Issue - meetings

1.      That Everyone Active be awarded the operator contract to manage Meadowside Leisure Centre based on their variant bid for a period of ten years with a five year optional extension.

2.     That a capital budget and expenditure for Meadowside Leisure Centre totalling £300,000 be approved, funded by prudential borrowing and that capital budget be incurred as noted in the estimated financing costs outlined in section 2.2 of report CAB3285.

3.     That additional revenue expenditure, (averaging £56,000 per annum over 15 years, based on the variant bid be approved, (which includes provision for the Council’s capital financing costs), be met from the base budget provision included in the proposed 2021/22 General Fund budget set out in CAB3289 elsewhere on this agenda.

4.     That costs in the first year be based on actual net operating costs, assessed on an “open book” basis, with all additional costs over and above the approved budget being met from “tranche 5” of the Government Covid-19 grant, future leisure grant allocations or a mix of the two.

5.     That authority be delegated to the Service Lead - Legal to prepare, negotiate and enter into an operator contractor based on the Sports England template and associated agreements.

Councillor Prince introduced the report which provided an update on the operator tender for Meadowside Leisure Centre which was a very valued facility for the southern parishes of the district.

At the invitation of the Leader, Councillor Lumby addressed Cabinet as summarised briefly below.

He thanked officers for the opportunity to discuss some of the detail of the report prior to the meeting and confirmed that he did not wish to make any comment or ask questions in exempt session.  He welcomed the opportunity to discuss further with Councillor Prince future opportunities for facilities across the district.  In general, he welcomed the proposals contained in the report.

Councillor Cutler responded to comments made.

Cabinet Members confirmed that they had fully considered the contents of the exempt appendices and did not wish to ask any questions of have any debate thereon.  Consequently, there was no need to move into exempt session prior to consideration of the report’s recommendations.

Cabinet agreed the following for the reasons set out above and outlined in the report.

RESOLVED:

1.            That Everyone Active be awarded the operator contract to  manage Meadowside Leisure Centre based on their variant bid for a period of ten years with a five year optional extension.

2.            That a capital budget and expenditure for Meadowside Leisure Centre totalling £300,000 be approved, funded by prudential borrowing and approve incurring that capital budget as noted in the estimated financing costs outlined in section 2.2.

3.            That additional revenue expenditure, (averaging £56,000 per annum over 15 years, based on the variant bid be approved, (which includes provision for the Council’s capital financing costs), be met from the base budget provision included in the proposed 2021/22 General Fund budget set out in CAB3289 elsewhere on this agenda.

4.            That it be agreed that costs in the first year be based on actual net operating costs, assessed on an “open book” basis, with all additional costs over and above the approved budget being met from “tranche 5” of the Government Covid-19 grant, future leisure grant allocations or a mix of the two.

5.            That authority be delegated to the Service Lead - Legal to prepare, negotiate and enter into an operator contractor based on the Sports England template and associated agreements.