Issue - meetings

      Report of the Chief Executive.

Reasons for taking the item in private:

Paragraph 3 - information relating to the financial or business affairs of any particular person (including the authority holding that information).

Paragraph 4 - Information relating to any consultations or negotiations, or contemplated consultations or negotiations, in connection with any labour relations matter arising between the authority or a Minister of the Crown and employees of, or office holders under, the authority.

Cllr Ian Blair-Pilling, Cabinet Member for ICT, Digitalisation, Operational Assets, Leisure and Libraries presented the report which set out proposals for the future management arrangements for the Council’s leisure centres currently managed by People Leisure Ltd (PFP).

The report detailed four options for the Cabinet to consider so that a leisure service is maintained in the north and west of the county.

The Cabinet noted that the Chair and Vice-Chair of the Environment Select Committee had received a briefing from officers on 30 November 2020 on the proposals, and expressed their support for the proposals detailed in the report.

Resolved:

a)    To note the outcomes of the second open procurement exercise approved by Cabinet on 08 September 2020;

b)    To note the options that have been considered and approve the option that Members determine should be implemented:

•       Option 1:  Award a 2 year + 2 year contract to Places Leisure based on the open accounting model for implementation as of 01 April 2021

•       Option 2:  Bring centres in house from 01 April 2021

•       Option 3:  Award a 6-month contract to Places Leisure and then bring in-house as of 01 October 2021

•       Option 4: Award a 12-month contract Places Leisure and then bring in-house as of 01 April 2022       

c)    To approve the recommendation that Option 3 is progressed;

d)    To allocate the necessary resources and budget of £0.819m, funded from the use of capital receipts under the flexible use directive, to bring the centres in-house, in accordance with Option 3;

e)    To note the governance arrangements being put in place by the interim Corporate Director - Place and Environment to oversee the contract extension and the insourcing of the leisure centres chair a Transition Board to be established post Cabinet;

f)     To delegate to the Director for Community and Neighbourhood Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for IT, Digitalisation, Operational Assets, Leisure and Libraries to take all necessary steps to implement the agreed option including the award of contract should this be relevant to the appropriate option.

Reason for Decision:

To ensure the continued provision of leisure services across Wiltshire’s currently outsourced sites.