Agenda and draft minutes

At this point, Members are asked to declare:

·        any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests

·        any prejudicial interests or

·        any disclosable pecuniary interests

which they may have in respect of business on this agenda.

Members were asked to declare any personal interests not included on the Register of Interests, any prejudicial interests or any disclosable pecuniary interests they may have in respect of business on the agenda.

Councillor McIlveen and Councillor Richardson declared personal interests in agenda item 5 as they were members of the Planning Committee which would be considering the planning application for the Community Stadium on 27 March 2015.

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2015.

Resolved:  That the minutes of the meeting held on 24 February 2015 be approved and signed as a correct record.

At this point in the meeting, members of the public who have registered their wish to speak regarding an item on the agenda or an issue within the Committee’s remit can do so. The deadline for registering is 5:00 pm on Monday 23 March 2015.  To register to speak please contact the Democracy Officer for the meeting, on the details at the foot of the agenda.

Filming, Recording or Webcasting Meetings

Please note this meeting may be filmed and webcast and that includes any registered public speakers, who have given their permission.  This broadcast can be viewed at: http://www.york.gov.uk/webcasts.

Residents are welcome to photograph, film or record Councillors and Officers at all meetings open to the press and public. This includes the use of social media reporting, i.e. tweeting.  Anyone wishing to film, record or take photos at any public meeting should contact the Democracy Officer (whose contact details are at the foot of this agenda) in advance of the meeting.

The Council’s protocol on Webcasting, Filming & Recording of Meetings ensures that these practices are carried out in a manner both respectful to the conduct of the meeting and all those present.  It can be viewed at: http://www.york.gov.uk/downloads/download/3130/protocol_for_webcasting_filming_and_recording_of_council_meetings

It was reported that there had been four registrations to speak at the meeting under the Council’s Public Participation Scheme.

Fiona Evans of the Yearsley Pool Action Group raised a number of issues in respect of the finance and usage of Yearsley Pool.  She stated that the one year attendance figures did not provide sufficient data to analyse long-term trends and underlying factors.  She gave details of the data that had been obtained during the first campaign when archived documentation dating from 1906 had been obtained.  Ms Evans stated that, during the first ten years of recorded figures starting from 1994, attendance at Yearsley Pool had ranged from 98,000 to 134,000. She stated that low attendance had coincided with aspects such as a major price hike in 2000 and mini closures linked to roof problems, as it was before the refurbishment had been undertaken.  Ms Evans stated that figures for the next decade had varied widely due to a huge surge in attendance post refurbishment amongst other factors such as the free-swimming initiative. She stated that the figures provided to the committee demonstrated that usage had returned to the old average of the first decade even though this was a time of recession.  Ms Evans stated that, in the past, Yearsley Pool had been the cheapest Council run pool to operate.  In 1999/2000 the pool had cost £95,000 compared to Edmund Wilson Pool costs of £170,000.  After refurbishment, with a more energy efficient building and plant, Yearsley Pool should have been more cost effective however the operational management approach had changed. 

Ms Evans stated that the Action Group’s preferred option was to significantly reduce the subsidy by reverting back to an arrangement whereby three staff (one duty manager and two lifeguards) largely ran the pool. Cleaning had been carried out between timetabled sessions and during quieter sessions. The manager and his staff had carried out routine maintenance work and small jobs in house and the facility had closed for a week at Easter to enable painting and repairs, which were again carried out by Council staff.  Ms Evans urged that a more detailed approach be undertaken to properly assess usage and finance at Yearsley Pool.

Richard Van den Heever stated that he had previously worked at Yearsley Pool and gave details of operational arrangements, budget planning and financial management that had been in place.  He expressed concern at the level of expenditure currently recorded as “other expenditure” and stated that a more detailed explanation was required regarding expenditure within this budget heading.   Mr van den Heever stated that it was essential to have full information as to how funding was being spent in order to identify where savings could be made.

Sue Horsfield stated that she had swum at Yearsley Pool for thirty-eight years and gave details of the benefits of swimming as a form of exercise.  She stated that it was also an essential skill, especially for children living in a city with two rivers.  Ms Horsfield stated that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.

This report provides evidence gathered to date by the Ad Hoc Scrutiny Committee as part of its agreed consultation.  Feedback on the consultation event that was held by the Committee on 16 March 2015 is also included.

Members considered a report that presented evidence gathered to date by the Ad Hoc Scrutiny committee as part of its agreed consultation.  Feedback from the consultation event held by the committee on 16 March 2015 at the 68 Youth and Community Centre had been included. 

Members stated that they believed that the consultation event had been very useful and noted that feedback from the roundtable discussions would also be included in a future report to the committee.

As requested at the Consultation Event held on 16 March 2015, Annex A of the report for agenda item 4 contains details of the current financial arrangements and usage figures for Yearsley Pool.

Members considered Annex A of the report presented under agenda item 4.  The annex contained details of the current financial arrangements and usage figures for Yearsley Pool. 

Officers gave a presentation on the figures, including information in respect of:

·        Trends

·        Key users

·        User figures

·        Outturn figures

·        Income and expenditure

·        Capital investment

·        Operating costs

Officers stated that expenditure had been significantly reduced.  Members noted that the pool costs approximately £121 per hour to operate and currently generates income of approximately £75 per hour.  All activities, including use by clubs, were subsidised.

Members questioned officers on the following issues:

(i)           Staffing costs

It was noted that staffing ratios were in line with health and safety guidelines.  Members asked how the operating costs of Yearsley Pool compared with those of Energise.  They were informed that the staffing structure was the same at both pools although Yearsley Pool had additional lifeguards because of its size.  There were, however, no receptionists. 

Officers were asked if a review of staffing arrangements had been carried out to identify whether savings could be made.  Officers stated that consideration had not yet been given to the possibility of using volunteers but that this would have implications in terms of ensuring that they were a qualified lifeguard and had received the relevant training.

Clarification was sought as to whether staffing levels would remain the same when GLL took over the running of the pool.  Members were informed that, in accordance with TUPE regulations, the existing staff would transfer under the new contract and that they would be paid a living wage.  The situation could, however, be reviewed if a vacancy arose.

Members requested that they be provided with the hourly operating costs for Energise so that this could be compared with the £121 per hour costs at Yearsley Pool.

(ii)          Capital Investment/Improvement

Officers were questioned about the arrangements that were in place to plan for general repairs and maintenance improvements.  They were informed that a plan for future improvements was in place and, if funding was available, these were implemented.  Attention was drawn to improvements that had been carried out, as listed in Annex A. 

(iii)        “Other Expenditure”

At the request of Members, officers agreed to provide a more detailed breakdown of £69k of expenditure contained within the budget heading of “other expenditure”.

(iv)        Usage figures

Members questioned officers regarding the number of people using the pool at particular times of the day.  They were informed that the figures varied significantly. It was expected that there would be a minimum of 25 users at all times but that for activities such as the inflatable sessions the number could be as high as 120.  It was not possible for usage to be higher for such sessions for safety reasons.  

Officers gave possible reasons for a fall in usage of the pool including:

·        It reflected a national trend

·        There was more competition in the area

·        There had been a big development of other sports in York, for example cycling

·        ASA was in  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.