Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council can ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.
The time allocated for receiving and disposing of questions shall be a maximum of 30 minutes. Any question not disposed of at the end of this time shall be the subject of a written response, copied to all Members the following working day unless withdrawn by the questioner.
Question One
From Councillor Maria Fowler to Councillor Alex Porter, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
'Will the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism please advise members as to why the future of council's leisure centres has not been scrutinised by the relevant committee prior to any consultation or cabinet decision.'
Question Two
From Councillor Mick Barry to Councillor Alex Porter, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
‘As we begin to emerge from the pandemic and look towards the road to recovery, the importance and profile of physical activity in improving the well-being of residents has never been greater.
Being physically active and participating in sports activities is one of the most effective ways to enrich the lives of the people of Tendring and the communities we live in.
Against this background it is a matter of great concern that the involvement of this council in the operation of Manningtree Sports Centre has ended and reviews of similar arrangements at Brightlingsea and Harwich sports centres are scheduled to take place in the next few months.
Will the portfolio holder for Leisure and Tourism confirm that joint user agreements currently in place at Brightlingsea and Harwich sports centres will be revised and updated and that leisure provision for residents in those communities will be safeguarded and enhanced?’
Question Three
From Councillor Graham Steady to Councillor Alex Porter, Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
‘The Council’s head of Sport and Leisure attended a Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 14th October 2019 and minutes from that meeting state (para30.)
‘He advised the Committee that later in this Calendar Year there was intended to be consideration by Cabinet of a 10 year Strategy for Sports facilities in the District as provided by the council.’
He identified underpinning themes of the new Strategy as:
(1) Securing the financial sustainability of the Council’s leisure and sports facilities.
(2) Seeking to harness the work being undertaken with Sport England to break the cycle of inactivity and consequential health problems and design services that will align with the outcomes of the project.
(3) Adjusting the service offer and pricing policy to respond to the changing market in leisure facility provision nationally and attract more users.
Can the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism update council on the position of the 10 year strategy and confirm that the underpinning themes will be paramount when considering the future of all leisure service provision in the district?’
Minutes:
Subject to the required notice being given, Members of the Council could ask questions of the Chairman of the Council, the Leader of the Council, Portfolio Holders or Chairmen of Committees.
Three questions had been submitted by Members on this occasion as set out below:-
Question One
Councillor Maria Fowler had asked Councillor Alex Porter, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
“Will the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism please advise Members as to why the future of the Council's leisure centres has not been scrutinised by the relevant committee prior to any consultation or Cabinet decision?”
In the absence of Councillor Porter, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Neil Stock OBE) replied on his behalf as follows:-
“As Members are aware, agreements for the joint use facilities at Harwich and Brightlingsea have expired and an extension has been agreed with the Governing Trust of the schools, until the end of December.
A decision has only just been taken to go out to consultation and it is open to the respective committees to request this matter as an agenda item, if they see fit.”
Question Two
Councillor Mick Barry had asked Councillor Alex Porter, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
“As we begin to emerge from the pandemic and look towards the road to recovery, the importance and profile of physical activity in improving the well-being of residents has never been greater.
Being physically active and participating in sports activities is one of the most effective ways to enrich the lives of the people of Tendring and the communities we live in.
Against this background it is a matter of great concern that the involvement of this Council in the operation of Manningtree Sports Centre has ended and reviews of similar arrangements at Brightlingsea and Harwich sports centres are scheduled to take place in the next few months.
Will the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism confirm that joint user agreements currently in place at Brightlingsea and Harwich sports centres will be revised and updated and that leisure provision for residents in those communities will be safeguarded and enhanced?”
In the absence of Councillor Porter, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Neil Stock OBE) replied on his behalf as follows:-
“The current agreements with Brightlingsea and Harwich have reached their expiry, and as such an extension has been secured until the end of December, allowing for a full governance process to take place. A full six-week consultation will be undertaken with local centre users and non-users to provide Cabinet with the information required to make an appropriate key decision for these facilities, which are not owned by this Council.”
Councillor Barry then asked a question of clarification to which Councillor Stock OBE responded.
Question Three
Councillor Graham Steady had asked Councillor Alex Porter, the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism:
“The Council’s Head of Sport and Leisure attended a Resources and Services Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting on 14th October 2019 and minutes from that meeting state (para 30.):-
‘He advised the Committee that later in this Calendar Year there was intended to be consideration by Cabinet of a 10 year Strategy for Sports facilities in the District as provided by the Council.’
He identified underpinning themes of the new Strategy as:-
(1) Securing the financial sustainability of the Council’s leisure and sports facilities.
(2) Seeking to harness the work being undertaken with Sport England to break the cycle of inactivity and consequential health problems and design services that will align with the outcomes of the project.
(3) Adjusting the service offer and pricing policy to respond to the changing market in leisure facility provision nationally and attract more users.
Can the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Tourism update Council on the position of the 10 year strategy and confirm that the underpinning themes will be paramount when considering the future of all leisure service provision in the District?”
In the absence of Councillor Porter, the Leader of the Council (Councillor Neil Stock OBE) replied on his behalf as follows:-
“The Leisure Service has responded tactically to the changing conditions faced as a result of the three lockdowns over the last 18 months. It has not been the right time to develop a Sports Facilities Strategy, as the operating environment remains in flux, so we postponed the Strategy from consideration by Cabinet earlier this year. We expect to bring the Strategy forward in 2022, assuming that no further lockdowns affect leisure service usage. The underpinning themes will inform the development of the Strategy.
The Council is committed to working with partners in seeking to increase levels of physical activity and improve health outcomes in the District. The Local Delivery Pilot Scheme for example, is focussed on increasing activity in our most disadvantaged areas, through our work with Active Essex and our partners in neighbouring Districts and Boroughs.”
Councillor Steady then asked a question of clarification to which Councillor Stock OBE responded.