Agenda item

Scrutiny Topic request form received from Councillor Chris Day

The Vice-Chair referred the committee to the Monitoring Officer’s report and invited Members’ comments.   The following points and questions were raised:

-       it is important that O&S has the opportunity to input at this early stage in the development of the plan, its main focus on what preventative measures are being in put in place – investment, ongoing maintenance – to deal with any issues and avoid any unexpected closures of council-owned facilities.  It is more worthwhile, convenient and cost-effective to consider this in a planned way before the event rather than after, and important that O&S works alongside officers and keeps an eye on progress, rather than being presented with the finished product which may not measure up to expectations and need to be re-worked;

-       the description of the risk in the officer response doesn’t capture the costs and effects of a single catastrophic event, or encourage any investment in mitigation for that particular aspect, referring more to a general maintenance programme.  It is a big risk and at the very least needs to be insured;

-        we should be considering these issues in tandem with the delivery of key strategic sites, not only Golden Valley but also the huge developments coming forward elsewhere, including Swindon Village.  These not only have CIL funding but also S106 agreements in place, and it would be worth considering not just a playground or a track but a whole dedicated facility such as a play centre or leisure centre to take the stress off other venues, particularly when maintenance needs to be carried out;

-       there is an issue with the maintenance of council assets, with the council renting many buildings to community groups and voluntary organisations who are responsible for the building’s maintenance.  There can be serious consequences if they do not keep on top of essential maintenance, but it doesn’t seem reasonable to chase limited companies and volunteers for vast amounts of money for maintenance that they haven’t been able to carry out;

-       with a sizeable proportion of the population inactive, it would be worth investing in programmes fit for the modern age and a wide variety of people, to encourage them to use leisure centres and sporting facilities. This would not only enhance funding and increase usage, but also bring those facilities more to public attention and scrutiny; 

-       the Prince of Wales Stadium is home to Cheltenham Harriers, attracting people from 3-4 counties and producing athletes of national quality, yet the track is not fit for purpose.  The right model neds to be put in place to fund not only its replacement but to also provide sustained investment for future maintenance.  Without it, clubs such as this could be lost;

-       all Members’ comments lead back to the need for more funding – for insurance, maintenance, developing programmes – and it may be useful to take these to the Cabinet Member for Economic Development, Wellbeing and Culture at the work planning session on 20 March.  He is working with the Head of Communities, Wellbeing and Partnerships on a report which will come to O&S before being taken to Cabinet:

-       it would be helpful if they can address the possibility of the council collaborating with or subsidising existing privately-run businesses, such as Boulders indoor climbing centre at Centrum Park – this would be a low-cost option, in the right part of town, and could offer dramatic benefits for people.   This aligns well with the council’s partnership approach;

-       there are models in the UK where athletics tracks are managed privately, though not necessarily at a profit, in particular one in Hereford which has been scaled to manage  several different sites.  This is the sort of partnership we need to manage these facilities in Cheltenham, and it would be useful to do some research into this.

The Vice-Chair thanked Members for their helpful comments.  The decision on this scrutiny request was deferred to facilitate further investigation.