Agenda item

To receive the report of Matthew Watts, Assistant Head of Commercial Services.

(This item contains exempt information as defined in Paragraph 3 (information relating to the financial or business affairs of any person – including the authority holding that information) of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972, as amended).

RECEIVED the report of Matthew Watts, Assistant Head of Commercial Services.

NOTED that this report was considered in conjunction with the information in the Part 2 Agenda.

Main parts of the report were highlighted which outlined how leisure services are currently structured and delivered within the London Borough of Enfield and how the Council’s leisure offer will be managed in the future. The leisure landscape of the Borough is complex, both in terms of local authority provision, the number and variety of sports clubs, and the services provided by the private sector.

Sports and fitness facilities in Enfield are facing ongoing challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. Leisure charity Fusion Lifestyle, which manages Arnos Pool, Bramley Bowl Centre and the council’s four leisure centres in Edmonton Green, Southbury, Enfield Wash and Southgate has been severely affected by the pandemic. Officers added that while there are some signs or recovery, Fusion’s revenues are projected to be only 65% of their pre-pandemic level, largely because those in the over-50 age group have failed to return to the centres in their previous numbers. Furthermore, since mid-December, Albany, Edmonton and Southbury leisure centres have been experiencing a significant number of maintenance faults that have impacted on the availability of the swimming pools, while air temperature has also been below acceptable levels. Detailed contract and health & safety audits have also been undertaken and additional contract management processes and scrutiny have been applied to the service to help Officers understand the management and operational situation to inform decisions regarding future service provision. To address these issues Officers advised that an improvement plan had recently been agreed with Fusion’s senior managers, which was being reviewed on a weekly basis, and it was hoped that this would bring stability back to the service.

Active Enfield, a council run programme of physical activities aimed particularly at older people has also seen a reduction in the number of people attending since the pandemic. In 2019/20, there were around 18,000 attendances, but this figure dropped to 12,000 in 2021/22. It was advised that the council expects attendances to recover to 15,000 in 2022/23 and hopes that they will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025. But it was noted that the cost-of-living crisis is a key challenge for the service, with some residents unable to prioritise physical activity and leisure. The council aims to tackle this by keeping the cost of sessions as low as possible.

Funded projects have also been set up to boost sports and leisure provision and it was advised that the Council had secured a £10,000 grant to provide swimming lessons for people with disabilities and has received 100 applications for the programme since it launched in January. The Government has awarded the Council £440,000 to deliver a five-year ‘active through football’ programme which will work with people from Edmonton and the South-East of the borough. The scheme aims to target people with mental health difficulties and women aged over 16, who were the most interested in getting involved.

In conclusion, Officers said that understanding what facilities and leisure services are required in the future will be crucial as consumer interests change and the population grows. The Council will need to use its resources to target activity for maximum health and wellbeing gain. The review which has started to look at future provision will help guide the Council’s investment in existing or new facilities.

Questions and comments were invited from Panel members.

In response to a suggestion from a member of the committee, Officers said they would explore the possibility of using volunteers to help deliver activity programmes.

A further suggestion from a member of the committee was to offer concessions to key workers such as teachers and nurses to encourage them to get active.

In response to a question raised regarding what more could be done to tackle the obesity problem amongst young people, officers said that the Council already works with schools to provide sporting and fitness opportunities, as well as focusing on diet and lifestyle. They added that the review was considering how to broaden leisure in the wake of the pandemic to take lifestyle factors into account. The Council’s strategic review of sports and physical activity is expected to be completed in the summer.