Agenda and minutes

Venue: Online via zoom app

Contact: Debbie Meakin  email  dmeakin@eastdevon.gov.uk; call 01395 517540

Items
No. Item

34.

Public Speaking

Minutes:

There were no members of the public registered to speak.

35.

Minutes of the previous meeting pdf icon PDF 277 KB

To agree the minutes of the previous meeting held on 23 February 2021.

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 23 February 2021 were confirmed as a true record of the meeting.

36.

Declaration of interest

Guidance is available online to Councillors and co-opted members on making declarations of interest

 

Minutes:

Cllr P Arnott: Minutes 39, 40 and 42; Personal Interest: Membership of LED Leisure.

Cllr A Dent: Minutes 39, 40 and 42; Personal Interest: Membership of LED Leisure.

Cllr V Johns: Minute 40; Pecuniary Interest: Husband is Chair and Trustee of Ottery St Mary Cricket Club.

37.

Matters of urgency

To note there is a late report, listed under item 10 on the agenda.

Minutes:

Noted a late report, listed under minute 42.

38.

Confidential/exempt item(s)

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. There is oneitemwhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway, listed under item 10.

 

Minutes:

There was one item agreed by the Forum to be held in private session, listed under minute 42.

39.

Management agreement review of Colyton Grammar School dual use site

The Service Lead – Place, Assets & Commercialisation will provide a verbal update on this review.

 

Minutes:

The Service Lead for Place, Assets and Commercialisation updated the Forum on the review of the management agreement in relation to the dual use facilities at Colyton Grammar School.

 

Following a recent approach from the school, some work has begun to identify a way forward for a revised management agreement that improves the offer and a fairer sharing of costs.

 

The current building has a 99 year lease, with the current management agreement permitting school use during the school day, bar a two hour window whereby the dance studio of the building is available for LED to utilise, and the hall available outside of school hours and weekends. The building is under the responsibility of the Council to maintain.

 

The pitch at the site has been installed by the school, with come contribution by the Council, whereby the pitch can be utilised by LED to offer services outside of school hours and a contribution is made by LED for this use.  Maintaining the pitch falls to the school.

 

Recent pressure for space on the school has meant that an interim management arrangement has been in place for the last two years, with the two hours of dance studio time being surrendered in exchange for compensation to LED.  The pitch is also in need of significant investment, hence the approach by the school for an increased contribution.

 

A full review of the management arrangement is timely with the work on building a new leisure strategy.  The Forum were asked to provide their support for continued work on negotiation of the management arrangement, with a view to a formal report coming back to the Forum with more detail in due course.

 

Forum discussion included:

·         Welcoming discussion to lead to an improved management arrangement;

·         Community use of the site was high and valued;

·         Need to ensure income protection of site;

·         If the pitch is deemed to be a strategic asset (once diagnostic assessment complete) then a case could be built for funding to improve it;

·         Pitch agreements were normally on the basis of 10 – 15 years, with a review at least two years prior to expiry, as that was the normal expectant lifespan of a pitch before refurbishment was required;

·         The site was not a profit generating site for LED, but the community value was high, and therefore usually offset by profit from other sites.

 

 

RESOLVED that the Service Lead for Place, Assets and Commercialisation continued negotiation of the management agreement for the dual use site at Colyton Grammar School, and reports back to the Forum with progress in due course.

40.

EDDC Playing Pitch Strategy review pdf icon PDF 286 KB

The Planning Policy Manager will present his report.

 

Minutes:

The Planning Policy Manager presented his report on the Playing Pitch Strategy.  His report highlighted:

·         The purpose of the strategy in providing an overall qualitative assessment of provision, and identifies shortfalls and deficiencies;

·         Look to protect facilities from loss as a result of redevelopment, as well as enhancing existing facilities and provide new facilities to meet current and future needs;

·         Includes outdoor pitch provision in respect of use by and for the organised team sports of cricket, football, hockey and rugby union (not tennis or netball);

·         Includes all pitches that have some element of public use and access, regardless of ownership;

·         The existing strategy in place was completed in 2015;

·         Strategic Planning Committee resolved for the production of a new strategy to be undertaken in-house on 23 February 2021;

·         Work undertaken to date includes the updating of every club and teams that play matches, with a link to pitches and quality of pitch;

·         Work still to timetable, includes updating quality of pitches and supporting club house/other facilities;

·         Recognition that the work will align with wider leisure and recreation provision in the district being under review.

 

Comments from the meeting included:

·         What could be done to ensure that the playing pitch strategy was fully implemented; some pitch losses had occurred in Exmouth since the last strategy was put in place;

·         Examples given where one new pitch had been created and one refurbished since the current strategy was agreed;

·         Difficulties in managing implementation due to some areas have a lack of suitable sites, and/or aligning with new development on the scale that would release section 106 contributions that would be sufficient to cover the costs or match fund bid applications;

·         Some scepticism that even with a new strategy in place, delivery of new pitches in Exmouth would be delivered;

·         Explaining the relationship between the Leisure Strategy, which would sit above the playing pitch strategy and a built sports facility strategy.  The latter two would contain the detail.  It was stressed that the playing pitch and built sports facilities strategy (for the purposes of the Local Plan) needed to include all availability, not just what the Council would be supporting in terms of leisure provision;

·         Next stages included communicating with local clubs and sporting bodies to ask what demands they were facing and what their expectations are for the future;

·         Suggestion that contact with local clubs should be made directly rather than through the sporting bodies recommended by Sport England, as that would be more successful.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

41.

Exclusion of the press and public

That under Section 100(A) (4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements) (Meetings and Access to Information) (England) Regulations 2012, the public (including the press) be excluded from the meeting as exempt and private information (as set out against each Part B agenda item), is likely to be disclosed and on balance the public interest is in discussing the items in private session (Part B).

Minutes:

That under section 100(A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 and in accordance with the Local Authorities (Executive Arrangements)(Meetings and access to Information)(England) Regulations 2012, the public (including the press) were excluded from the meeting as exempt and private information was likely to be disclosed and on balance the public interest is in disclosing the items in private session.

42.

LED Service fee

A report submitted by LED Leisure for discussion.

Minutes:

The Forum received an update on the further modelling of the service fee for the current year and for the subsequent year.  Following discussion the service fee would go back to the LED Board for further debate.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.