Agenda item

To receive a written report from the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture and Social Inclusion, and to question the Executive Member thereon, provided any such questions are registered in accordance with the timescales and procedures set out in Standing Order 8.2.1.

A written report was received from Cllr Nigel Ayre, the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture & Social Inclusion.

 

Notice had been received of ten questions on the report, submitted by Members in accordance with Standing Orders.  The questions were put and answered as follows:

 

(i)         From Cllr Taylor:

“The procurement of a new operator for the Barbican Auditorium remains a high priority for the residents of Fishergate and the city generally.  How will the Executive Member ensure that the chosen bidder is one which will provide a quality entertainment programme for citizens and visitors, and not merely turn the facility into a conference centre which would provide nothing for the people of York?"

 

            The Executive Member replied:

“The Executive set out the areas in which the bids for the Barbican are to be judged.  Three criteria were drawn up as a result, one of which relates to the programme to be provided in the auditorium.  This states that: ‘Bids will score best on this criterion that meet the Council’s aspiration for an extensive and wide ranging programme of music, comedy, dance and entertainment of a quality likely to draw a sub-regional and regional audience and which provide opportunities for community activities and involvement.’  Bidders are required to provide detailed information about:

·        Established relationships they have with artists, promoters, agents and tour companies and the extent to which this will enable the bidder to book and deliver high quality entertainment events at the venue

·        Any touring programmes that the bidder is currently delivering at other comparable venues in the UK

·        The types of programme that the bidder will be able to bring to the Auditorium, demonstrating how those events will complement, add to or otherwise impact on events currently provided at other entertainment venues in the City

·        The number of customers the bidder would expect to attract to entertainment events in the Auditorium

This marking scheme will ensure that bids offering high quality entertainment have the potential to score best in the assessment process.

 

In response to a supplementary question from Cllr Taylor concerning the weighting given to these criteria, the Executive Member replied that this had been reported to Scrutiny and the Executive and that he was happy with the eventual decision on weighting.

 

(ii)        From Cllr Crisp:

“The Executive Member speaks in glowing terms about the patronage at Energise since it opened last year.  Can he say how long other parts of the city will be forced to continue with a lack of recommended swimming lanes?”

 

            The Executive Member replied:

“The investment in Yearsley and Energise has secured the future of significant lane provision in the City.  The Active York facilities study showed a requirement in York for an additional 12 lanes of swimming provision.  Our commitment to a pool on the East of the City aims to secure a further 12 lanes for the next 50 years.  This would result in more lane provision than York had in 2003.  This pool will be York’s first ever competition standard pool.

 

Council officers and myself have been in constant dialogue with the university to find ways of mitigating the funding gap and delivering the new pool at the University site.

 

As the Leader has already mentioned in his report, the University have done further work on the design of the pool.  Myself and officers have met with the University on several occasions to discuss this work and options are being considered that maintain the quality of the facilities seen in previous reports but also reduce construction costs.  As a result, the funding gap is narrowing.

 

Once more finalized costings have been completed we will be looking to reconvene the University Pool Steering Group, allowing interested parties from across the spectrum to consider the proposal and ensure it meets the City’s needs.

 

I share the Leader’s expectation that we will be able the report to Council on a way forward early in the summer.”

 

In response to a supplementary question from Cllr Crisp, the Executive Member replied that he was unable to quantify the current funding gap until final costings had been completed.

 

(iii)       From Cllr Firth:

“Has the Executive Member got an update on the bid to Sport England’s Community Investment Fund mentioned in the report?”

 

            The Executive Member replied:

“Yes, I am pleased to say that we have been successful in securing around £190k over 3 years which will allow us to progress our ‘Everybody Active’ programmes for active living.  This 3 year project will employ 5 full time Participation Officers who will have themes of work around Sports Participation, Active Living, Older People, Exercise Pathways and Disability Participation.

 

These themes have been chosen to address identified need in increasing activity opportunities in the City for targeted groups who participate the least, and in activities that have been recognized as being able to engage individuals the most.  For example, cycling and walking, work place activity, social sports and first step activities to support those with medical conditions or requiring a bit more of a helping hand than others to get active.  The work of the new posts will build on the success of other projects and will recruit over 2,500 new participants and 300 volunteers to sport and physical activity in the City.

 

The posts will work across a range of sports and activities to enhance and develop programme opportunities and capacities of groups.  Sustainable pathways will be developed and opportunities maximized by working with schools, clubs, facility managers, non-traditional venues, volunteers, coaches, instructors and by responding to local needs.

 

In supporting these programmes, the role of posts will include:

·        Facilitating the introduction of National Governing Body led activity programmes in traditional and non-traditional settings

·        Supporting volunteers / coaches / instructors to access relevant local and regional training opportunities, funding streams and local schemes of recognition of good practice

·        Linking regional and national strategies from various relevant partners to support local planning, funding applications and project delivery

·        Working with other organisations who have had successful capital funding bids to maximise usage of facilities

·        Linking projects to player, coach and volunteer pathways

·        Contributing to the process of achieving nationally recognized accreditation standard (i.e. Club Mark, Walking for Health Accredited Scheme)

·        Identifying and securing funding sources for targeted activity programmes

·        Wider working across each co-ordinator’s work area to maximise impact

 

(iv)       From Cllr Crisp:

“On user figures for Yearsley pool, will the Executive Member specify how much of the increase in numbers is from paying swimmers and how much is due to the Government’s free swimming offer to those mentioned in his report?”

 

            The Executive Member replied:

“Following this Executive’s decision to sign up to free swimming, across the City over 17,000 residents have signed up for free swims for the over 60s and the under 16s.  The revamped Yearsley has seen an increase in usage from 2008 to 2009 of more than 27,000. 

 

130,000 users in 2008 (Jan. to Dec.)

157,000 users in 2009 (Jan. to Dec.)

 

We did not count figures in the same way prior to this scheme, therefore it is not possible to compare data from before the free swimming started on 1^st April 2009 with the period up to 31 December 2009.

 

Figures appear to show that there is an increased income over and above the DCMS funding for free swims, which seems to suggest that there has been a significant increase in the number of users who are not entitled to the free swimming offer.

 

The picture therefore is speculative and far from clear.  It is impossible to ascertain how many regular swimmers have taken up the free swimming offer and have therefore not contributed to the increased usage figures.  Equally, it is impossible to say how many of the new users are fee paying swimmers and how many have visited because of the free swimming offer.

 

I think the best that can be assumed is that the increase in usage is due to a combination of the improvement in facilities bringing in more people generally and the free swimming offer.”

 

 

(v)        From Cllr Hogg:

“Can the Executive Member tell Council how successful he believes the partnership with Aviva has been?”

 

            The Executive Member replied:

“The partnership is a very successful one that has been nationally recognised as good practice.  It was shortlisted for the Local Government Chronicle Awards 2010 in the private / public partnership category and mentioned in the recent DCMS policy statement, ‘The Modernisation of Public Libraries’.  A meeting with Vince Cable MP has led to engagement with the FSA at the highest level.  Library and Aviva staff have volunteered to deliver the financial capability workshops and this has been hugely beneficial for library staff – where this work has led to and increase in self confidence and skills.  A Marketing Toolkit has been developed using Aviva expertise that allows library staff to get out into their communities to promote the workshops.

 

The partnership is working with York St John University to evaluate the project and to ensure that we capture the impact of taking part in the workshops on people.  A Financial Capability Questionnaire will be one of the key legacies of the project.

 

The partnership has significantly contributed to the transformation of York Library into an Explore Centre.  The new Explore Centre will open on 24 May with more books, state of the art learning rooms equipped with the latest learning technologies, a quiet room, a café, changing facilities, self service machines, a new flexible ICT learning centre and free Wi-Fi Internet throughout.  Its target is 1 million visitors a year by 2012.

 

As we look to the future, the partnership is working hard to engage with local third sector bodies such as CVS and CAB (meetings have already taken place) and we are actively involved with the Credit Union – for instance, people will be able to join the Credit Union at all of our libraries.”

 

(vi)       From Cllr Crisp:

“Can he explain what concerns he has about the methodology of the Active People survey and what representations has he made in this regard?”

 

            Reply

“The Active People survey is conducted by Mori on behalf of a number of the cultural agencies.  Having this data represents a great step forward for local authorities.  I would advise Members to be cautious about all statistics, but as a point of clarification in terms of this report the specific caution I have is in terms of how the data has been used.  All surveys are useful only to the extent that they are correctly interpreted bearing in mind factors such as the sample size used.  We saw this recently when the Active People 2 study, based on a smaller sample size than that of Active People 1, was deemed to show a significant decrease.  When the final figures of Active People 3 were included to make the sample sizes comparable, this decrease was shown to be illusionary.  Unfortunately, even august organizations such as the Audit Commission have shown themselves to be vulnerable to this misinterpretation of data.  I am please to note York’s recent performance in terms of the percentage of people dong 3 x 30 minutes of sport per week.”

 

(vii)      From Cllr Vassie:

“What plans does the Executive Member have to facilitate a major production of the York Mystery Plays?”

 

            Reply

“In 2004, following a report commissioned by the Council, the York Mystery Plays Co-ordinating Committee was brought together.  This pulled together plans for:

·        The York Guilds mystery plays on wagons to be produced every four years as part of the agreed cycle.  These were produced in 2006 and will take place again this year

·        The York Youth Mysteries.  Produced by the Council and partners in 2008

·        A York Minster Mystery Plays in 2010, ten years after the highly successful Millennium Mystery Plays in the Minster

 

As Members will be aware, the York Minster Mystery Plays have not been able to go ahead in 2010 because the organising board have not been able to secure a 6 week period in the Minster, free from capital works, between now and 2015.

 

I will be bringing a proposal to the Executive in May to support a new York Mystery Plays 2012 Partnership, led by York Theatre Royal, which is proposing a major community production for August 2012, to be performed in Museum Gardens.

 

The vision is to create a bold, exhilarating piece of story-telling theatre on an operatic scale and to re-invigorate the tradition and the language and make these plays accessible to a modern audience.  To stage the biblical stories in a way that resonates with both past and present and appeals to those of a religious faith or none.  The aim is to bring an extraordinary and passionate performance out of our community, resourced with the highest aesthetic and production values, to remind us that the ownership of this tradition rests with the people of York.”

 

(viii)     From Cllr Crisp:

“Can the Executive Member elaborate on what work has taken place to attract pre-Games training camps to York?”

 

            Reply

“Firstly the Council ensured at the outset that all potential venues in York registered as pre-games training camps facilities.  The City of York has four venues amongst the 600 nationwide accepted by LOCOG (London Organising Committee for the Olympic Games) as Pre Games Training Camps.  The four venues are Huntington Stadium, York Community and Gymnastics Foundation, the University of York, and York College.  These are included in the official Pre Games Training Camp guide (which includes training camp information on the official 2012 DVD, brochure and website).

 

The City Council worked with its partners on the application that was submitted by the City’s strategic sports partnership, Active York.  Active York remains the strategic body that is co-ordinating York’s Pre Games Training Camp activity.

 

For the last six months, York has been actively promoting its offer to a group of West African countries through official links with the Gambian National Olympic Committee and its partners ZANOCA (Zonal Associations of National Olympic Committees of Africa).  As part of this initiative, York hosted a successful two day visit last year from the Executive Director of the Gambian NOC, who had the opportunity to meet York officials and visit York’s Pre Games Training Camps.  To develop the relationship further, York recently (March 2010) supported a York St John University ‘led’ sports science conference to the Gambia.  This sporting exchange is viewed as a catalyst for developing a long term relationship with West African countries, which will hopefully lead to a Memorandum of Understanding being signed between York and the Gambia or members of ZANOCA to support the potential for Pre Games Training Camps in York in the summer of 2012.  It is also hoped to develop these links across Sport, Education and Culture to involve the 2014 Commonwealth Games and a potential World Cup in England in 2018.  Further progress is expected in the coming months.”

 

(ix)       From Cllr Holvey:

“What is the Executive Member doing to encourage pre Olympic games training camps to locate in York?”

 

            Reply

            “As above.”

 

(x)        From Cllr Crisp:

“On the Barbican, will the Executive Member say by which year he would consider the process to bring the Barbican back into use to have been successful?”

 

            Reply

“The Council will be in a position to make a formal decision on the operator in September.  The re-opening date will depend on the scheme chosen, but all the bidders shortlisted have the capability to move forward in a timely manner.”