Agenda item

The Executive Member for Leisure and Culture.

Executive member for Leisure and Culture, Councillor Sachdeva, introduced the Council’s proposed new Leisure & Culture Strategy. This set out the Council’s overarching vision for leisure and culture in the borough, defining the Council’s role and articulating the benefits that these services bring to residents and communities.

There were four core objectives to the strategy:

·        To inspire residents to lead healthy and active lives

·        To provide sustainable and accessible services

·        To work in partnership with other organisations to provide services and support the local leisure and cultural sector

·        To ensure our services are delivered in a financially sustainable way.

The strategy had been discussed at Overview and Scrutiny Committee the week previously at its meeting on 16 March. The Committee had recommended that:

·        The strategy be reviewed further and developed to identify the current leisure and culture offer to residents and what it aims to provide.

·        The strategy set out how the objectives will be achieved; and

·        How any weaknesses and challenges in the current leisure and culture offer will be overcome.

Councillor Sachdeva said that work on more detailed delivery plans was already in progress. The strategy set the overall direction in this service area. However, following recommendations from Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the proposal before Executive was to prepare a more formal Part 2 of the strategy to provide more detail about strategy delivery and implementation. This would include input from other service areas. It would be developed in consultation with relevant Executive and O&S Members. Amendments to the recommendations to Executive and proposed amendments to the report had been published as an Addendum to the agenda pack.

Leader, Councillor Brunt, noted that this was a high-level strategy and there had been agreement about the overall direction. The strategy was not designed to set out operational or financial information but instead be used to guide the development of detailed implementation plans to deliver on the objectives set out in the strategy.

He noted that in the past, leisure and cultural activities had been focused on the three leisure centres in the borough and the Harlequin theatre and cinema in Redhill. However this is only a small part of borough’s leisure and culture activities that included numerous parks and greenspaces in the borough as well as allotments, activities at three community centres and children’s sports holiday activities. The new Leisure & Culture Strategy set out a broader scope to support and encourage partnership working and community groups such as the Archway theatre company in Horley, the Chipstead Players Theatre Group and other local arts events. There were also sports and other facilities across the borough including those not in the control of the council such as in the private and not-for-profit sector.

Executive Members asked questions and made comments on the following areas:

·        A firm timeline for completion of Part 2 of the strategy to avoid a long implementation period.

·        If outside leisure and sports bodies could be included in the consultation as well as internal resources.

·        How the objectives set out in the strategy would be achieved.

The Leader said it was important to set and agree the objectives to go forward following which the implementation plan could be developed.

Managing Director, Mari Roberts-Wood, took an action to go back to officers to confirm timescales at the beginning of the next municipal year in June to appear back to Overview and Scrutiny Committee and Executive before the end of the year.

Vice-Chair of Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Councillor Walsh, reiterated the feedback from Overview and Scrutiny Committee which included consultation with the Committee, a set timeline and a part 2 detailed plan to ensure residents get the benefit of a wider look at leisure and culture. The Committee had asked for information on capital spend and requested measurable objectives.

Visiting Members asked questions on the following areas:

·        Information about fees charged to organisations running events in the borough’s park.

·        Environmental issues in relation to health and wellbeing linked to environmental concerns. Councillor Sachdeva noted that environmental sustainability considerations were addressed in the strategy (p37 in the published agenda pack).

Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Finance and Governance, Councillor Schofield, said the strategy had been a huge piece of work and gave a firm direction to services for residents. It was a living document, and the next exciting step was to agree the projects and tasks to deliver on this strategic plan.

RESOLVED – that the Executive:

(i)               Approves the Leisure & Culture Strategy Part 1, as amended by the published addendum;

(ii)             Supports the ongoing development of Part 2 of the Leisure & Culture Strategy, and notes that this will be developed in consultation with the Overview & Scrutiny Committee before being brought to a future Executive meeting for approval in no less than 6 months.