Agenda item

Outcome of the Leisure Review and Performance Monitoring for the Aneurin Leisure Trust

To consider the report of the Interim Corporate Director Education.

Minutes:

Councillors Wayne Hodgins and Lee Parsons declared an interest in the following item.

 

Consideration was given to the report of the Interim Corporate Director of Education which was presented to provide Members with an update on the outcome of the Leisure Trust Review.

 

The Youth Services Manager spoke to the report and highlighted the main points contained therein.  She advised Members on the outcome of the Leisure Trust Review and clarified the client function was now aligned within the Education Portfolio.  There was also an opportunity for Members to scrutinise the proposed future monitoring performance arrangements of the Aneurin Leisure Trust.

 

Councillor Clive Meredith left the meeting at this juncture.

 

The Chair enquired regarding the asset transfer for the Metropole Theatre in Abertillery.  The Youth Services Manager said that this process had been put on hold due to the pandemic and was now scheduled to take place by April 2021.

 

In response to a Member’s question regarding the Metropole, the Youth Services Manager said that it was currently in a holding situation by the Trust.  They had made a successful application to the Arts Council, which now funded all the workforce at the Metropole until the end of March.  

 

A Member enquired regarding any intended future closures of facilities being reported to this Committee, the Interim Director of Education said that as part of the recommendation a 6 monthly progress report would be presented to this Committee and would cover any implications associated with COVID-19 on leisure provision across the County Borough.  There had been financial implications associated with loss of income, however, the Leisure Trust were reporting and were managing their loss of income through reducing expenditure associated with staffing implications and furlough etc.  He felt that there was no reason at this point in time to be discussing potential loss of services.

 

A Member referred to previous Working Groups and Task and Finish groups on libraries whereby one of the recommendations had been for libraries to be used as community hubs and enquired if this had been taken up.  The Interim Director of Education said the provision of community hubs across the County Borough was very much a part of the key strategic agenda.  There would be benefits from both a user perspective and the library’s perspective to ensure that this provision is protected moving forward.  Libraries existed in most town centres and were supportive of community need, there was also potential for digital developments and to use the staff skill sets such as supporting people in relation to the provision of Revenue and Benefits applications, etc.  He felt that this was the right approach and informed Members that work was ongoing to take advantage of those community settings.

 

The Youth Services Manager agreed with the Director’s comments and added that the Trust were meeting fortnightly with the Council to develop this approach and all libraries were being considered.

 

A Member commented that the library in his Ward had a post office provision once a week.  The Interim Director of Education said this was a prime example of how a community hub could work when co-located with library provision.

 

The Chair enquired regarding reporting arrangements, the Interim Director of Education confirmed that along with the 6 monthly progress reports, other reports may be presented by exception to this Committee throughout the year.

 

The Committee AGREED to recommend that the report be accepted and endorse Option 1, namely the report’s update and proposals for future reporting arrangements be accepted.

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