PAPER D
Purpose :
For Decision
Committee : EXECUTIVE
Date : 27 AUGUST 2002
Title : EXTERNALISATION OF LEISURE
SERVICES
PORTFOLIO
HOLDER FOR TOURISM AND LEISURE
SUMMARY/PURPOSE
This report
updates Members on the progress made in externalising the Council=s leisure services to a Not for Profit Distributing Body (NPDO), and
seeks agreement for a delay in the previously suggested target date for the
transfer.
BACKGROUND
On 21 May 2002
the Executive agreed to seek to externalise the leisure services provided
through Wight Leisure to a Not for Profit Distributing Organisation (NPDO) by 1
October 2002.
At the time
of preparing that report it was felt
that Awith the goodwill and best endeavours of all
parties@, then a 1 October transfer may be
possible. The Executive agreed to
receive a report at today=s meeting on the final details of the agreements
reached with the NPDO for its agreement.
Unfortunately
it would seem that the timetable set out for Members on 21 May was optimistic
and this report is intended only as an update, rather than a summary of the
agreements reached.
A business
plan proposal has been received from an embryonic NPDO B Wight Leisure Limited (WLL), and this has been worked through by
officers and consultants acting on behalf of the Council. It has thrown up a great many questions and
issues for answer and negotiation in order to ensure that the final agreement,
when reached, gives the Council sufficient protection and ensures that all of
the service improvements set out in the Best Value Review are capable of being
achieved.
The Economic
Development, Planning, Tourism and Leisure Select Committee has met informally
on 3 occasions to consider aspects of the business plan proposal. It is scheduled to meet on a regular
fortnightly basis until such time as a final agreement, suitable for
recommendation to the Executive has been reached. Work is also progressing on the preparation of the draft transfer
agreements, funding agreement and necessary leases and licences and these are
expected to be completed by Friday 23 August.
Advice taken
from the Council=s consultants, in this matter, is that a
transfer date of mid November could be achieved, depending on the successful
conclusion of negotiations with WLL.
There has
been much work done, but there is still much to do on what is a complex
externalisation arrangement.