Leisure spend for Vale areas, a comparison

(Updated 1 Sept to add the reply to my supplementary question about fairness.)

At the full council meeting on 18th July 2018, I asked the Cabinet member for Leisure, Cllr Alice Badcock, for a breakdown, by area, of the capital programmes for leisure in the past 5 years. By ‘area’, I meant the market towns and service centres of Wantage & Grove, Faringdon, Abingdon and Botley. Note the right hand column, for total spend over the 5 years for each area.

Then I asked for a breakdown, by area, of the plans for spending on leisure in the coming 5 years. (We have a medium term financial plan, MTFP, published each year.) Note the right hand column, with the planned capital spend for the next 5 years in each area.

Then I asked for the Cabinet member’s thoughts on the fairness of this. She said she was new to the post and would respond in writing. I haven’t had it yet (today is the 7th of August).

Update 1 Sept. Here is Cllr Badcock’s answer to my supplementary question, which was to ask for her thoughts on the fairness of this.

She wrote, “The Vale leisure facilities, where we are responsible for the buildings, are all located in the three locations of Wantage, Faringdon and Abingdon. The figures include the annual leisure centre essential works budget of £300,000 (i.e Major Repairs & maintenance); the council’s capital leisure projects namely the new district leisure centre proposed for Grove, Abbey Meadows Outdoor Pool and Abbey Meadows Park Improvement Projects. It also includes a number of capital leisure centre projects that the Council agreed as part of the Leisure Management Contract with GLL in 2014, in return for an increase management fee from GLL. The contract is worth in excess of £1.1 million per annum to the Vale”.

I wrote to her on the 16th of August asking for clarification on how her reply answers my question about fairness. I haven’t had a reply.