Agenda and minutes

Contact: Debbie Meakin  email  dmeakin@eastdevon.gov.uk; call 01395 517541

Items
No. Item

13.

Public Speaking

Minutes:

There were no members of the pubic registered to speak.

14.

Minutes of the previous meeting held on 16 December 2020 pdf icon PDF 190 KB

Minutes:

The minutes of the previous meeting held on the 16 December 2020 were agreed as a true record of the meeting.

15.

Declaration of interest

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

 

Minutes:

Cllr P Arnott; Minutes 18 – 24; Personal interest; Paid membership of LED Leisure;

Cllr A Dent; Minutes 18 – 24; Personal interest; Paid membership of LED Leisure.

16.

Matters of urgency

Minutes:

There were no matters of urgency.

17.

Confidential/exempt item(s)

To agree any items to be dealt with after the public (including the Press) have been excluded. Thereare three itemswhich officersrecommendshould be dealtwithin thisway.

 

Minutes:

There were three items agreed by the Forum to be held in private session, listed under minutes 22 to 24.

18.

LED Monitoring Forum to agree list of their priorities pdf icon PDF 223 KB

Minutes:

The Forum agreed their work priorities as:

·         Monitor and assess the ongoing financial support needed by LED;

·         Review and consider the LED service fee and agreement for 2021/22 onwards;

·         Ensure that LED and EDDC are, where appropriate, seeking third party funding opportunities;

·         Review LED portfolio future building maintenance and investment requirements;

·         Consider and map the future relationship between LED and EDDC;

·         Consult with stakeholders and residents, where appropriate, to better understand if the leisure provision being provided is meeting the needs of communities, and if it can be improved;

·         Work with the consultants to help develop the Leisure Strategy and with Overview and Cabinet committees to ensure the ongoing LED relationship fits with the aims and goals of the Council;

·         Ongoing monitoring of LED’s operational performance;

·         Consider how out leisure sites are meeting the priorities and actions within the Council’s Climate Change Strategy to achieve its target of being carbon neutral by 2040.

 

The agreed priorities would be kept under review.

 

RESOLVED that the work priorities listed be agreed.

19.

Update on appointment of external Consultant to audit LED claims

Verbal update.

Minutes:

The Strategic Lead Finance reported that the external consultant had already begun work directly with LED, understanding the delivery provided in the District.  The Forum were reminded that the cost of the consultant was met by Sports England up to the end of the current financial year. He clarified that the remit included a holistic approach, not purely an audit examination of claims.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.

20.

Developing a Leisure Strategy next steps discussion pdf icon PDF 228 KB

In addition to the report, the following link to Crawley Borough Council’s Open Space, Sport and Recreation Assessment is included as an example.

Minutes:

The Forum received a report from the Service Lead – Countryside & Leisure outlining the background to the existing strategy, and how a new strategy would overlap into existing plans and strategies.  The report asked the Forum to consider what a future leisure provision should look like, in the context of future demand by local communities and the ability to provide long term financial support.

 

The Forum had also been furnished with two examples of Leisure Strategies from other authorities, to illustrate two difference approaches.

 

The CEO of LED Community Leisure spoke of the benefit of having a strategy in place as a means of an evidence base for bidding for funding opportunities.  He suggested to the Forum that the shape of the strategy may include a strategic review of the facilities, along with a review of the current playing pitch strategy.  He outlined the new and upgraded pitches that had occurred since that strategy was produced in 2015.  The Service Lead – Countryside & Leisure explained to the Forum that linking in with the Planning Policy Team on this area of work would be actioned.

 

The debate by the Forum included:

·         Use of the sport England calculator in bidding for funding – this was confirmed as utilised, and examples given;

·         The Forum was appropriately configured to deal with the development of the Strategy before recommending to Cabinet and Council;

·         Consider the development of the Leisure Strategy alongside the new Local Plan, perhaps with some economies of scale in spend on consultation with the public over options.  Some of the evidence collection for the Local Plan would be applicable to the Leisure Strategy;

·         Dovetailing with the Local Plan was key, as through developer contribution (CIL, s106) the Council could look to build enough resource to match fund bids, so that communities have proper provision of sport and leisure;

·         Procuring consultancy through Sport England preferred, as there was a framework agreement in place to contract consultants, and there may be opportunity through them to secure funding for the consultation;

·         Timescale for the production of a new Leisure Strategy was difficult to define at this stage until there was a clear direction of what it would cover;

·         Strategic review of the facilities was important, because of those aging facilities and what their future maintenance costs would be;

·         Consider the budget provision carefully in order to inform the Leisure Strategy, as it must be achievable;

·         Need to be clear on what the service would look like in future years, and what savings could be achieved in relation to asset provisions;

·         Cost of consultation to deliver a strategy was not clear at this stage but it was hoped that this could be met from another fund.

 

The Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Sport and Tourism commented that the aim of the new Leisure Strategy should be towards all residents, including the importance of wellbeing now brought sharply into focus by the pandemic.  He also felt that the open spaces controlled by the Council should be considered as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 20.

21.

Exclusion of public and press

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 discussion the items in private session.

22.

Lockdown 3.0 impacts on LED operations - additional COVID19 financial support

Minutes:

The Forum received an update on the impact of the latest lockdown on LED operations.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted

23.

LED Management fee 5 year review and funding scenarios and implications

Minutes:

The Forum discussed the management fee review.

 

RESOLVED that, subject to legal agreement, the management fee review be paused and consideration be given to a 12 month agreement, with subsequent review for extention.

24.

Update on National Leisure Recovery Fund bid

Verbal update.

Minutes:

The Forum received an update on the National Leisure Recovery Fund bid.

 

RESOLVED that the update be noted.