Agenda item

Outline Proposals For Service Review: Salt Ayre Sports Centre/Leisure Services

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sands)

 

Report of Chief Officer (Health & Housing)

 

Minutes:

(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sands)

 

Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Health & Housing) to inform Cabinet of the scope of detailed review work needed to present the council with costed savings action.

 

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

 

 

Option 1: To undertake no review of services

Option 2: To find efficiency savings only

Option 3: To undertake a review which could highlight the need for service reduction or an alternative service delivery model

Advantages

None. The Council’s budget position is real and there is no alternative but to undertake reviews.

 

None.  The extent of the forthcoming budget reduction cannot be mitigated by simply making efficiency savings.

This gives an opportunity to prepare for the future well in advance and to manage the removal of services or transfer to another service provider by a planned approach.

Disadvantages

By not commencing any reviews now the Council would have to take urgent corrective action later as a budget crisis developed.

 

Such a limited review would address only the 2014/15 challenge and give insufficient time to prepare for the larger challenge the following year.

The community will have to prepare realistically for a reduction in services or an alternative provider if the Council can no longer directly provide.

Risks

The Council might risk being put under special measures if it didn’t address its budget position.

The Council might risk being put under special measures if it didn’t address its budget position.

Service reductions are likely to be unpopular with citizens.  Moving to an alternative service provider for leisure services will involve a procurement process which will take a considerable amount of officer time and upfront costs for specialist advice to assist in any procurement exercise.

 

Option 3 is preferred.  The City Council must plan realistically.  Many years of budget reduction and efficiency savings have removed options for simple efficiencies. 

 

Councillor Sands proposed, seconded by Councillor David Smith: -

 

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

 

Councillors then voted: -

 

Resolved unanimously:

 

(1)      That Cabinet notes that the areas to be reviewed in the Salt Ayre Sports Centre/ Leisure services review are:

·                     All functions delivered at Salt Ayre Sports Centre

·                     Sports Development work /Community outreach physical activity.

·                     The provision of community pools.

(2)      That the proposals outlined in the report be approved, in principle, for further development by the Chief Officer (Health and Housing).

(3)      That where required, further reports on the implementation of specific parts of the proposals be brought back to Cabinet or Personnel Committee as appropriate for approval.

Officer responsible for effecting the decision:

Chief Officer (Health and Housing). 

 

Reasons for making the decision:

 

The decision will ensure that the City Council acts decisively at this very difficult time to maintain its ability to function across a wide set of statutory functions and other priorities.  Regretfully this now means that it has to accept that it may no longer be able to engage in all of its current discretionary activities. Undertaking comprehensive reviews which present Members with a range of costed options should help to inform these difficult decisions. 

 

Supporting documents: