An update on the performance and delivery of Leisure Services and development of new facilities by Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) and to inform the Committee of the Council’s success in securing a £1.5m grant from Sport England Strategic Facilities Fund towards the cost of Rivermead and Palmer Park leisure centres.

Further to Minute 18 of the meeting held on 9 November 2022, the Committee considered a report providing an update on the performance and delivery of Leisure Services and development of new facilities by Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL).  The report also informed the Committee of a £1.5m grant from Sport England Strategic Facilities Fund towards the cost of Rivermead and Palmer Park leisure centres.

The report noted that the leisure contract had started on 1 July 2021 with GLL carrying out the operational management of the Council’s leisure centres at Rivermead Leisure Centre, Palmer Park Sports Stadium, South Reading Leisure Centre and Meadway Sports Centre.  The Council’s £40m investment programme in leisure centres had included significant works to all its leisure centres.  The new Rivermead Leisure Centre had opened in July 2023 with the pools set to open in summer 2024.  This followed the opening of Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium including a new six-lane 25m community swimming pool in December 2022.  Refurbishment works to the swimming pool changing areas had been undertaken at Meadway Sports Centre and works were underway at South Reading Leisure Centre swimming pool and associated changing areas.  Use of facilities had continued to grow as the new facilities were opened and improvements made.

The report explained that overall GLL were making significant strides in delivering good services, with service breadth and quality approaching what would have been expected had there not been significant impact to the leisure sector due to the Covid-19 pandemic.  The partnership was moving towards business as usual and direct comparison to the performance originally envisaged in the contract. The following priorities had been identified for the partnership to focus on in 2024/25:

·         Continue to develop and grow the Healthwise Programme to increase participation by underrepresented groups and those with specific health conditions.

·         Continue to develop partnerships locally with schools and other community organisations to increase participation in physical activity beyond the boundary of the leisure centres.

·         Continue to improve the quality of service to customers using Trustpilot as the key customer feedback mechanism.

·         Improve data collection and analysis to measure the impact of the services provided and to engage and increase participation by underrepresented groups, reflecting the demographics of Reading.

·         Implement independent quality assessment of services (Quest) at Palmer Park and Rivermead.

Stephanie Smith and Craig Woodward of GLL gave a presentation which included information on usages statistics for 2023, energy and environmental improvements, outcomes from the Healthwise referral programme and other community work.

The Committee discussed the presentation and asked further questions of GLL including on plans for the current demountable pool, improvements to the site entrance area including the drainage ditch, refugee memberships, disability programmes, Your Reading Passport discounts and opportunities to promote GLL’s community programmes.

Resolved –

(1)          That the performance of GLL in respect of the operation of the leisure contract, as set out in the report and presentation, be noted;

(2)       That the opening of the new facilities and swimming pool at Palmer Park Leisure Centre & Stadium in December 2022 and Rivermead Leisure Centre in July 2023 and the planned pools opening in summer 2024, both of which had been built to BREEAM excellent sustainability standards, be noted;

(3)       That the successful refurbishments at South Reading and Meadway Leisure Centres be noted;

(4)       That the priorities for 2024/25 as set out above be endorsed;

(5)       That the receipt of the Sport England Strategic Facilities Fund grant of £1.5m funding contribution towards the construction costs of the new leisure facilities at Rivermead and Palmer Park be noted.