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West Berkshire Council

New Contract Update 3.3.07 As predicted (see below) the West Berkshire single provider contract has gone to Parkwood. Council press release. PB

New Contract

An announcement is expected by February  23rd about who will manage all of West Berks Council's leisure facilities. If I was the gambling type I  would put my money on Parkwood. 

If, as predicted, LC lose out to Parkwood, will Hungerford and Kennet users face an even drearier service until the handover, believed to be scheduled for July? For example, see this quote from an Ealing resident after that borough's new contractor took over from LC.  "Since Leisure Connection lost the contract they did not bother doing anything. Machines were lying broken in the gym all summer because they knew they were not going to bother mending them. It was obviously a really easy job to do because they have all been mended this week." See full story.  PB 20.2.07

8 November 2006

West Berkshire Council appears to have struggled to manage its leisure facilities and contracts over at least five years. At the bottom of this page are extracts from an Audit Commission report in 2001 that highlighted cleaning and maintenance issues. LC had the contracts for Hungerford and Kennet Leisure centres then as they do currently.  The issues have either persisted or resurfaced in 2004 - see below.  More recently two users have contacted LCW and asked that there disgust be made known. The text of the first of the users has been toned down, as LCW does not wish to repeat what others may feel is abusive.  

From User A on 26.10. 06 to a Council Leisure Officer, West Berkshire Council

My moaning and complaining have been ignored for so long that I am going to stop swimming at the cesspit excuse for a public pool. I am from the bottom of my heart sick at the state of the pool, its either freezing cold, piping hot or so filthy its like swimming in the north sea. 

I will now travel 16 km to Marlboro' pool or the pool in Central Newbury 11km away. Both are functional busy pools and get crowded and why should I pay extra when I have one on my doorstep. Nobody cares about it, not the council, school or staff. A very sad state of affairs you should all be ashamed.  

The Officer replied on 30.10.06.

Thank you for contacting .... I hope I can clarify events that have taken place recently which have impacted on service delivery. The Centre has recently suffered from unforeseen mechanical problems which I am pleased to say have now been rectified by the purchase of two new boilers and repair to the Air handling unit..

The Hungerford Leisure Centre although owned by West Berkshire Council, it is managed on a contract basis by Leisure Connection, a reputable national company which specialises in the management and operation of public Leisure Centres. Leisure Connection are working through an action plan developed to improve the standards of facility whereby West Berkshire Council will monitor the progress made over the coming weeks...

Telling a customer that LC is a "reputable, national company" is, to say the least, unhelpful. What counts to users is their local experience. Given the dictionary definition of reputable LC's  record is not well described by this word.  One Look Dictionary   Reputable -  Having, or worthy of, good repute; held in esteem; honorable; praiseworthy; as, a reputable man or character; reputable conduct. 

From User B on 9.9.06 to Chief Executive, West Berkshire Council

I write in connection with the swimming pool at Hungerford Leisure Centre. The facilities at this lovely pool have gone from bad to impossible. Not only are the floors, poolside and in reception, filthy, the lane dividers are filthy too, many of the lockers are broken and never get repaired, doors are missing from changing cubicles and are not fixed, toilets leave a lot to be desired, and I understand there is no method of calling for help in the disabled toilet.

None of this is new, it has been going on for years. What has now made things intolerable is the fact there has been no hot water in the showers for nearly two weeks, and the water in the pool itself fluctuates from extremely hot, as it was today, to the point of very cold.

Two weeks ago there was apparently a fire alarm at the John O'Gaunt School. We, being in the pool, did not hear it. A girl came in blowing a whistle and we assumed we should get out of the pool. no further instructions were forthcoming, I think we were expected to stand by an open door in wet swimming costumes. No one was approached individually, and I, for one, went to a cubicle, got dressed and went home. No one was any the wiser and no checks on the cubicles were made nor a head count. This is simply unacceptable. Proper arrangements in case of fire should be made and carried out.

I understand that at other Leisure Connection centres, Wokingham being one, staff cuts have been made unknown to the councils concerned and in
contravention of their contracts. 

I would also like to know the exact duties of the lifeguards, as they seem to do very little and pay no attention to the swimmers. I hope you will be able to rectify this situation as it is dangerous and a health hazard, as well as inconvenient.

Compare the User s' Experience to the puff below from Hungerford Council's ARTS & LEISURE INFORMATION BULLETIN ISSUE 4 SEPTEMBER 2006.

Hungerford Leisure Centre Achieves Quality Accreditation Award  Hungerford Leisure Centre, managed by Leisure Connection on behalf of West Berkshire Council, has been awarded a score of 70% in a recent Quest Assessment. The score reflects the strong partnership working between Leisure Connection and the Council and the drive towards a continuous improvement in the service offered to customers and the community. 

Quest is Sport England’s recognised UK Quality scheme for the sport and leisure industry. The Accreditation is only awarded to those services that demonstrate that they can offer a quality service measured against strict standards. Having received the accreditation the service must then follow a regular programme of assessments and continuous improvement plans.

Contract Manager Mark Learnihan is thrilled with the result. “Myself and the team are delighted to have received this result at Hungerford Leisure Centre. The achievement makes us even more passionate and determined to achieve an even higher score next year!”

Again the disparity between Quest and user experience brings into question the value and relevance of this scheme. What's the point of quality assurance plaques when the quality is deficient and the assurance unreliable? PB


From a Council Leisure Manager 19.9.06 

Further to my email last week I have spoken to the Manager in great detail with regards to your complaint and I can conclude the following:

The Manager has confirmed they are experiencing problems with the locker /cubical supplier hence the reason for the delay with the repairs and he has assured me that he is doing all he can to rectify the situation. (The manager might be doing all he can but is LC's HQ?  If repairs cost more than a certain amount or there is a national contract, locals may  have to wait for authorisation. PB)
The wetside floor has now received a deep clean and the centre manager has revisited the cleaning schedule, which hopefully will allow the team to keep on top of things.  
The lane dividers are in the process of being cleaned and a new one has been purchased 
The disabled toilet now has an alarm
The hot water situation was unforeseen as the boilers failed to work and upon inspection could not be repaired therefore two new boilers need to be purchased and installed. I understand they are being installed as I write this letter.

 Staff Qualifications 

 The centre managers are responsible for arranging sufficient training for his/her staff. I know from training records this takes place on site on a regular basis. 

I can confirm every qualified lifeguard must complete four hours compulsory Royal Lifesaving Society Training every month also National Pool Lifeguard Certificate which is a further two hours per month, an external assessor then signs off the training. 

The Manager has noted your comments of lifeguards not paying attention and will discuss your concerns and the possible implications of such actions with the staff team. 

I do understand that there was an incident relating to the fire alarms at the school which activated during necessary maintenance works. Upon investigation there appears to have been a breakdown in communication as the centre are usually informed when such works are taking place. The manager will discuss the incident with the school.

It is normal practice for swimmers to stand by the fire exit until it has been confirmed whether there is a direct threat to the leisure centre customers and staff. If there was a threat a check on the changing rooms to evacuate customers would have taken place also space blankets would have been issued to all swimmers before exiting the building. On checking the facility log on this occasion there was not a threat to customers or staff. (The rest of the letter does not address the report that people were able to use the changing rooms and no checks were made of them.)

Under the terms and conditions of their contract. Leisure Connection are responsible for health and safety and take this very seriously. Hungerford's Health & Safety Audit scored very highly within the Leisure Connection organisation (in the top twenty). (Hygiene is also part of health and safety but the poor cleaning described above and below is not consistent with taking H&S seriously.) 

I understand that there are no staff shortages at the moment or future redundancies planned... (So if staff are adequate why is the cleaning so poor?)


From User of Centre 29.9.06

Many thanks for your detailed letter of 19th September, however, I regret to say, I cannot see much improvement.

The place still seems as grubby as ever: the shower stalls are caked with lime scale, as are the neighbouring cubicles; the floor gratings are unspeakably dirty; and it appeared to me that the same rubbish was still on the floor on Tuesday last, as there was the previous Friday. 

I understand one of the lifeguards has left because she resented having to do the cleaning when she arrived in the morning, and I must say, this should not be part of their job.

Two out of the four showers were working for the first time on Tuesday for the first time in about five weeks.

While I was there on Tuesday a collection of suits were inspecting the building, among them a representative of Leisure Connections, who is their business manager. I am afraid I did not catch his name. I asked him if it would be possible to replace the existing ladders into the pool with more modern ones that have rubber inserts into the steps and on the sidebars. The present ones are very slippery and dangerous. I would be grateful if this could be implemented.

From a Council Leisure Manager 13.10.06

Just a quick email to let you know on progress with regards to the Hungerford Leisure Centre. I have inspected the leisure centre on a number of occasions since your last email.

I can confirm that I have set the management team a number of targets to improve the standards of cleanliness and maintenance and on my follow-up inspection I could see an improvement in the standards however there are still a number of outstanding issues that they need to amend as a matter of urgency.

Please can I assure you that the Council will continue to monitor the progress and if you have any further concerns please do not hesitate to contact me.

From User of Centre 13.10.06

Thank you for consideration and I appreciate your input.

Since last writing to you, the showers are working now, but since they are working, the water in the pool is bitterly cold and has been so for the last 2/3 weeks. I cannot understand the reason for this - the temperature does vary, sometimes even being uncomfortably hot, but right now it appears unheated and is so cold that many of us Over 50 swimmers cannot stay in for too long because of the cold.

In addition many people in this group have arthritic problems and it does not need me to tell you how hard this is for them. I would appreciate your help in this.

The information below was obtained via a Freedom of Information request to West Berkshire Council made on 20.12.05 . LC manages Kennet and Hungerford Leisure Centres, just two out of eight belonging to the Council.  For the most part Negative comments only appear below. 

Hungerford

from Notes on Hungerford QUEST (Quality Assurance) Meeting 25.6.04

...Quest wanted to know my thoughts on the Centre, which are:

"The Centre is well managed with pleasant competent team. The Cleanliness of the building lets the team down with attention to detail failing in some areas. Poolside change area floor needs time and elbow grease. The reception area needs a new carpet  as the other one is worn and dirty. " 

From "Facility Observation" 25.10.04

"Disabled toilet in need of a deep clean..."

From "Facility Observation" 12.5.05

"...Wetside... Floor in need of deep clean: Drains to be cleared of hair and rubbish etc., Nappy bins need emptying; Baby cot dirty (later disposed of); Shower difficult to turn off; Disabled wetside change light not working... Mirrors in female change need cleaning..."

"Team Areas...floors, wall and drain covers dirty."

From Facility Report 2005 - undated

"Cleanliness/ Changing Rooms... Standards are very good at this facility other than the carpet...Wetside (attention to detail) and school cleaning standards in the hall not up to expectation."

From Results of User Questionnaire 2005

30% were members, 62% visited more than once a week, 64% had used swimming pool that day, 19% had "ever complained about service at this site". Top complaints were about catering, sign posting to centre,  cleanliness, landscaping/grounds, catering, equipment availability and heating/lighting/ventilation, 

Kennet

From "Facility Observation" 7.04.05

"Dance Studio vents dirty and dusty. Ceiling tiles missing."

From Kennet Complaints Summary February 2005

There were 52 complaints (some of which appear to refer to more than one issue) including  23 about car parking, 22 about environmental conditions ((heat, light, ventilation and pool temperature) and 2 about lifeguards chatting.  

From User letter of Complaint 23.6.05

"...severe lack of adequate air conditioning in the gym which has been the case since before the summer las year. Many complaints have been made from users of the gym but so far conditions have not improved..."

"The attendance of any gym instructors is sparse and sporadic... what if someone became ill (from the heat!) or fell?..."

"The general cleanliness of the gym is certainly below expectations. The equipment is constantly breaking down and being out of order for long periods..."

"I attach a list of members who share my concerns..."

From Facility Report 2005 - undated

"Cleanliness/ Changing Rooms ... schedules are in place however attention to detail is lacking. Staff are working through the wetside change floor as it needed a deep clean. The Duty Managers are enforcing standards."

From Results of User Questionnaire 2005

51% were members, 65% came more than once a week, 59% had used swimming pool, 24% had "ever complained about service at this site". Top complaints were about building maintenance, catering, equipment condition, cleanliness, landscaping/grounds, and heating/lighting/ventilation.

From Email  to Recreation Client Officer - 19.10.05

The user complains "...my complaints are listened to but nothing is done." .Problems listed are the showers,  the door to the gents' toilet,  wearing of outdoor footwear around the pool and staff not taking action even when this is pointed out to them. "I have attached some photos of the shower walls showing the build up of scale, mould and mildew... two of the three showers are unserviceable..."

From Kennet Leisure Centre Contractor/ Client Meeting and Facility Inspection 28.10.05  

"Complaints   Centre Manager reported that 2-showers  wetside were not working also two showers not performing well which leaves only two working. JH (Council Officer) discussed that the showers were picked up at the last Client meeting 8th September. MW stated that they are reliant on Contractors and that the showers are not the same two as before. JH suggested public notices to improve communication. Contractor due to inspect/ repair Monday 31st October, JH to be kept informed.

"Swimming pool closed site Saturday 22nd lunchtime to Tuesday midday due to lack of chemicals on site (order not placed early enough and Contractor late delivery) ...

"Areas for Improvement - Exposed leads in the gym, Showers (as discussed), Four wetside lockers out of order, Broken seat in the ladies wetside toilet, Door handle in the men's wetside toilets broken, Lime scale in the sunbed room toilet, Sports hall store untidy with possible trip hazards on the floor, Team Change floor dirty, walls and grids need cleaning, Female discreet curtain dirty..."

From Kennet Questionnaire Summary - undated

Total response 122, 63 of whom were members. "Customers were asked what part of the service offered to them was unsatisfactory. The main areas for concern were: 1. Car parking  2. Cleanliness of the facilities changing areas  3. pool temperature  4. Showers  5.  Poor ventilation in the gym

From Kennet Monthly Facility Report April 2005

Staff Supervision and Planning ... Legal requirements fulfilled.  Sickness / Leave cover sometimes lacking.

From Kennet Complaints Summary February 2005

There were 52 complaints (some of which appear to refer to more than one issue) including  23 about car parking, 22 about environmental conditions ((heat, light, ventilation and pool temperature) 2 about lifeguards chatting and). and none about cleaning. 

 

Audit Commission Report on Recreation in West Berkshire November 2001 -  Extracts relate to centres in general and not just LC's two contracts. http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/reports/accessible.asp?ProdID=01F6FCA0-F00B-11d6-B1EF-0060085F8572 

There is increasing customer dissatisfaction with the cleanliness and maintenance standards at indoor centres. These aspects of the Service are not well monitored by the Council.

We recommend that the Council should improve customer service by immediately upgrading the cleaning and maintenance programme across all sites

...we were disappointed at the low levels of cleanliness and maintenance at the sites. Both in our mystery shopper and accompanied visits, we saw examples of dirty showers and poorly cleaned changing rooms. As the photographs show, these are below the standards the public has a right to expect. We accept that on school sites such as Downland, the Council is promoting opportunities in under-provided areas at sites that were not designed to meet modern customer expectation. Nonetheless, basic standards of cleanliness and hygiene are non-negotiable. In fact, it could be argued that in poorer equipped sites, the need is greater.

101 We also saw poor maintenance as evidenced by broken toilets, out-of-order lockers, and poorly decorated areas. These combined to give a feeling of low standards and a little-valued service.

102 Customer complaints records show that maintenance and cleanliness are recurring areas of concern to the general public. The best value review states that dissatisfaction with cleanliness in the centres increased from 23 per cent in 2001 to 29 per cent in 2002.  Dissatisfaction with building maintenance has also increased from 12.1 per cent to 15.7 per cent over the same period.

103 These opinions were echoed by the comments expressed to us at the user forums conducted as part of the inspection.

104 Comparison of the annual leisure centre surveys show that satisfaction has decreased in 14 out of the 20 areas measured. This deterioration in standards as measured by customer satisfaction suggests that the Council’s monitoring of performance by both contractors and in-house staff is not sufficiently robust and is not delivering good service on the ground.

105 We heard in our interviews that one contractor had been issued with two defaults concerning health and safety arrangements. Under the contractual arrangements, their contract could be terminated if four defaults are issued in any 12-month period. However, the officer concerned stated that the Council would be reluctant to terminate the contract. In our opinion, this unwillingness to face the consequences of robust monitoring is contributing to the poor standards we observed. We heard that there are no spot checks carried out on a regular basis, and that the Council relied on customers to report falling standards

107 In our conversations with the Council and operators about these low standards, we found a general acceptance of the need to improve matters. However, we were concerned that these were often linked to the need to make capital-based improvements to the centres. While we accept the need for significant spending on changing rooms, gyms and reception areas at all sites, to refurbish the outdoor pool at Northcroft, and for the provision of additional facilities such as an artificial turf pitch at Hungerford, these are medium- to long-term projects. There is a need for immediate improvements in operating standards for cleaning and day-to-day repairs.