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Harrow see also Harrow Audit & Harrow and Office of Fair Trading Correspondence about Byron Hall 4.1.04 Viewable at http://www2.harrow.gov.uk/Published/C00000263/M00002894/AI00021518/CliftonJacksonInfoItem.pdf 2nd November 2004 Harrow Leisure Centre Dear Sir, First I would like to thank you very much for providing your venue for our community event that was held on the 29th August 04. This is the biggest event of our annual calendar and it attracts members of all ages. The Harrow leisure Centre staffs were very helpful and cooperative during the preparation and on the day of the event. With their support and help the event was very successful. I want to take this opportunity to ask you to forward our thanks to the staff that were on duty for that particular weekend. 1 However, there were several issues that I felt should be brought to your attention. Over the years our organisation has felt that the toilet facilities have seriously deteriorated. Some of the hand driers and toilets are out of order and have not been maintained. We have highlighted this to you in the past and it seems that nothing has been done. The conditions of the lavatory floor have not improved either. The rooms were unclean before we started using the facilities. Also there were no sanitary bags and disposal facilities in any of the ladies toilets.
3. This year the stage was not constructed adequately, There were an insufficient number of platforms 'to start with, Over the last few years more and more of the platforms have remained broken and unusable. We were very disappointed by the general condition of the hall. It was simply not satisfactory and we feel the general standard has deteriorated over the years. We have verbally raised the above issues on previous occasions but have not seen any change, nor have we received any feedback. We have hired Harrow leisure Centre now for well over ten years and appreciative of the service
you have provided so far. However, we felt that it was time some of the issues were highlighted in
the hope that you will do something to resolve them. I would welcome any feedback from you. Yours sincerely Dear Mrs Bhanderi, Re: Harrow Leisure Thank for your recent letter regarding your recent use of Byron Hall at Harrow Leisure Centre. I can confirm that Leisure Connection the Council's facility operator have agreed to make a substantial investment in the provision of new equipment including tables and chairs for use in the Byron Hall. leisure Connection has placed an order with a supplier and is awaiting delivery. Leisure Connections (sic) are aware of concerns from hirers regarding the cleaning of the Byron
Hall, and the cleaning schedule has been adjusted, and additional resources have been
allocated to support cleaning. We are also looking at revitalising some of broken staging platforms by either repairing or Should you require any further information please feel free to contact me on 02084247623. From Harrow Observer, 18
November 2004, page 7 - (reproduced in full) ANGRY pensioners who
campaigned against high prices caused by Harrow’s new Leisure Card are
celebrating a minor victory. Following
discussions between Harrow Council and Leisure Connections, visitors to Harrow
Leisure Centre in Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone, will be asked to pay less for
certain services. Residents in the
borough had complained to the Observer about the higher charges for use of the
centre’s swimming pool and other services during the past month, including
71-year-old Maureen Stapleton of Woodbury Avenue, Harrow, who was upset to
discover the cost of her weekly aquafit session had gone up by more than £1
from £2.30-~3.45. The price has now
reduced to £2.75 for over 50s and no Leisure Card is needed. However,
Maureen’s husband Frank Stapleton, 74, is concerned the cost is still too
high. He said: “We were paying far less before. The thing is they should have
considered us to begin with and not just put the price up. We do have to watch
our pennies. There is a lot of discontent and they have lost customers over it.
The class is now down to 10 as people just aren’t prepared to turn up.” Rebecca Douglas, spokeswoman for Leisure Connections, encouraged customers to provide feedback. She said: “As a result of our flexible approach to the management of these leisure facilities, we were able to easily amend the pricing structure.” Thanks to "Harrower" for bringing the above to my attention. PB From Harrow Observer, 21 October 2004,
page 5 - (reproduced in full) A DISABLED woman was appalled to discover that she must pay 50 per cent more for exercising in Harrow after the introduction of the new Harrow Leisure Card.
Maureen Stapleton, 71, of Woodberry Avenue, was shocked to learn of the rise when she arrived at Harrow Leisure Centre in Christchurch Avenue, Wealdstone, for her weekly aquafit session. The council-owned centre is run by Leisure Connection and, before the introduction of the leisure card, pensioners were given a discount on all activities. When the card came into force, the new 20 per cent discount applied only to specific activities. The aquafit classes were not among these. Councillor Navin Shah, deputy leader of Harrow Council, said the council was unaware of the discrepancy, adding, "We are looking into this matter and are confident we can reach a suitable agreement." The cost of the aquafit sessions was not the only thing worrying Mrs Stapleton.
She said: "The centre is advertising discounted leisure for all, but that's not the case.
They say I get a big discount, but I'm paying £1 more each time. "We're not getting our money's worth. Her husband and carer, Frank Stapleton, 74, added: "The Government is encouraging older people like us to exercise, but how are we supposed to afford it?" Rebecca Douglas of Leisure Connection said a replacement amplifier would soon be installed and the other problems raised had already been addressed. LC's Comments on Harrow Leisure Card on 4.10.04
from http://www.sportsmanagement.co.uk/newsdetail.cfm?codeID=9188 “We are dedicated to working in partnership with the council to see the whole of Harrow maintaining healthy lifestyles and with more than 150 cards sold in 48 hours we are confident they will be a tremendous success.” ... Makes me wonder what a failure would involve? PB From Harrow Council Overview and Scrutiny
Committee 1 July 2004 http://www.harrow.gov.uk/content/council_democracy/democracy_elections/agendas/agenda_minutes_harrow.jsp 6.3 The agreement has taken a significant time to finalise, for the following reasons: Audit Commission Sport & Leisure Inspection
2002 http://snipurl.com/7rfr 159 The contractors have in place a system for comments and complaints from the public and these are replied to promptly. Although problem areas are identified, resolving underlying causes is slow particularly when caused by poor maintenance. We found that complaints had not been resolved after several months. The fragmented nature of service provision can result in a lack of direction which does not always serve the needs of the customer. How many months does it take to get something fixed round here’ [customer comment card] (The report makes clear that much maintenance is the responsibility of Harrow Council.) |
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