(Cabinet Member with Special Responsibility Councillor Sands)
Councillor Barry declared a personal interest at this point in view of his involvement with Lancaster Cycling Club.
Cabinet received a report from the Chief Officer (Health & Housing) to obtain the agreement of Cabinet for the City Council to accept a grant of up to £150,000 to provide lighting around the cycle circuit at Salt Ayre Sports Centre. The grant was being offered by Sport England/British Cycling on an unsolicited basis as they had identified Salt Ayre as one of three priority sites nationally for lighting.
The options, options analysis, including risk assessment and officer preferred option, were set out in the report as follows:
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Option 1: To accept the grant offered. |
Option 2: Not to accept the grant offered. |
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Advantages |
Provides the opportunity for the council to provide a facility which has the potential to be used throughout the year rather than relying so much on seasonal influences.
No match funding requirement.
Ongoing running and maintenance costs met by additional income generated by charging clubs.
Provides increased opportunities for healthy lifestyle activity choice by people of all ages and abilities.
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Continue as status quo with summer use of track. |
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Disadvantages |
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Missed opportunity to take advantage of a 100% grant from Sport England / British Cycling to improve the cycle circuit at no cost to the council. |
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Risks |
The predicted usage by clubs fails to reach expected levels (mitigation would be reviewing the charges to clubs to ensure cost recovery). No formal agreement is in place with the cycling clubs and therefore there is a risk that the lighting may not be used as much as predicted if demand is lower than expected. There are some reputational and possibly financial risks depending on the outcome of the review of the future of the sports centre particularly if an option is chosen that does not involve the continuation of Salt Ayre as a sports centre. |
Funding will probably not be available again in the future. |
Option 1 is the preferred option based on the opportunity to increase use of the track by the community at no additional cost to the Council and to take advantage of the 100% grant offer from Sport England. The lighting improvement would not prevent any options (other than any that involve the sports centre from ceasing to operate) for the long term alternative delivery models for Salt Ayre from being considered.
Councillor Sands proposed, seconded by Councillor Hanson:-
“That the recommendation, as set out in the report, be approved.”
Councillors then voted:-
Resolved unanimously:
(1) That subject to receiving an offer of grant from the Sport England/British Cycling, the Chief Officer (Resources) be given delegated authority to accept the offer and to update the General Fund Revenue and Capital Budgets in order to allow the works as described to progress, subject to there being no further impact on City Council resources other than those set out in this report.
Officers responsible for effecting the decision:
Chief Officer (Health & Housing)
Chief Officer (Resources)
Reasons for making the decision:
The decision is consistent with the Corporate Plan which includes for an increasing number of people participating in sports and leisure activities (Health and Wellbeing) and increased number of diversionary activities for young people (Clean, Green & Safe Places & Community Leadership). The installation of lighting at the cycle circuit at Salt Ayre, funded wholly from a grant offer from Sport England/ British Cycling, allows the Council to improve the cycle circuit to the benefit of users, demonstrate the Council’s commitment to cycling and generate sufficient income for ongoing running and maintenance costs.