None were received.

Councillor Martins was absent.

Councillor Crout declared that he was a member of the centre, but that he had spoken to the Head of Legal Services who had stated that such a membership was not a pecuniary advantage and would not mean that he had to leave the room. 

Councillor Counter arrived shortly after the start of the meeting and also declared the she was a member.  

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2015 to be submitted and signed.

Copies of the minutes of this meeting are usually available seven working days following the meeting.

(All minutes are available on the Council’s website.)

The minutes of the meeting held on 26 November 2015 were submitted and signed.

Report of the Corporate, Leisure and Community – Section Head.

SLM Contracts Manager gave a short presentation, which outlined the work by SLM within the Watford area and then invited questions from the Committee.

The Chair asked a general question as to the state of the industry in terms of engagement and how SLM were dealing with the rise in “budget” gyms. 

The Contracts Manager stated that the low prices had initially affected business, both commercially and in engagement.  But because local authority leisure centres had better facilities than the budget gyms, there had now been a growth in membership. 

The Area Manager reinforced this statement, saying that people definitely wanted to return to the leisure centres.

Councillor Williams asked if there were any reasons known why people were returning. 

The Contracts Manager commented that research was done upon return to establish why.  The findings were:

• lack of personal contact
• lack of a perception of safety, particularly female members
• group sessions
• missed the family aspects of a leisure centre

The Area Manager added that SLM had commissioned a specialist gym research company, Gym Metrics, who had carried out the research and provided them with a very detailed report. 

Councillor Dhindsa commented that the current situation appeared positive and asked if SLM used any particular criteria to decide upon their pricing.  He also asked that with the price increases, was this reflected in pay awards to staff members.

The Contracts Manager replied that membership fees in the centres had not altered during the period of the current contract.  However, SLM were price sensitive and inclusive. They conducted competitor analysis before a contract was submitted to an authority. 

Additionally, staff colleagues had been rewarded with a 1.5% pay increase in the current year.

 The Corporate, Leisure & Community Client Section Head gave an example of another authority and their charging rates.  He commented that many authorities charged more than in Watford.

Councillor Collett asked about links with the Woodside Stadium and Watford Harriers. 

The General Manager (Woodside) explained that the Harriers were the resident club and there were close links between the club and the centre, with linked websites, mutual attendance at meetings and advertising.  The Contracts Manager commented that the centre offered the use of a room, free of charge to the Harriers. 

Councillor Joynes asked who set the Sports Development target for SLM. 

The Contracts Manager stated that SLM tried to engage with all aspects of the target, with special emphasis on families.  The General Manager (Watford) added that SLM promoted and advertised many types of sport.  

In response to a question from Councillor Joynes, the General Manager (Woodside) explained that SLM worked not only with Watford Community Housing Trust, but also with a variety of partners such as local schools. 

Councillor Joynes asked if people were encouraged to get involved in sport and the use of incentives. 

The Area Manager directed the Committee to a leaflet that had been circulated prior to the meeting and explained that this was about opportunities to gain activity points, which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 31.

The Scrutiny Panel is asked to review the updated actions from previous meetings.

The Corporate, Leisure & Community Client Section Head addressed SLM 22, stating there was a 20% turnover in staff.  To give some context he added that the figure for Watford Borough Council was 7.8%.  The difference reflected the youthful and more transient nature of the Leisure Centre work force. 

Regarding PR54, Councillor Joynes commented on the importance of asking the end users of their requirements, before signing off the new contract. 

The Head of Corporate Strategy & Client Services referred to a document that addressed action PR52 and provided a definition of community hires.  There followed a discussion around this. 

RESOLVED:

that the Panel note the actions.