Agenda item

Presentation attached.

Councillor Davis welcomed Matt Wickham, Paul Doyle, Simon Pesic-Smith from Freedom Leisure and Phil Hughes to the meeting. Phil Hughes gave Councillor Miscandlon’s apologies as Portfolio Holder for Leisure. 

Members considered the Freedom Leisure Review report which was shared in the form of a presentation. 

Members made comments, asked questions, and received responses as follows:

1.    Councillor Sennitt Clough said that reducing the leisure centre opening hours to ease the effects of the rise in energy bills has impacted on customer membership. She is a member of the Manor and heard that a lot of customers discontinued their membership because the new opening times no longer fitted their working hours. She would be interested to know therefore how this has all balanced out, as attempting to save money on energy bills has ultimately led to a reduction in income. Simon Pesic-Smith responded that it was the right thing to do facing such an uncertain time and some of the measures agreed to put in place were to reduce the hours. He looked at the timetables and stripped out the gaps that should not have been there, so there was space not being used that could have been. He was aware that there would be an impact on customers but had to work within a particular framework. He worked with centre managers to ensure that they could maximise everything they did have. Now the gyms are open until 9pm and looking at the footfall between 9pm and 10pm at the Manor it was low anyway, and there is minimal change in terms of the target audience pre the change in hours. Generally, if someone wants to use the gym at 10pm at night they want one of the 24-hour gyms. He said that Councillor Sennitt Clough is correct that the Manor suffered from when the changes were made in October but that changed about six weeks ago and there is now a curve upwards. That is through adjustments to the timetable, increasing facilities, making sure there are as many classes as possible and promoting the different services, however it was the right thing to do at the time and in February the situation was assessed, and changes made that could be done without having any major additional costs. Matt Wickham added that Freedom is not planning on doing anything that would take commercial viability backwards; they have undoubtedly had to make changes across the portfolio but if a decision is not working, then they are flexible to change again. Not every decision will be right, but they will continue to review and monitor to ensure that they are getting the best commercial return possible for the facilities.

2.    Councillor Hay asked what plans are in place for Freedom to start repaying the loans received from Fenland District Council now it is on more of an even keel. Matt Wickham responded that a contract agreement is in place regarding repayments based on viability and the more that can be done to make contracts viable the better. 

3.    Councillor Hay stated her concern that some of classes in Chatteris are inconsistent, particularly Pilates and what is being done to ensure that there is a consistent offer. Simon Pesic-Smith responded that unfortunately some staffing issues have impacted on classes, but they are aware of it and trying to find the best solution, looking at providing additional cover or training inhouse going forward.

4.    Councillor Hay said it would be of benefit to the new members of the Council to have an explanation of the division of responsibility in the contract between Fenland and Freedom Leisure around maintenance and repair. Phil Hughes replied that the daily upkeep of the centres is the responsibility of Freedom, for example broken ceiling tiles, a dead light bulb, mouldy mastic in the shower, broken pool hoist and the annual maintenance of all equipment such as boilers. The buildings remain the responsibility of Fenland District Council who maintain the building fabric, so although Freedom would replace a ceiling tile, Fenland would be responsible for replacing the entire ceiling if required. There is a capital progamme in place and he is working closely with Mark Greenwood, Head of Property and Assets, to develop a programme of planned preventative maintenance.

5.    Councillor Gerstner thanked Freedom Leisure and the Council for keeping leisure facilities available during and after Covid, which is a fantastic testament. He also thanked them for catering for disabled customers and even increasing that provision, which he thinks goes unnoticed by many. However, he would like to ask why it takes so long to get small repairs completed, for example it took nearly four months to repair the shower in a disabled toilet. Is there a hierarchical system for maintenance facilities or is each site allocated work on a need to basis? Simon Pesic-Smith said it was a little of both, but that should not have taken so long. Without knowing the full details if it was a matter of replacing the shower head that should be days not months. In terms of hierarchy, sometimes yes things take greater priority. Other issues can involve a long wait for a contractor’s quote or for parts. Councillor Gerstner queried a quote provided to fix the heating at Whittlesey and said he had been told it would cost £400 for an engineer to visit. Simon Pesic-Smith said it was £300 but that also involved an element of work; if the problem could be rectified there and then it will be. He added that the engineers are very good at what they do and will fix what they can, when they can and do their absolute best.  

6.    Phil Hughes commented that Freedom Leisure is a big organisation running many leisure centres throughout the country. They have a lot more purchasing power and more clout than Fenland District Council would have had with their contractors to get the job done. These engineers are servicing lots of different sites and as a commercial organisation, they will ensure they get a good deal for our contract. However, if members hear that something appears not to be getting fixed as quickly as it ought to be then please let him or the portfolio holder know and they will take this up.

7.    Councillor Nawaz commented that the relationship between leisure exercise and health is undeniable. Public health is going to become increasingly important and greater focus being placed on it. It is encouraging to know that membership of the leisure centres is increasing, and it is commendable to see the number of children learning to swim at the Manor. However, it is concerning to see membership has decreased since 2022 by 100, particularly because Whittlesey has expanded considerably with many more new homes being built. He would therefore expect to see an increase rather than a decrease. He wondered if another reason for falling membership could be that customers are going to more modern facilities. Is not the Manor outdated and could this make a strong case for capital expenditure? Phil Hughes responded that there have been various challenges, firstly Covid, followed by both the energy and cost of living crisis, which will have put more pressure on gym membership. Freedom Leisure are doing all they can with the tools at their disposal. He agreed that in respect of capital expenditure there are some aging facilities. He has been looking at these with the portfolio holder and they are looking at a plan for improvement, but it will be a long-term project and has to be affordable.

8.    Councillor Gowler asked how many staff are employed by Freedom Leisure and is there a problem with staff retention? Simon Pesic-Smith replied there are 200 staff but they do have some vacancies in reception and casual lifeguarding. There is little problem with staff retention as some stay for years but regarding recruitment it can be challenging. One person recently accepted a post and then turned it down the same day. On one occasion an applicant for a lifeguard post admitted they could not swim, so recruitment can be a challenge for that reason.

9.    Councillor Booth said upon reviewing the minutes of November 2021 when Freedom Leisure last came before the panel, he noted that there was only positive feedback. He had asked for more balanced data to include complaints. He asked that this be provided going forward because it is from that that matters can be improved and possibly drive greater membership. He also suggested that comments on social media be noted rather than waiting for a formal complaint. Paul Doyle responded that they have a system whereby they record verbal complaints, they can do the same for social media so they can see patterns and ensure they put resources in the right places. They do not get so many complaints that they have to instigate a formal procedure, most can be dealt with efficiently and quickly as a bespoke service. Phil Hughes said that if customers are not happy about the response they get from the centre manager then local councillors tend to hear or he gets a message and he can speak to the centre or regional managers. If the company is not responding as the customer wants then they do have recourse to FDC.  However, the service is quite bespoke, and the complaint does tend to get to people who can act quickly.

10. Councillor Davis thanked everyone for their attendance.

The Freedom Leisure report was noted for information.