community swimming pools terminated.

 

Option C: To retain the Partnership Agreement with Lancashire County Council, for the operation of the 3 Community Swimming Pools at Carnforth, Heysham and Hornby, but to review and reduce the swimming programme.

 

Typically, usage at public swimming pools is a mixture of;- casual swimming, club swimming (including private/commercial lettings), swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme. Based on the above, the % usage and cost profile at the three community swimming pools (based on 08/09 throughput), are;-

 

	casual % usage	club % usage	lessons % usage	schools % usage
Carnforth	29%	28%	12%	31%
Heysham	49.5%	25%	8.5%	17%
Hornby	42%	26%	14%	18%

 

 

	casual net cost/ (surplus)	club net cost/ (surplus)	lessons net cost/ (surplus)	schools net cost/ (surplus)	Total Net Draft Budget 2010/11
	£	£	£	£	£
Carnforth	68,600	(4,600)	(5,600)	8,200	66,600
Heysham	52,700	(8,800)	(2,600)	(4,200)	37,100
Hornby	28,800	(2,000)	(2,200)	5,200	29,800
Total	150,100	(15,400)	(10,400)	9,200	133,500

 

Estimated net costs, based only on an extrapolation of % usage, shows that for the majority of swimming programmes, the least efficient and least economic provision is casual swimming. The reason for the above is that for club swimming (including private/commercial lettings), swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme, pool operators can offset expenditure against known income, but that is more difficult for casual swimming, where the fixed cost and related operational costs (in particular lifeguard/staffing costs) remain whatever the actual throughput. An option would be for Lancaster City Council only to provide casual swimming as part of the programme in Salt Ayre Sports Centre (i.e. casual swimming, club swimming - including private/commercial lettings, swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme), and to operate only club swimming (including private/commercial lettings), swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme, in the three community swimming pools. The review of pools provision within the District (highlighted in Paragraph 3.3 of the report) gives an indication of where there is capacity for casual swimming, although this is limited as the majority are either private/member only facilities as opposed to being open to the general public.

 

In theory, based on the table above, the estimated draft 2010/11 annual revenue ‘saving’ to Lancaster City Council in not providing casual swimming, but still offering club swimming (including private/commercial lettings), swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme, at the three community swimming could be up to £150,100, but in reality any savings would be significantly less (if at all), for the reasons highlighted above.  If this option was to be pursued, there would need to be greater consideration of the implications before a final decision could be taken.

 

This option also retains the provision of club swimming (including private/commercial lettings), swimming lessons, and schools swimming programme at the three community swimming pools.

 

Option D: To retain the current level of swimming provision within the district, including Carnforth, Heysham and Hornby via the existing Partnership Agreement with Lancashire County Council.

 

There would be no financial savings to the City Council.

 

Officer preferred option - the City Council’s position is that, providing school swimming facilities are not a statutory requirement nor are they within discretionary priorities, the above identifies that, with regards community swimming, there are alternatives available.  In light of this, officers recommend that the partnership with Lancashire County Council is terminated and the pools are handed back to the County Council, i.e. option A.

 

 

It was moved by Councillor Ashworth and seconded by Councillor Kerr:-

 

“That the recommendations, as set out in the report, be approved.”

 

By way of amendment, Councillor Mace proposed and Councillor Thomas seconded:-

 

“(1)      That the City Council negotiate intensively with Lancashire County Council in respect of the future management of the swimming pools, that it refers the proposal to terminate the partnership agreement with Lancashire County Council to the March Council meeting and, in the meantime, includes Carnforth Town Council, Heysham Neighbourhood Council, Hornby Parish Council and Melling-with-Wrayton Parish Council as observers of the negotiations.”

 

3 Members (Councillors Barry, Mace and Thomas) voted in favour of the amendment, 5 Members (Councillors Ashworth, Blamire, Bryning, Kerr and Langhorn) voted against and 1 Member (Councillor Fletcher) abstained from voting, whereupon the Chairman declared the amendment to be lost.

 

By way of addendum, it was moved by Councillor Mace and seconded by Councillor Thomas:-

 

“(4)      That Carnforth Town Council, Heysham Neighbourhood Council, Hornby Parish Council and Melling-with-Wrayton Parish Council be invited to observe the negotiations when they are carried out.”

 

2 Members (Councillors Mace and Thomas) voted in favour of the addendum, 6 Members (Councillors Ashworth, Barry Blamire, Bryning, Kerr and Langhorn) voted against and 1 Member (Councillor Fletcher) abstained from voting, whereupon the Chairman declared the addendum to be lost.

 

Members then voted as follows on the original proposition:

 

Resolved:

 

(5 Members (Councillors Ashworth, Blamire, Bryning, Kerr and Langhorn) voted in favour, 2 Members (Councillors Mace and Thomas) voted against and 2 Members (Councillors Barry and Fletcher) abstained)

 

1)         That the City Council issues the necessary 12 month notice to terminate the partnership agreement with the County Council, from 1April 2010.

 

2)         That community swimming is redirected to the pools identified in paragraph 3.3 of the report.

 

3)         That the school and club swimming be handed back along with the facilities to Lancashire County Council.

 

Officers responsible for effecting the decision:

 

Corporate Director (Regeneration)

Head of Cultural Services

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The decision has been made in light of the fact there are alternatives available for community swimming.

 

(The meeting adjourned for a comfort break at 2.20pm and reconvened at 2.30pm.)