The report of the Head of Leisure and Museums was submitted, informing Members of the key elements of the new contract due to be let in 2010 for the management of the Council’s contracted sports and leisure facilities.
Scrutiny Committee – Resources considered the report at their meeting on 17 June 2009 and the support and comments of members were noted.
The Director Community and Environment introduced the report referring to the three main options for the delivery of the leisure facilities operation, the scope of the contract and the proposed process for securing an operator.
A member enquired whether it was possible to include school leisure facilities within the contract but was advised that attempts to engage the current provider in this process had been unsuccessful. In response to a suggestion that a shorter contract may be more prudent, members were advised that a ten-year contract was the minimum period that would be attractive to tenderers in view of the set-up cost required. Any shorter period would severely threaten the likelihood of securing a successful contract and most leisure facilities contracts were for longer periods, often 20 -25 years. It was necessary to strike a balance in relation to the length of the contract – only five potential operators had so far been identified - and there was a risk in splitting the contract or reducing the term.
With regard to the timing of the contract in the context of the local government review, the Director Community and Environment reported that the existing contract with DC Leisure had already been extended and that an arrangement with Riverside Leisure Centre would need to be in place at the end of its contract period. The Director emphasised that sufficient flexibility would be built into the new contract to enable the inclusion of a new swimming pool.
Executive resolved that:-
(1) the key contract features identified in this report be approved; and
(2) subject to no substantial variations in the key contract features identified in this report, approval of the contract documentation be delegated to the Director Community and Environment in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Portfolio Holder for Environment and Leisure and appropriate Council officers.