Agenda item

 Report by the Corporate Director, Neighbourhood and Planning is circulated

Declaration of Interest

Cllr Trotman declared a personal interest  in this item by virtue of being Chairman of the Board of Calne Leisure Centre Ltd and stated he would participate in the discussion.

Public Participation

Mr Alan Bosley of Corsham Town Council and Mr Gary Walker addressed Cabinet on this item.

The Leader presented a report on the Outline Campus Development Timetable and Campus Management proposal which would be taken forward by Cllr John Noeken as Cabinet member for Resources and Cllr Stuart Wheeler as Cabinet member for Leisure, Sport and Culture.

The report outlined the proposed future approach to how the Council would facilitate the delivery of services from campuses to neighbourhoods and communities in Wiltshire.  It also provided an overview of the campus development element of the Workplace Transformation Programme and the timetable for developing and implementing a proposed alternative approach to estate management and ownership that was flexible, innovative, expandable and not based on the continuation of existing service division or structures.

Cllr Wheeler explained that the main purpose of the report presented was to deal with the rationalisation of estates and to agree the principles of communities running leisure facilities ensuring their direct involvement. The report proposed the implementation of a preliminary management project in Corsham, Melksham, Pewsey, Tisbury and Wootton Bassett which would commence in April 2011 as part of providing the evidence base for a future Cabinet decision on a long term model that would apply across the council. Cllr Wheeler stressed that these proposals would build on previous decisions taken by Cabinet on the leisure review.

Cllr Noeken confirmed that this was all subject to a strong business case being agreed by Council as part of approving the Council’s budget.

During debate, the Leader reported that the Workplace Transformation Programme would be renamed the Campus and Operational Delivery Programme with Cllr Wheeler as its lead member and would operate as a member advisory board. It was noted that it would need to become clearer that this would be a corporate project to ensure cross-departmental input rather than being led from one departmental area, and as such would continue to be led and delivered by the existing programme team

Resolved:

That Cabinet:

a)     approve the outline timetable and, subject to budget setting by  Council, authorise the Campus and Operational Delivery Programme (formerly the Workplace Transformation Programme – see (d) below) to take forward the physical delivery of Campus buildings in conjunction with local communities;

b)     approve the work stream principles within the Campus and Operational Delivery Programme covering the development and assessment of proposals for future management arrangements of campuses and local service delivery;

c)     approve the implementation of the preliminary management project outlined in the report presented, with the aim of making a further recommendation based on the outcome of this to Cabinet by April 2013.  This subsequent recommendation would include a formal assessment of the suitability, long term viability, and costs of a range of options to deliver a single council wide approach to the creation of a strategic not for profit community led organisation encompassing both property ownership and local service delivery;

d)     rename the Workplace Transformation Programme, the Campus and Operational Delivery Programme;

e)     approve the creation of  member advisory board, specifically to support the programme with the following membership:

Cllr Stuart Wheeler    - Cabinet member for Leisure, Sport and

                                       Culture - Lead member

Cllr John Noeken       - Cabinet member for Resources

Cllr Toby Sturgis        - Cabinet member for Waste, Property and

                                       Environment

Cllr Alan Macrae         - Portfolio Holder for Schools

Cllr Richard Clewer    - Portfolio Holder for Youth and Skills

An opposition Councillor from one of the relevant Scrutiny Committees and

f)       authorise Mark Stone, Programme Director, to take forward appropriate liaison with the DCLG and other national bodies regarding the programme

Reasons for Decision:

There is a growing national impetus for local authorities to consider how public services can be decentralised and how local people can be given the opportunity to directly influence the service offer in their community. In addition there is a need to establish appropriate management arrangements for the emerging community campuses and other operational estate.

The proposals recognise this by authorising the implementation of a preliminary management scheme, which will assist the development of a fully costed options appraisal for a new Wiltshire wide community focused management arrangement to be formally considered by Cabinet prior to April 2013.