BOROUGH OF POOLE
ROSSMORE COMMUNITY USE MANAGEMENT COMMITTEE
20th JANUARY 2010
The Meeting commenced at 16:10 and concluded at 17:45.
Present:
Councillor Miss Wilson (Chairman)
Councillor Wilson (Vice Chairman)
Councillor Mrs Lavender
User Group Representative
Michael Gregory – Silver Swimmers
Also in Attendance
Anthony Rogers – Recreation Manager, Leisure Services
Sean Gabriel – General Manager of Rossmore Leisure Centre
Debbie Priest – PE and Arts Advisor, CYP Strategy, Quality and Improvement
Louise Saill, Democratic Support Officer, Legal and Democratic Services
Members of public present: 0
1.APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Councillor Montrose (Elected Member).
2.DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
The Chairman declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 8 ‘Rossmore Leisure Centre Manager’s Report’ as her daughter was a member of ‘Rossmore Active’.
3.MINUTES
The Minutes of the Meeting held on 11th November 2009 were confirmed as an accurate record.
The following points/actions were discussed:
- The Clerk informed the Committee that the Democratic Services Manager had investigated the future governance in the light of Rossmore Community College becoming the St Aldhelm’s Academy. The outcome was that the Committee would continue, but it would invite a representative from St Aldhelm’s Academy. An amendment to the Constitution would be required to reflect this.
- The Clerk informed the Committee that the Democratic Services Manager had also investigated the position of who would bear the cost of the new school uniforms for St Aldhelm’s Academy. The position was that if a family were in receipt of a discretionary award then this would cover the cost. If not then it would be the responsibility of the parent although reasonable time would be given to do this. Councillor Wilson offered an updated position with regard to the new school uniforms stating that at an SRG Meeting on Monday he was informed that Year 8 pupil uniforms would be paid for by their parents as they would be buying a new uniform in any event. All other pupils would receive a £60 contribution from the Academy towards their new uniform which should cover the costs. The Chairman pointed out that some parents might be planning to give their Year 8 children ‘hand me downs’ from older siblings and that to exclude them from the £60 contribution seemed unfair.
- Councillor Wilson commented that he had not discussed the transition process with the Strategic Director but that he had had a meeting with the Head of Children and Young People’s Strategy, Quality and Improvement where lots of questions were raised which required answers.
- The Leisure Centre Manager stated that there was not much feedback regarding work experience students but that the item had been put on the Agenda for the next Operational Board which was scheduled for the beginning of February so he would be in a position to report back to the Committee after that.
- The PE and Arts Advisor stated that she was chasing dates of the next School Council Meeting with a view to attending to represent Rossmore Community Use Management Committee (RCUMC).
- The PE and Arts Advisor stated that she had omitted to invite the new Principal Designate to this Committee but Councillor Wilson stated that he had.
Agreed that:
- The Leisure Centre Manager to provide an update at the next Meeting regarding using work experience students at the Leisure Centre.
- The Clerk to invite the Principal Designate to the next RCUMC.
- The PE and Arts Advisor to attend a School Council Meeting on behalf of this Committee.
4.USER REPRESENTATIVE ITEM
The Silver Swimmers Representative stated that there were no problems or issues to report. The numbers for the Silver Swimming sessions were very good, approximately 80. The sessions were on Monday from 10:00-11:00 and Friday 09:00-10:00. It was noted that the Friday session attracted slightly less numbers. The Dolphin Centre ran their Silver Swimmers Club every Thursday and the Representative stated that more people had started to use the Rossmore Leisure Centre venue as a result of the free parking available.
The Recreation Manager stated that the Sliver Swimmers Club was run every day at the various SLM Centres throughout the Borough and enquired whether any feedback was ever given regarding the Broadstone and Lodgehill Centres, the Silver Swimmer Representative stated that he had no feedback relating to them.
Agreed that the Recreation Manager send the Clerk some Silver Swimming Club Flyers to circulate to Members of the Committee.
5.GOVERNING BODY/HEAD TEACHER’S ITEMS
This item was deferred until the next Committee Meeting, as no Representatives from Rossmore Community College were present.
6.COUNCILLOR ITEMS
Councillor Wilson made an observation regarding the rejected planning permission for Poole Town Football Club on Branksome Recreation Ground and the planned 5-a-side pitches. He stated that the Rossmore campus had a Multi Use Games Area (MUGA), which was currently not being utilised to its full capacity. Councillor Wilson enquired whether the School, Community, Leisure Services, Safer Neighbourhood Team would be interested in supporting a bid to secure funding on this site for some 5-a-side football pitches. It was noted that the Dorset Football Association should also be approached as they were in support of the pitches originally planned for Branksome Recreation Ground. Councillor Wilson stated that Planning Obligations funding might be applicable here. The new grounds could be used by the school, football focus as well as external teams. The Recreation Manager stated that he would discuss with Agencies to gain comments and possible support.
The current surface was considered hard on ankles on impact. The different types of new pitch surfaces were considered – different thicknesses were appropriate for different types of sport, for example, 10ml thick was best suited for hockey whereas 20 ml surface would be more suited for activities like tennis and potentially netball. The Sir David English Sports Centre and Littledown boasted a variety of different surfaces but there were currently no public sites which had astro turf or 3G surfaces in Poole.
The Recreation Manager stated that as a rough guide one 5-aside-pitch would cost £40,000, so assuming there were 4 pitches, the total cost would be approximately £160,000. This figure was based on having an inch thick astro turf with shock pads. There could be potential that the Dorset Football Association would be interested in assisting with the funding. The Recreation Manager stated that they are keen to develop football within the county and he was not aware of any other proposed development sites locally. The Committee should provide the Dorset Football Association with the information and proposals and they might assist with the funding. There might also be an opportunity to use funds from the public open space fund. The current income for the pitches was £250 a month but with the possibility of these new pitches that could increase to £250 a night. The PE and Arts Advisor stated that the only problem with considering 3g 5-a-side pitches for Rossmore would mean that other games such as netball would no longer be able to be played there. The Recreation Manager stated that they were currently planning to resurface the netball pitch at Ashdown to try and encourage netball to return there, which could resolve this problem.
Agreed that:
- The PE and Arts Advisor discuss with the local netball teams regarding use of the site
- The Recreation Manager to provide a 1-page report on the potential costs, surface types, funding available, etc to present to the next RCUMC.
7.TRANSITION
The Chairman noted that without a representative from the School this topic would be hard to discuss. The issue of new signage was discussed. The road signage did not refer to Rossmore Community College, only signposts for the Leisure Centre and therefore would not need updating. The sign showing at the entrance to the campus would need updating. The Chairman commented that the Committee should request written confirmation from the Academy Sponsors that they would bear of the cost of amending this sign. The Chairman commented that she intended to take a list of concerns regarding the Academy to the Borough of Poole’s Chief Executive, to get some answers.
The issue of how the Leisure Centre would receive funding from the Academy was discussed. The other issue which needed to be considered was the spilt for the utility bills as one of the electric lines which ran to the Leisure Centre, came from within the School. The Recreation Manager commented that both these issues were being worked on but that they would take time to complete. The aim was to make the contract much more specific with the Academy. Leisure Services were currently working with the School drafting the Contract and once they had agreed draft terms, Leisure Services would send it to SLM for comment.
It was noted that the Leisure Centre needed to be available for both School and public use. Unfortunately, the School worked on a fortnightly timetable, which made it difficult for the Leisure Centre to tie in with public use, as generally members of the public wanted to use the facilities on a weekly basis. It was discussed that in order for the relationship between the Academy and Leisure Centre to work cohesively, there needed to be a high level of communication together with a clear understanding of where the responsibility laid, for example, when dealing with students using the Leisure Centre. Also, where the responsibility laid for the costs of dealing with any breakages or vandalism which might be caused by the students use. The new Academy was discussed with the potential funds which it might be eligible for and how this might help any projects being considered, It was decided that it would be best to wait until a meeting with the Principal Designate to discuss this further.
The Leisure Centre Manager’s relationship with the school was considered. It currently worked well but the new Academy would have a Facilities Manager who would liaise with the Leisure Centre Manager as opposed to the PE teachers. It was also noted that there might be a change in the PE staff when the school becomes an Academy.
The Recreation Manager confirmed that the Joint Use Agreement which was currently in place would be negotiated around the spring half term. The agreement would consider school use versus public use of the Leisure Centre.
8.ROSSMORE LEISURE CENTRE MANAGER’S REPORT
The Leisure Centre Manager provided an update Report in relation to the Leisure Centre. The key points were:
- OLGA Trampolining and Gymnastics Centre continuedto grow – the club currently had 900 active members
- Fitronics was working extremely well
- Stroke rehabilitation classes in partnership with the Nuffield Hospital would be commencing in February
- Retention currently stood at 8% with 844 members
- New adult cheerleading and freestyle disco classes had started this week
- Currently 819 pupils were enrolled in the Swimming Lesson Scheme
- Additional Adult and Child sessions had been added due to popularity – these now filledthe 3-3.30 slot weekdays
- Rookie lifeguards course had commenced on Sunday
- Additional bookings for cricket, basketball and volleyball had been booked.
- New family session on Saturday afternoons started this week. The Access to Leisure cost for this was £10 per family and £1.50 for any additional children
- The centre re-branding had taken place and a new sign installed about the centres entrance.
Other issues/topics discussed were:
- The reopening of the Dolphin centre had not impacted too badly on the Leisure Centre, who had managed to retain approximately 50% of the people they gained when the Dolphin closed.
- The canteen had improved and was more consistent with its menu and service
- There had been an increase in staff levels
- The Chairman asked the Leisure Centre Manager whether the ‘bad press’ which Rossmore received had any impact on the Centre. The Leisure Centre Manager responded that it did not – he stated that as they had the ‘B team’ on site there had been a reduction in crime. He commented that he was aware that the Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre in Wimborne still had problems with crime, particularly car crime.
- There was still an issue with regards to the electricity supply to the Leisure Centre which was currently partly shared through the schools system. The Leisure Centre Manager stated that he had been trying to get someone from the School to check the system but they were not interested. The ideal solution would be that the electrical supplies were completely separate.
Agreed that:
- The contents of the Report be noted
- The Leisure Centre Manager email the Recreation Manager with details of the Access to Leisure costs – particularly relating to the Family sessions
- The Leisure Centre Manager to pursuewith the School the electrical supply and report back to this Committee in due course.
9.URGENT BUSINESS
None received.
10.ANY OTHER BUSINESS.
None received.
CHAIRMAN
1