Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Will Rowlands and Tommy Velvick, and Councillor Jonathan Andrews and Jacob Fenwick-Read attended as their respective substitutes.

There were no additional declarations of interest.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 15 June 2023 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

The Committee considered the following reports on the Part 1 agenda for the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 9 August 2023:

Report HPR2023/044

The report outlined an in-principle strategy for the procurement of a contractor to deliver major works at the Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centres, subject to the decision being taken to proceed, with a view to reducing the timeframe for the overall delivery of the project including potentially enabling a formal Contract Award decision to be sought within the planned October 2023 report.

In response to a question from a Member, the Regeneration Project Manager explained that the recommended Option 1: Appointing a Delivery Partner under a Development Agreement via the UK Leisure Framework would enable the appointment of the delivery partner and principle works contractor to be expedited.  This would help ensure the major works programme was delivered at pace, addressing existing material damage and maintenance backlogs identified at both sites.  Alliance Leisure Limited was the single supplier available through the UK Leisure Framework and due diligence work had confirmed its track record as a leading specialist in successfully delivering new, rebuilt and refurbished leisure developments across the UK.  The Head of Regeneration advised that as well as working with the delivery partner, the Local Authority would also work directly with contractors to ensure successful completion of the project.

A Member underlined the importance of public consultation regarding the proposals for the refurbished leisure facilities and the Regeneration Project Manager was pleased to advise that an extensive six-week public consultation had been undertaken with users of both sites as well as local residents.  The consultation had comprised of an extensive survey with 43 questions and had generated approximately 6000 survey responses.  These were currently being analysed and would be presented to future meetings of the Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee and the Council’s Executive to inform scrutiny and decision-making processes in relation to the Major Works Programme.  Another Member raised the existing lease arrangements for the leisure centres and queried the plans for securing an operator once they had been refurbished.  The Head of Regeneration confirmed that whilst the Local Authority was the freeholder of the two leisure centres, these were currently occupied and operated by Mytime Active on long-term commercial lease arrangements for which a break clause was in place.  Before the works commenced, the Local Authority would look to address the question of the future operator for the leisure centres.  This might include a Service Level Agreement, but as a minimum, a commercial rent would be sought that would generate income for the Local Authority.

A Member and Ward Councillor for Orpington welcomed the proposals and thanked Officers for their work in progressing the Leisure Centre Major Works Programme.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

·  Note the intent to seek formal decision by October 2023 on proceeding with the Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centre project, including scope of works and agreed budget;

·  Approve the in-principle procurement strategy set out in Option 1 (Paragraph 3.10 of Report HPR2023/044) for the delivery of the Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centre project  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17a

Report HPR2023/045

The report requested formal approval to accept and spend £185k of funding received in the second round of the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Changing Places scheme which funded changing places for people with complex and multiple disabilities in existing buildings or via new modular facilities. The Council had previously received £220k from the same grant fund to deliver four Changing Places facilities and the new funding would establish a further two Changing Places facilities in the Borough.

In response to a query from a Member, the Assistant Director: Culture and Regeneration advised that the Grant Officer had worked closely with colleagues in Social Care and the ‘Need 2 Change’ Community Group to identify suitable locations for Changing Places facilities.  Both the grant requirements and the need for venues to cover ongoing maintenance costs made it difficult to identify suitable locations and the Metropolitan Police Hayes Sports Club and the Biggin Hill Leisure Centre were the only venues which had expressed interest in the second round of the Changing Places scheme.  The ‘Need 2 Change’ Community Group were very positive about both bids.  Whilst the Metropolitan Police Hayes Sports Club was a private venue, it hosted a number of community events and activities and had confirmed that non-members would be able to access the facilities.  Consideration was being given to the eligibility of the refurbished Walnuts and West Wickham Leisure Centres for any future funding round of the Changing Places scheme and discussions were underway to explore other ways that Changing Places facilities could be included in the refurbished leisure centres.  A Member suggested that the Changing Places scheme would be more attractive to potential venues if the Local Authority was offered assistance through the grant programme with ongoing revenue costs, and this would be fed back to the Grant Officer. 

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

·  Approve the allocation and spend of the Changing Places Fund grant monies totalling £185k, in line with the interventions set out in the funding application and within Report HPR2023/045, to enable the delivery of two further Changing Places facilities across the borough before 31 March 2024;

·  Approve the distribution of funds to MyTime Active and to the Metropolitan Police Hayes Sports Club to deliver Changing Places facilities at Biggin Hill Leisure Centre and The Warren subject to signed management and maintenance agreements;

·  Delegate authority to the Director of Housing, Planning, Property and Regeneration, in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, to agree any changes to the delivery of Changing Places programme within the boundaries of the grant funding available and legal contract with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities; and,

·  Approve a funding application for any additional funding rounds announced by the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities where suitable locations can be found and secured with no ongoing revenue costs.

RESOLVED that the Press and public be excluded during consideration of the items of business referred to below as it is likely in view of the nature of the business to be transacted or the nature of the proceedings that if members of the Press and public were present there would be disclosure to them of exempt information.

The following summaries

refer to matters involving exempt information

The exempt minutes of the meeting of Renewal, Recreation and Housing PDS Committee on 15 June 2023 were agreed as a correct record.