NORTH LINCOLNSHIRE COUNCIL
LEISURE SERVICES COMMITTEE
20 January 2000
PRESENT:- Councillor Smith in the chair.
Councillors Whiteley (vice-chair), Barkley, Billam, Mrs Bromby, Carlile, Chapman, England, Gosling, M Kirk, P Kirk, Long, Mrs Metcalfe, Phillips, Sherwood, Vickers and Wood.
Councillor Barkworth attended the meeting under the provisions of Standing Order 40(b).
The committee met at Pittwood House, Scunthorpe.
722 DECLARATIONS OF PECUNIARY OR NON-PECUNIARY INTERESTS - Declarations of non-pecuniary interests were declared by the following members -
(i) Councillor Gosling in respect of minute 731 (Lodge Moors Community Centre)
(ii) Councillor Phillips in respect of minute 738 (Central Community Centre Lease)
(iii) Councillor Vickers in respect of minute 733 (Barton Carnival)
723 CHAIR'S REMARKS - The chair referred to the £500 awarded to the council by the Musician's Union as part of the Performing Rights Society Jazz Promotion Awards 1999/2000 following submission of an application to help promote jazz at Scunthorpe Screen (minute 710 refers). He displayed the certificate collected at a recent presentation in Nottingham.
A letter of thanks would be sent to the above Society and Musician's Union.
724 MINUTES - Resolved - That the minutes of the proceedings of this committee of 4 November, 1999 having been printed and circulated amongst the members be taken as read and correctly recorded and be signed by the chair.
725 (49) ANNUAL LIBRARY PLAN 1999 - Further to minute 687, the Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report on the appraisal of North Lincolnshire Council's Annual Library Plan for 1999 by the Department of Culture, Media and Sports (DCMS) using a new assessment criteria formulated by a steering group comprising representatives of the Local Government Association, the Society of Chief Librarians, the Advisory Council on Libraries and the DCMS.
The report explained the simplified rating scales used by the new assessment criteria and stated that North Lincolnshire Council plan had been given a score of 3 (awarded for particularly good plans) and summarised the assessors general comments as follows "A well organised and effectively executed plan presented in a clear and concise format. It represents a model of its kind, being balanced, ambitious and realistic. The way ahead plan continues the excellent development of the service".
Resolved - (a) That members note the appraisal results of the 1999 Annual Library Plan; (b) that the Director of Education and Personal Development continue to work with DCMS to obtain further guidance on the planning process for 2000, and (c) that the draft plan for 2000 submitted to a future meeting of this service committee.
726 (50) LIBRARY SERVICE - AUDIT COMMISSION BEST VALUE INSPECTION FIELD TRIAL - The Director of Education and Personal Development referred to minute 552 and submitted a report on the findings of the recent Best Value field trial inspection of the Library Service undertaken by inspectors of the Audit Commission from 23 August to 3 September, 1999.
The report explained that during the above nine days the inspectors examined documents, visited library facilities and interviewed elected members, senior management, library staff and service users. The process culminated in an 'interim challenge' presentation at which the inspectors outlined their preliminary findings and invited feedback. A final inspection report was received on 15 October, 1999 highlighting good practice and setting out key improvements.
The inspection report received from the Audit Commission was generally positive awarding three out of five stars and characterising North Lincolnshire libraries as "serving people well with some areas in need of improvement". The final judgement of the inspectors reflected their belief "that the management capability within the library service and the wider organisation is strong". They went on to express the view that "in terms of service quality, local and national concerns have been seriously addressed and staff throughout the libraries are committed to maintaining high standards of public service".
A separate report was prepared and considered by the Policy Committee on 2 December 1999 outlining the corporate issues arising from the inspection. This report concentrated on the specific implications for the library service where improvement action needs to be considered. The improvement actions were also identified in the report for consideration by this committee.
Moved by the vice-chair and seconded by the chair -
(a) That the report of the library service Best Value inspection field trial undertaken by the Audit Commission be welcomed as making a positive contribution to the drive to secure continuous improvement, and (b) that the lessons to be learnt by the library service from the inspection report be noted and the action being taken to address the issues raised be progressed as identified in paragraph 3.2 of the report.
Moved by Councillor England and seconded by Councillor M Kirk as an amendment -
The motion with the addition of (c) That the council give priority to a review of the Library Service and issues be referred to a new Scrutiny Committee to make recommendations in the light of the requirements of Best Value.
Amendment Carried
Substantive Motion Carried
727 (51) LIBRARIES FOR ALL : SOCIAL INCLUSION - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report summarising issues raised within the recently published policy guidance for local authorities in England "Libraries for All : Social Inclusion in Public Libraries" published by the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) in October, 1999.
The report explained that the DCMS had defined the following overall aim of its social inclusion policy as: "To promote the involvement in culture and leisure activities of those at risk of social disadvantage or marginalism, particularly by virtue of the area they live in; their disability or age, racial or ethnic origin. To improve the quality of people's lives by these means". This new policy document aimed to stimulate and direct this role by providing practical guidance on what libraries could do to help and the director in his report summarised the documents main recommendations, its six point plan for library authorities and identified further challenges which libraries would need to address.
The director also explained that many of the policy document's recommendations had already been recognised and embraced in the planning processes of North Lincolnshire Libraries and Information Services. These principles had been fundamental to the development of the Home Library Service; the Multi-Cultural Project; Mobile Library Provision; Earlybird; Bookstart and Web Development. However, there were further implications for the strategic review of services and for the response of the council to the role set out for libraries by government. Comments on the policy document were invited by the DCMS by 31 January, 2000.
Resolved - That the DCMS guidance on social inclusion in public libraries be welcomed and that the role set out for the service be recognised as a major contribution to the council's strategic policies on inclusion and access.
728 (52) COMMUNITY RECREATION - CHILD PROTECTION PROCEDURE - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report seeking approval of the Community Recreation Child Protection Procedure.
The Community Recreation Child Protection Procedure which was appended to the report, aimed to prevent unsuitable individuals becoming involved with children and at the same time ensured that all staff received training and management support to enable them to protect children. The procedure supported and enhanced the existing North Lincolnshire Area Child Protection Committee Guidelines in relation to the Children Act 1989 and other relevant policies and procedures.
Resolved - That the Community Recreation Child Protection Procedure as appended to the report be approved and adopted.
729 (53) NORMANBY HALL COUNTRY PARK - INCOME GENERATION PROPOSALS - Further to minute 713, the Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report on work undertaken to date on developing Income Generation Proposals for Normanby Hall Country Park.
The report stated that a number of ideas had been developed for consideration which were addressed under the headings (i) Increase the Use of Function Suite, (ii) Product Improvement and (iii) Walled Garden, and explained that a working group of members and officers was being established to develop further ideas for consideration at future meetings.
Resolved - (a) That the above Income Generation Proposals identified under the above headings be approved and the resource implications be considered as part of the budget setting process; (b) that the Working Group report back with further ideas as appropriate, and (c) that one member of the Conservative Group (name to be notified) be invited to be a member of the above working group.
730 (54) MUSEUM SERVICE OUTREACH POLICY - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report seeking members views and approval for consultation purposes of the draft Outreach Policy for the Museums Service. The Museums Services Forward Plan had previously identified the need for an Outreach Policy to enable priorities to be set for the direction outreach work should take.
The draft Outreach Policy which was appended to the report outlined the current position listing existing initiatives undertaken in recent months and identified twenty more detailed objectives over the next five years which were summarised in the report.
The director in his report stated that although comments on the draft policy would be invited from regional and professional bodies, local groups and individuals, it was clear that if significant additional outreach work was to be undertaken, then additional resources would be required and he proposed that whilst the document was out for consultation a bid be prepared to the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for a three year project to appoint an Audience Development worker for the Museums Service to assist with this work.
Resolved - (a) That the draft Outreach Policy be approved for consultation purposes, and (b) that a bid to HLF be prepared for an Audience Development Worker to assist with the implementation of the policy as soon as it is approved.
731 (55) LODGE MOORS COMMUNITY CENTRE - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report on the background to establishment of the Lodge Moors Community Centre provided by the former Scunthorpe Borough Council in 1975, and addressed this council's position in respect of support for potential development of a new Lodge Moors Community Centre.
The report explained that the Centre's present management committee recognised the temporary nature of the existing building and also perceived that the single room nature of the facility was limiting their ability to meet community need. Consequently, at a meeting between the management committee and representatives of the council on 4 October 1999, the Lodge Moors Community Association expressed their desire for a new building, more suited to the perceived needs of their community. The Association had applied to the Millennium Festival Awards for a grant to undertake a participatory appraisal of the Lodge Moors area. This would identify local perceptions of the community centre, establish ideas for future activities and identify local needs in terms of the existing premises and, if appropriate, a new centre, its location and activities offered to the local community. If the proposed research determined a need for new facilities the leisure feasibility budget held by Estates and Property Services could be allocated to undertake design feasibility.
Resolved - That the Finance, Land and Property Sub-Committee be asked to commit part of the leisure feasibility budget to fund a design feasibility for a community centre in the Lodge Moors area, in the event of the participatory appraisal demonstrating the need for a new facility.
732 (56) 1999 SUMMER HOLIDAY PROGRAMME - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report on the outcome and success of the 1999 Summer Holiday Programme. Community Recreation, in partnership with sections of the Directorate of Education and Personal Development, Directorate of Social and Housing Services, Directorate of Commercial Services and local voluntary groups delivered a comprehensive programme of leisure activities for the 1999 summer school holiday period. The programme was aimed at 3 - 16 year olds and included specific activities for children with disabilities.
The report identified the range of activities offered for specific age groups and explained that out of 346 sport and play sessions offered at sixty venues during the summer, these activities attracted 8240 users, compared to 9128 users in 1998. This decline in usage could be partly accounted for by increased local competition and poor take up of opportunities at venues which had in the past generated good attendance figures. However, the objective to increase usage amongst groups who were under-represented in sport and active recreation was achieved. Compared to last year the following percentage increases were recorded:
Priority Groups 1998 1999
- girls 41% 43%
- children with special needs 1.9% 2.3%
- black and ethnic minorities 1.3% 1.8%
Resolved - (a) That the marketing of venues which experienced low attendance be reviewed and further networks be developed to ensure maximum take up of activities; (b) that training and support be provided for volunteers to enable self help schemes to develop; (c) that the programming of activities be reviewed in the catchment area of major leisure venues, and (d) that research be undertaken with children and parents to ascertain demand for holiday activity provision.
733 (57) BARTON CARNIVAL - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report which considered a request from the Barton-upon-Humber Carnival Committee to close Baysgarth Park, Barton-upon Humber to the public on Saturday 15 July, 2000. Barton Carnival was an annual event held in Baysgarth Park over a weekend in July and the relevant Acts of Parliament and Baysgarth Park Bylaws empowered the council to close the park for a period of up to six days, excluding Sundays and Bank Holidays.
The report explained that closing the park on 15 July 2000 would allow the carnival committee to charge an admission to cover the costs which the event endorsed. However, if permission was granted to close the park a requirement would be placed on the Carnival Committee not to request an admission fee from members of the public who wished to use either Baysgarth House Museum or Baysgarth Leisure Centre.
Resolved - That the request by Barton upon-Humber Carnival Committee to close Baysgarth Park on Saturday 15 July 2000 be approved.
734 (58) AREA MUSEUMS COUNCIL GRANT APPLICATIONS - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report seeking approval for proposed grant applications to be made to the Yorkshire and Humberside Museums Council (YHMC) for 2000/2001.
The report explained that in line with the grant aid criteria and the Museums Service Forward Plan, it was proposed to apply for grant aid for the following projects for the coming financial year:-
| Project Grant |
Request |
| Documentation Assistant (year 2 of 3 years) |
£7,200 |
| Outreach Exhibition equipment |
£4,000 |
| Specialist racking (archaeology & social history) |
£3,500 |
| Acid free storage boxes for costumes |
£4,000 |
| Specialist advice for cataloguing and cleaning the historic book collection in Normanby Hall |
£1,000 |
| Conservation of archaeological material |
£2,000 |
Resolved - That grant applications be made for the above projects.
735 (59) SPORTS GRANT AID - The Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report which considered an application for sports grant aid from Alkborough Cricket Club for support towards demolishing the existing asbestos clad timber framed amenity room and kitchen within the pavilion, and rebuild using brick. The applicant was actively seeking financial support from other organisations and had already been successful in attracting a grant of £5,000 from another source.
Resolved - That a grant of £1,000 be awarded to Alkborough Cricket Club towards the cost of the above pavilion improvements.
736 EXCLUSION OF THE PUBLIC - Resolved - That the public be excluded from the meeting for consideration of the following items (minutes 737 to 739 refer) on the grounds that they involve the likely disclosure of exempt information as defined in paragraphs 1, 7, 8 and 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act, 1972.
737 (60) MUSEUM ATTENDANTS REVIEW - Resolved - That this item be deferred.
738 (61) CENTRAL COMMUNITY CENTRE - LEASE - The Director of Education and Personal Development referred to minute 64, and submitted a report which considered a request from a local association to lease the Central Community Centre in Scunthorpe.
The report addressed the details of the request and issues raised by it. Advice from the Assistant Director of Corporate Affairs : Legal and Administration had been sought.
Resolved - That the request of the Association, as identified in the report, to include the whole site in a lease agreement be refused on the grounds that a standard lease was agreed between the predecessor authority and representatives of the Scunthorpe community associations.
739 (62) CLIENT CONTRACTOR SPLIT ELIMINATION PROCESS - SPORT AND LEISURE MANAGEMENT - Further to minute 2910 of the Policy Committee, the Director of Education and Personal Development submitted a report on progress made to date with the integration of client and contractor roles for Sport and Leisure Management within his directorate and sought approval for a new staffing structure which was explained and set out in an appendix.
Associated resource implications were also addressed in the report.
Resolved - (a) That the progress being made to integrate client and contractor roles for sport and leisure management be noted; (b) that the draft staffing structure set out in the appendix to the report be approved for grading purposes; (c) that the draft structure be placed on formal consultation with the Unions as soon as the grading exercise has been completed; (d) that the continuance of the attendance-based profit share scheme for sport and leisure management be agreed for the year 2000/2001 and that this be reviewed alongside other conditions of service with job evaluation; (e) that a further progress report be submitted to the next meeting of this committee in March 2000, and (f) that the report be referred to the Personnel Sub-Committee for approval of structure and grades.
This schedule does not form part of the Minutes
FOR MEMBERS’ INFORMATION - SCHEDULE OF DECISIONS MADE SINCE THE LAST MEETING BY THE CHIEF EXECUTIVE/DIRECTORS, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE CHAIR OR VICE-CHAIR, IN MATTERS OF URGENCY AND UNDER DELEGATED POWERS
Decision Record Reference - Subject and Decision
LS/05/99 - Approval of sports grant aid for travel and accommodation to attend the Disability Sports England Snooker Championships.
LS/06/99 - Approval to establish fixed term post of Community Project Worker with secondment to the Doncaster and South Humber NHS Trust.
LS/07/99 - Approval for grant aid from the Millennium Awards Scheme to Cadney cum Howsham Parish Council.
LS/08/99 - Approval to decline a request for sponsorship from the English Schools Athletic Association.
LS/04/99 - Approval (a) to place an advert "2 for 1 voucher" in the East of England Tourist Board brochure for overseas visitors and (b) to become a Royal Horticulture Society Access Garden for the Summer Season 2000.