Category Archives: Leisure

The Beacon’s finances – any risk here?

I heard that Tories in the Wantage area have been claiming that The Beacon has a smaller deficit now than when the Liberal Democrats were in power (up until May 2011). (By ‘deficit’, we’ve always meant the difference between their income and expenses, which is roughly the amount Vale contributes to their running costs every year.)

I was pretty sure this wasn’t true. (I reserve judgement about whether it was another deliberate campaign lie, or simple ignorance about finances. Or something else?)

So I asked officers for a view of the finances over the years. Here’s what I got back.

The table below sets out the budgeted income and expenditure for The Beacon, and the actual income and expenditure for the Beacon. It also sets out the Planned Budget (the budgeted income and expenditure) and the Council Contribution (the actual income and expenditure), plus the variance. 

 

The difference between actual income and actual expenditure is what we’ve all called the ‘deficit’. It is the same thing as the column called ‘council contribution’.

(The rightmost column isn’t too interesting except to demonstrate the Tories’ pattern of poor financial management; last year, for example, they ended the year £31k over budget, or 12.9% over budget.)

It speaks for itself really.

Here’s another bit of info in response to a FOI request from a local resident who wanted to know how high the deficit was in each year, in terms of percentage of council tax : The column called Wantage taxbase is he number of household in Wantage that pay tax.

If you consider the district council tax that a household in Wantage pays (column 2), then 47% of that is going to subsidise The Beacon.

In other words, in the year that ended in May 2018, each Wantage household paid £121.69 in council tax. Of that, you could look at it as about £57 went to subside the deficit at The Beacon. (I don’t have comparable figures for earlier years, only the operational deficits above.)

My point in all this? Leisure facilities are within council’s non-statutory services. Those are services that aren’t required by law. So as the central government continues to strangle the  budgets of local authorities, it would be reasonable to expect that funding of The Beacon could come under threat. (Just like the funding for all leisure facilities in Vale could be under threat.)

I’ve seen no evidence that The Beacon is actively trying to reduce their dependency on council funding, and I think any good management would include such actions in their risk mitigation.

Is there any risk assessment and mitigation going on at all? To hear about that, we need to ask Cllr Alice Badcock, who is the Cabinet member responsible for leisure services.

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.

Draft Budget 2017/18 published

Vale Cabinet member for Finance, Cllr Robert Sharp, has published his draft budget for review. Cabinet will consider it on Friday 3 Feb at 9:30. Councillors will be briefed by Finance team on Tuesday 7th Feb, and Scrutiny will review and feedback on Friday 7th at 19:00.  Cabinet and Scrutiny meetings are open to the public, at the council offices in Milton Park. The final version goes to full council on 15 Feb, 19:00 at The Beacon in Wantage.

Previously I posted the growth bid we submitted for leisure provision in Botley:  http://cllrdebbyhallett.com/2016/11/24/botley-leisure-provision/

The draft budget includes £20,000 for a two-days-per-week leisure officer to help Botley plan for what we want up at Louie Memorial fields.

There isn’t yet a commitment to the capital over two years to do the build. But here’s the plan:

“The use of capital receipts in relation to the redevelopment of West Way in Botley will be considered upon receipt. This will include a review of potential projects in the local area as well as investment opportunities to replace the loss of income from West Way. No adjustment to the capital programme is proposed at this stage to take account of either the capital receipt or any relevant expenditure.”

That basically means they don’t commit at this point to building out the pavilion scout hut, skate park and other things we’ve asked for. But if and when the profits from the sale of West Way assets are received, they will consider using some of the money for local projects. Which means our Botley Leisure project that the 2 days a week officer will help organise. !!

The other thing you may have seen (I put it on Facebook): the Leisure studies of community facilities, which are part of the evidence for the Local Plan part 2, came to Scrutiny last week. In them, one of the High Priority projects for 2018/19 and 2019/20 is “replace or refurbish Louie Memorial Pavilion and the scout hut.”

The budget takes effect in May 2017, so let’s be ready to work that officer to the full two days a week!

It’s pretty good news, after all these years of hard work.

Botley leisure provision

(Updated 8 Dec with a revised proposal)

For the 2017/18 budget, the Lib Dems have proposed a growth item to provide for leisure facilities for children and teens in Botley. Since I was first elected in 2011, I’ve been trying to improve the provision of leisure facilities in Botley and the north east area of the Vale. It’s been a saga. Various consultations have overlooked this area, and recent years’ investments in leisure facilities have gone to other areas of Vale. Attempts to jump start this effort by motions to full council have also failed.

This proposal is to fund the collaborative programme between Vale and North Hinksey Parish Council and Louie Memorial Pavilion Trust and the Scouts (and any other interested party) to replace the Louie Memorial Pavilion and Scouts’ hut with a new shared facility, and to provide a replacement skate park and other recreational facilities for older children and teens.

Here’s the proposal we’ve submitted for this budget:

Botley Leisure Provision  – Executive Summary

Version 2: 8 Dec 2016. Modified to create one rev bid for 2017/18 and two capital bids for 2 subsequent years.

Purpose of Report

  1. Provide background information about leisure provision in Botley
  2. Propose solutions to remedy current lack of provision by a revenue bid in 2017/18 for leisure officer resource to lead the planning of the project, and two capital bids in each of 2018/19 and 2019/20 for development of the leisure facilities described in this proposal.

Background

The Vale of White Horse currently provides no  leisure or sport facilities in Botley. In the past, our reliance on provision by Brookes University and Matthew Arnold School may have gone some way to meeting need, but those facilities are no longer freely available for public use.

In Sept 2009 the Botley skate bowl, built in 1991, was destroyed by thieves ramming a stolen car into it and setting it on fire. In Feb 2010 the North Hinksey Parish Council decided it was too expensive to repair or replace and so permanently closed the skate bowl.

In recent years the Louie Memorial Pavilion has undergone transformation from a neglected empty building to a valued community resource used by youth groups, football teams and community groups, and which has money in the bank. But the LM Pavilion requires ongoing expensive maintenance and has reached the end of its useful life. Parish council support has grown to the point where it seems a good time now for a collaborative and positive contribution to local leisure and sport facilities.

Strategy Consultations

  1. In 2007 or thereabouts (we can’t find the report, but only references to it) an assessment report by Sport England declared that Botley was under provided with sport facilities, especially for older children and teens. ‘Deprived’ was the word they used. (Note please this was during the time when the skate bowl was still there.)
  2. In 2009, Vale’s Open Space, Sport and Recreation Provision Strategy found a gap in sport provision in the northeast area of Vale, and noted particularly that teen facilities were poor. (Note please this was during the time when the skate bowl was still there.)
  3. In Dec 2012, Vale’s Leisure & Sports facility public consultation defined 4 main settlement areas in the Vale: Abingdon, Botley, Faringdon, Wantage & Grove. The consultation questionnaire asked questions about every area except for Botley; there were no questions about provision in Botley.
  4. In May 2013, Cllr Debby Hallett’s letter to Cllr Elaine Ware outlined concerns of residents in Botley about the Leisure & Sport Facilities Strategy. The lack of any recent needs assessment in Botley meant there was no negotiating power for s106 obligations from the three main housing developments (Timbmet, Lime Rd and Tilbury Lane), and hence, no money from those developers for leisure or sport needs. The consultation shortcoming meant no new provision in the area for the next generation, and no leverage for negotiating s106 and CIL money for local infrastructure. 

Budgets: Money promised for sport & leisure facility provision

  1. May 2014: approx £2,000,000 announced as part of the new leisure contract for White Horse Leisure Centre in Abingdon for gym expansion, new equipment, energy improvements.
  2. May 2014: approx £1,000,000 announced as part of the new leisure contract for Faringdon for new pitches, squash court, gym equipment and energy improvements.
  3. Feb 2015: Capital growth item £500,000 for sport and leisure improvements in Abbey Meadow in Abingdon.
  4. Feb 2015: Capital growth item £12,000,000 over three years, for a new Wantage Grove Leisure Centre.
  5. April 2016: Vale announced £415,623 to refurbish the swimming pool at White Horse Leisure and Tennis Centre in Abingdon.
  6. 11 Jul 2016: Abingdon outdoor pool to be replaced, the cost to be over and above the original £500,000 (in item 3, above). No precise costs announced.
  7. Oct 2016. Local Vale council members from Botley propose that council include growth bids(s) for leisure facilities for Botley.

Conclusions

  1. One of Vale’s responsibilities is to provide sport and leisure facilities throughout the whole district, including Botley and the north east area.
  2. Botley and the north east area are underprovided with leisure and sport facilities.
  3. Botley and the north east area were left out of the leisure and sports facilities studies, which underpin the emerging Vale Local Plan.
  4. There is nothing about sport and leisure provision in Botley and the north east in the newly adopted Vale Corporate Plan.
  5. Without assessment of need, there is no evidence of need to support CIL or s106 negotiations.
  6. Because of these omissions, there is a likelihood of nothing for Botley and the north east area in the next generation unless extraordinary steps are taken.

Proposals

The time is right for Vale to work with local people and parish councils to create a work plan and sources of funding to provide facilities, especially for older children and young people, such as a skate park, adventure playground, sport pavilion with community meeting space for clubs, scouts, and other leisure and sport uses. An appropriate site is available at Louie Memorial Fields; the Playing Fields Association rep says it’s a big enough site. The scouts’ lease on their scout hut just next to the pavilion is up this year, so they are a partner in this. Some funding is available from North Hinksey Parish Council and we can explore other funding sources.

  1. 2017/18 Revenue growth bid £20,000 for officer to help local bodies with project and facilities plans, consultations, tendering, and all the things that go with a leisure facilities development project. Leisure officers know how to do this; local people usually do not. Cost is based on one officer (£35,000pa) for two days a week, plus some money for events and travel).
  2. 2018/19 medium term financial plan. Capital bid for skate park or wheeled sports facility, some sort of adventure playground, walking/running track, other sport or fitness equipment, and landscaping to bring it all together: £150,000
  3. 2019/20 medium term financial plan: Capital bid to replace pavilion and scout hut, with new facility to include showers, changing rooms, pubic toilets, secure storage, flexible meeting and activity space, kitchen: £600,000

Cllr Debby Hallett