Purpose : For Decision
Committee : EXECUTIVE
Date : 21 MAY 2002
Title : MANAGEMENT OF TOURISM SERVICES
PORTFOLIO HOLDER –
TOURISM AND LEISURE
1. The Head of Tourism has secured another post and his last working day with the Authority is 14 June 2002. Elsewhere on this agenda is the Best Value Report on Tourism together with a recommendation that options for the future of Tourism Services be considered. These options include keeping Tourism Services ‘in house’ and ‘externalising’ them in the form of either a Trust or Limited Company.
2. It would be sensible to decide which of these two very different options are to be pursued before proceeding with the appointment of a new ‘Head of Tourism’ – it would be unrealistic and unfair to expect applicants to come not knowing the broad future organisational arrangements. Indeed, it may be that the two jobs would be so different as to require different skills and abilities. In view of this, temporary management arrangements need to be made to take effect from 15 June 2002 until such time as the Council and its Partners have decided on organisational arrangements they wish to put in place.
3. The October 2001 re-structuring placed Wight Leisure with Parks, Beaches and Esplanades Management in the Community Development Branch of the Education and Community Development Directorate. Tourism, which had previously reported to the former Chief Executive was placed with the Director of Finance as an interim measure until its future following the Best Value Review had been determined. Purely for workload reasons it was not possible to keep Wight Leisure and Tourism in the same Directorate although Tourism representatives would have liked this.
4. Now that the decision to externalise Wight Leisure has been made, only the client leisure function will remain with the Council. This change, together with the departure of the Head of Tourism, now provides the opportunity to bring together the Leisure client function, Parks, Beaches and Esplanades Management and Tourism within the Community Development Branch of the Education and Community Development Directorate without overstretching the management capacity of the Directorate. It also provides competent management oversight of Tourism whilst its future is determined. In addition, if it were decided to externalise Tourism Services then this is the sensible place to put the Council’s client Tourism function alongside its client function for Leisure and its management of Parks, Beaches and Esplanades.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1. That Tourism Services be relocated from the Directorate of Finance and Information to the Directorate of Education and Community Development.
2. That the Head of Community Development take overall responsibility for Tourism until the future organisational arrangements are put in place.
3. That the Head of Paid Services and Head of Community Development determine temporary arrangements to ensure the continued good management of Tourism Services until the future organisational arrangements are in place, the costs of which will not exceed the salary costs of the departing Head of Tourism.
BACKGROUND
PAPERS
None
Contact Point : Alan Kaye, F 823400
|
A
KAYE Strategic
Director, Education and Community Development |
M
JARMAN Portfolio
Holder – Tourism and Leisure |