PAPER C2
Purpose :
For Decision
Committee : EXECUTIVE
Date : 27 AUGUST 2002
Title : BID TO HOST THE INTERNATIONAL
ISLAND GAMES 2007
PORTFOLIO
HOLDER FOR EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
Members are
asked to consider supporting the Isle of Wight Island Games Association (IWIGA)
id to organise and stage the 2007 Inter Island Games.
BACKGROUND
The IWIGA
opened discussions with the Council in May 2000 on the potential of hosting the
2005 Games. At this time Members felt
unable to support such a bid as they had not seen a detailed business plan
relating to the full costs of staging the Games. The Executive of 28th
July 2000, was supportive in principle
of future bids if a more detailed business plan could be prepared by the
IWGA. The Committee did agree to host
the games in 2005 if the Shetland Isles could not manage it.
On the back
of this decision to support the games
the IWIGA have again been in contact with representatives of the Council with a
view to the Island hosting the 2007 Games.
Officers of the IWIGA have indicated that the only likely contender for
the 2007 Games will be Rhodes, however, its plans to host the Games in June are
unlikely to gain support as this would clash with the education system of the
many competing Islands.
Any Island
wishing to bid for the 2007 Games needs to give a statement of intent to bid
by the middle of September 2002. The bidding islands then have until the end
of December 2002 to prepare and submit a detailed bid to the International
Islands Games Executive Committee. This information needs to come in the way of
a professionally produced publicity video and presentation document. This document, along with the video are vital in the bidding process as they
have to demonstrate to the Island Games Executive the professional intent of
the bidding island, showing clearly the support of its Local Government or
Local Authority.
The Island
Games Executive will then, after hearing formal presentations at the 2003 games
in Guernsey, award the 2007 Games.
The task of
preparing a very professional bid before the end of November 2002 cannot be
under-estimated. Research from the
organising committee=s of the last two Games indicates that the cost
of such a process can be up to ,30,000
excluding any officer time. There would also be an issue of re-scheduling work
programmes to accommodate such support. The IWIGA has highlighted the support
needed from the Council if it is to proceed with any formal bid to the Island
Games Executive.
A bidding
committee would need to be formed to oversee the production of both the video
and the bidding document and to formally present the Island=s case to the Island Games
Executive. Because of the timescales of production, and the structure,
content and quality of the publicity material needed for the bid, it is likely
that the bidding committee would need to use existing publicity materials to help
produce this piece of work within the timescale.
If the
Council chooses to support the bid then it is also choosing to support the
Games themselves. Estimates received
from the IWIGA would indicate that the cost of underwriting the Games could be
in the order of ,250,000, excluding official time and facility
hire. To what degree the Council would
have to meet this cost will depend on the level of sponsorship and support that
could be raised by the organisers.
If the
Island=s bid were to be successful then the
organisation of the Games themselves would be undertaken by a specially formed
company, probably charitable and limited by
guarantee. The Council would
have representation on the board of the company but the liability for the
organisation and financing of the Games would be with the Company and not the
Council. In this way the Council could,
if it so chose, fund the Games against milestones achieved throughout a
business plan and limit its own liabilities to a fixed sum. This model has been used successfully in
some of the more recent Games.
Investigations
have been carried out by officers into potential partnership funding towards
the bidding process from both European and Isle of Wight Regeneration
organisations. (Isle of Wight Partnership, Single Regeneration Budgets and the
Rural Development Programme) To date
these investigations have proved unsuccessful, although funds may be available
to stage the event from European sources when the funding programmes change
next year.
The IWIGA
have suggested that the Games would boost the economy of the Island by up to ,500,000, a figure that relates to both the Isle of Man (2001) and
Guernsey (2003) bids. The important
difference, however, is that both Guernsey and the Isle of Man expect that this
money will accrue directly to their own governments in the form of taxes (VAT,
duty, tax on profits) and will therefore help offset the cost of staging the
Games. This will not be the case on the
Isle of Wight.
To confirm
local support, the IWIGA has consulted with all the local Sports Co-ordinators,
involved in the 2001 Isle of Man Games to ascertain the capability of the
individual sports to host their particular events. Most of the sports that responded felt they could, with the
facilities available host any future Island Games.
FINANCIAL
IMPLICATIONS
It is estimated that the
cost of supporting a structured and professional bid to the Island Games
Executive will be a maximum of ,30,000.
There is no current budget provision for this expenditure.
It is
estimated that the Council may be required to pay a maximum grant of ,250,000 to the charitable company that would organise the Games on the
Island. Provision may be made on the
basis of ,62,500 p.a. for 4 years commencing in
2004/05. There is no budget
provision in the Council=s base budget to support this expenditure.
The Council currently
grant the IWIGA ,10,000 per year from its base budgets to support The Isle of
Wight team=s entry into the Games.
LEGAL
IMPLICATIONS
None
OPTIONS
1. To support the Isle of Wight Island
Games Association=s bid to host the 2007 International Island
Games on the IOW.
2. To fund the bidding process to a
maximum of ,30,000.
3. To support the organisation of the International Island
Games on the IoW by a charitable company specially created for the purpose.
4. To
fund the organisation of the International Island Games on the IoW to a maximum
of ,250,000, subject to the production of a business plan by not later than
October 2003. Payments to be against
the achievement of key milestones as determined by the business plan.
5. Not to support either a bid for or the
organisation of the 2007 Inter Island Games on the Isle of Wight.
RECOMMENDATIONS
THAT Options 1 - 4 be
adopted.
BACKGROUND PAPERS
Island Games File
Contact Name: John
Metcalfe ? 823825
Strategic Director Portfolio Holder
Education and Community
Development Education
and Lifelong Learning
