Issue - meetings

Report of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Working Group on Cheltenham Festivals

RESOLVED THAT Cabinet note the report of the Joint Overview and Scrutiny Festivals Working Group and whilst not in a position to agree the recommendations at this time, they will be taken into account at the point at which matters to which they relate are considered further.

The Chairman advised members that the report of the Cheltenham Festivals Joint Working Group (CFJWG), had previously been reviewed by both Social & Community and Economy & Business Improvement Overview and Scrutiny Committees. 

He noted a technical correction to item 5.6 of the original report, which had been amended to reflect exactly, recommendation 5 of the report.  The report had been amended and republished but not before the papers for this meeting had been circulated.

Councillor Duncan Smith, Chairman of the CFJWG introduced the report as circulated with the agenda. 

The Scrutiny Committees recognised that the relationship between the Council (CBC) and Cheltenham Festivals (CF) was important to both organisations, but acknowledged that it had changed over time.  The 3 year Community Investment Grant to CF from CBC was coming to an end , at a time when CF were embarking on an ambitious 3 year business plan and as such a joint working group was established. 

The group had met 8 times in the last 18 months, 3 of which were joint meetings with CF.  Members had included Councillors Smith and Hay (previously Rawson) from Social & Community and Councillors Barnes and Surgenor (previously Hutton) from Economy & Business Improvement. 

The terms of reference (2.2 of the report) set out the remit for the group.

Initial meetings were side tracked by the tender exercise CBCs new Box Office system at the Town Hall.  There was some disagreement about the needs of each organisation and a number of meetings focussed on achieving a mutually beneficial compromise.  Ultimately CF had additional requirements to those of CBC and as such took the decision to purchase their own Box Office system (Tessitura).  Despite this, the group supported the decision of the Cabinet Member Sport and Culture to purchase INFX as the system of choice for the CBC. 

The focus then returned to the 3 year business plan of CF.  The group had concerns about some of the assumptions that had been made within the business plan.  Whilst CF was independent of the Council, there was an expectation from the community that it would support CF were it required, so ultimately the group wanted assurances that the plan was financially deliverable and managed risks appropriately. 

Concerns of Officers and Members with regards to the financial projections made by CF in the business plan were raised with them (Appendix 2 of the O&S report) and both were satisfied that the projections were sound and robust, but clearly the financial crisis posed an element of risk. 

A number of key issues were identified that the group felt needed to be resolved urgently in order to allow progress (3.7 of the report).

Growth assumptions were largely based on increased use of the gardens and whilst CF were confident that discussions with Officers were at an advanced stage, members were acutely aware that nothing had been formalised.  This would need to be agreed by the end of the year in order to allow sufficient time for CF to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5