The Leader of the Council had accepted a deputation
request from Park Road Lido User Group in relation to agenda Item 9
- Leisure Management.
Sharon Louth addressed the Cabinet and set out the
deputation on behalf of Park Road Lido User Group.
NOTED:
-
Park Road Lido User Group is a group of over 1000
swimmers passionate about the Lido. The group emphasised the
positive impact it had on Haringey residents. The group expressed
concerns for the Lido’s future and explained that this was a
vital part of Haringey’s leisure offer. They wanted to be
reassured that the Lido was sufficiently considered in future plans
and closure during the winter period was a particular worry for
residents. They contended that the report on leisure services
lacked vision and clarity and that there was no specific mention of
swimming.
-
The deputation party felt that the report spoke of
reputational risk to the Council if it were to contract out to
another failing leisure provider and believed it didn’t give
similar weight to the Council failing due to a lack of expertise or
financial backing or had sufficient information to truly assess the
risks.
-
The leisure services report recommended Council
delivery; however, in the deputation’s view, the contents of
the report did not make convincing arguments for this. The group
thought it was important for members to consider whether without
any current resident consultation, the right information was
provided to make an effective decision at this meeting.
There were questions from Cllr Hakata and Cllr
Chandwani to the deputation party and
they responded as follows:
-
Historically, the Council had not kept the Lido open
effectively. The group recognised the pressures on the Council
budget, and due to this it was viewed as at a higher risk being a
Council managed facility than an external contracted facility. The
deputation felt that an external provider would have more
experience in running the Lido as a business.
-
There were examples given of where the running of
services by a private company had worked well, for example the
London Fields Lido. The group questioned whether there had been
discussion of how private companies worked on services in other
local authorities.
The Cabinet Member for Culture, Communities &
Leisure responded to the deputation. She reaffirmed that the
Council would be looking carefully at how leisure services were run
and would be listening to resident’s views and concerns. She
also provided reassurance that indoor and outdoor swimming would be
a consideration in the long-term vision planned for the leisure
provision across the borough. The cost of keeping the Lido open had
been included in budget estimates and officers had also included
the estimates for energy saving measures. The plan would be to keep
the Lido open all year round, the Council wanted to invest in the
Lido to reduce the running costs and improve the income generating
potential. In terms of running the service, the Council have in
house knowledge to effectively do this. It was estimated that
Fusion was understaffed and lacked financial resources. However,
both elements would be addressed under the Council's management of
the service, and the Council were committed to carrying out a
consultation exercise to make sure that the service reflected lives
and embodied values and operational priorities.