To receive an update on the work of the Leisure Trust.
Minutes:
(i) Alive Leisure
The Chief Executive of Alive Leisure presented the Panel with information on the first seven months operation of the Trust. The arrangements had been put in place in order to deliver significant financial savings to the Council. Those present were reminded that a lot of work had been involved in setting up the complex arrangements. Alive Leisure was an independent Trust and a Charity. The arrangements also involved Alive Management Limited and the Borough Council.
Alive Leisure went live on 1st September 2014 and as part of the contractual arrangements Alive Leisure was required to present to the Panel twice a year.
The Chief Executive of Alive Leisure explained that a Trust Board had been established, made up of volunteers which were bound by Articles of Association.
The Panel was provided with an overview of the Alive Leisure Board structure. The Trust had established several Committees, including Governance, Audit and Strategy Committees, all which reported to the Alive Trust Board of Directors.
The Chief Executive explained that a lot of work had been carried out since the arrangements went live, which included the development of various policies and plans. Those present were reminded that Alive Leisure’s Business Plan had previously been presented to the Regeneration, Environment and Community Panel.
The Trust was a Charity and therefore had established charitable objectives as follows:
· To promote for the benefit of the public, particularly in West Norfolk, activities regardless of age, ability, infirmity, financial hardship, social or economic circumstances.
· An active and healthy lifestyle.
· Advancement of the arts, culture or heritage, drama, creative dance, movement, music for everyone.
To meet the charitable objectives of the Trust, various initiatives and activities had been provided, such as the Alive Leisure Card, inclusive activities and a GP referral programme.
The Chief Executive of the Trust provided detail of the Trust’s performance for the first seven months of operation. A surplus of £154,000 had been achieved. In accordance with agreed arrangements the first £50,000 of the surplus went to Alive Leisure with the rest of the surplus being split 50/50 between the Council and Alive Leisure. A recent meeting between Alive Leisure and Alive Management had been held and both Boards of Directors had agreed to reinvest part of their share of the surplus and proposals on how to reinvest were being considered. The remaining surplus available to the Leisure Trust would be used to build up their reserves.
The Chief Executive of Alive Leisure explained that there had been some challenges since the arrangements went live. Dealing with three different entities had been challenging as this involved three sets of bank accounts, auditors etc. There had also been some issues with IT services and the provision of an online booking system and delays in the production of the accounts, due to the complexity involved, but issues were in the process of being resolved.
Those present were provided with statistics relating to Key Performance Indicators which had been set up by the Trust. The Key Performance Indicators would be used for benchmarking next year. The Panel was informed that the subsidy per user had decreased since 2013/2014. This was because operational costs had reduced due to the new arrangements. The Chief Executive of Alive Leisure reminded those present that it was difficult to benchmark against 2013/2014 as the facilities were still under Council operation for part of the year.
Customer care surveys had been conducted and a Net Promoter Score produced of 20% for Alive Leisure and 67% for Alive Corn Exchange.
The Head of Programming and Marketing for Alive Leisure provided those present with details of recent popular shows at the Corn Exchange, she explained that many shows had been sell outs. Standing gigs had also been introduced which increased capacity. The Corn Exchange also recently celebrated its most successful day ever with 2,000 customers in one day coming in to three sell out performances of Sing-a-Long Frozen.
Those present were informed that the 2014 Pantomime was the most successful Panto ever at the Corn Exchange with over 21,000 visitors. A customer satisfaction survey had been sent out following the Panto with customers giving 4.7 out of 5 for the venue and 4.7 out of 5 for the show.
The Head of Programming and Marketing for Alive Leisure reminded those present that Alive Leisure had launched a new website and also used social media. An Alive rewards referral scheme had been introduced which gave customers the chance to win prizes, donated by local businesses, if they referred a new customer.
The Chairman thanked the representatives from Alive Leisure for attending the meeting and invited questions and comments from the Panel, as summarised below.
In response to a question from Councillor Bubb, the Chief Executive of Alive Leisure explained that the proposed new road and housing development surrounding Lynnsport had not had a negative effect on use of the facility at the present time and no complaints had been received. He commented that some of the consultation events had been held at Lynnsport.
Councillor Moriarty asked how the net promoter scores were calculated in relation to the customer satisfaction surveys. The Head of Programming and Marketing explained that scores were given out of one to ten. Scores of 0-6 were considered detractors, 7-8 were discounted and 9-10 were included as promoters. The score was then worked out from the difference between promoters and detractors.
The Vice Chairman, Councillor Mrs Wright asked if there were any plans to promote more classical music concerts at the Corn Exchange. The Head of Programming and Marketing explained that she worked closely with King’s Lynn Festival and it was hoped that a year round programme could be provided in the future. The Vice Chairman requested that consideration be given to the different types of classical music which could be provided and asked that Alive Leisure keep classical music within their programming vision. The Head of Programming and Marketing commented that she looked to provide a broad cross section of shows, which would assist in meeting the Trust’s Charitable Objectives.
(ii) Alive Sports Development
The Senior Development Manager and Sports Development Manager from Alive Leisure provided those present with an overview of Sports Development. A summary of events was provided which included the Grand East Anglian Run, Fit for Work Games, Hunstanton Bowls Tournament and the Inter Village Games.
The Sports Development Manager explained that lots of work was carried out with young people in the Borough and initiatives included the sports link programme, which linked children with sports clubs by getting the club to come into schools to deliver sessions. The Sports Development Team also delivered Sportivate which was aimed at 14-25 year olds and involved the provision of 6 to 8 week courses.
The Team also worked within the leisure centres and provided school sports offer at a discounted rate, for example groups could come in and use the skate park or climbing wall. All of the High Schools in the Borough had been engaged in the programme.
The Sports Development Team also worked with local clubs and organisations to assist with providing assistance with applying for grants and work was also carried out in the community, offering activities such as ‘get back into’ and beginners programmes.
Those present were provided with information on initiatives in villages such as the village sports co-ordinator scheme and the Inter Village Games. Some villages had also provided a summer sports programme which provided activities for children and families.
The Sports Development Team were also involved in the provision of inclusive activities for people with disabilities and this included a wide range of ongoing initiatives such as adapted sports days. The Sports Development Team worked to assist in making activities sustainable.
The Chairman thanked the Sports Development Team for their presentation and invited questions and comments from the Panel, as summarised below.
In response to a question from Councillor Moriarty, the Chief Executive of Alive Leisure confirmed that Time Credits were still accepted at the facilities.
The Chairman, on behalf of both Panels thanked all those involved in setting up the new arrangements and hoped that it continued to be successful.
RESOLVED: That the Environment and Community Panel be provided with twice yearly updates on the work of the Leisure Trust.