23.11.10  Contract Report to Oadby & Wigston Borough Council

 The Council’s Senior Contracts Manager presented a very short report to the Overview & Scrutiny Committee on the Leisure Services Contract

 “This report summarises the present position with regards to the Leisure Services Contract...  The current issues regarding the contract relate to the catering provision, noise,  cleaning contract, general management arrangements, contract enforcement and profit share.”

 These issues are not exactly new – see below – and LC / Harpers Fitness have made encouraging noises if not promises in the past. There will be a fuller report in March. Well, it could hardly be any briefer. Again one is left with the impression that a Council is shy of embarrassing its contractor in case anyone should suspect the Council has little talent for managing contracts.

 The Council recently made public, after Freedom of Information Request, a number of documents relating to its contracted out leisure services and their future.  The documents can be access via http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/cultural_services_inspection_gro

 These documents include:

In July 2009, an Environmental Health Officer wrote to the Catering Company chosen by Leisure Connection (Lesiurexta, part of the Crown Group) referring to Parklands Leisure Centre. 

"I write regarding a further complaint which this department has received concerning dirty condition (sic) in the kitchen... The equipment which I had requested following the complaint back in May 2009 to be deep cleaned such as the oven and hot plate had been clean. (sic) However the general condition of the floor was poor and dirty especially behind and under the hotplate. The hot cabinet was also dirty. This is likely to attract pests. There were also a few areas where plaster was missing on walls...” 

A draft “Review of Leisure and Recreation Provision within the Borough of Oadby and Wigston 2010”. This uses a rather crude and unreliable method of redaction, which the Council claimed was justified “on the basis of commercial sensitivity”. However it is questionable if one of the redacted sections is commercially sensitive.

 “Staff at the PLC (Parklands Leisure Centre) appear reluctant to participate in GP Referral training and obtain advanced qualification. This inhibits the expansion of the scheme.” page 116

 This sounds more to me like a concern that should be made public and acted upon. It also suggests that management is not managing.

10.4.09 Nottingham Evening Post Family hoping to sleep easy at last Reproduced in Full

A woman who has complained for years about noise from a leisure centre says her family will finally be able to sleep easily after the venue agreed to limit the volume of music played at events. Jacqui Rossa, 51, of Wigston Road, Oadby, said noise from music at weddings and other events held at Parklands leisure centre had made her and her family's life hell. Neighbours have also complained.

Changes had been made to try to tackle the problem, including loft insulation, but with little success. However, at a meeting of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council's licensing committee on Wednesday, Leisure Connections, which runs the centre, agreed to install a sound monitoring system which would automatically lower speaker volumes when the door to the event venue was opened.The move was recommended in an independent report by a specialist firm, which concluded the centre created a "noise nuisance" to people living nearby.

Speaking after the meeting, Mrs Rossa, who represented residents, said she was relieved progress had been made but angry it had taken so long. She said: "We've had 17 years of trouble. It's been horrible. We have five kids and all through their school life they struggled to get to sleep.

"The noise from the centre is unbearable and it's a huge relief for us that steps are now being taken - even if they have come 17 years too late. It feels like a victory for the little people."

Michael Sugiura, who runs a noise control firm, said the GBP4,500 monitoring system would lower the volume each time the centre's Cedar Suite doors were opened. He said: "The centre can't control low-frequency noise. It can be heard up to 100 metres away and the level rises the further from the building you go. A building of this type should have provided a noise limiter. If this system is installed, it would limit the amount of low-frequency sound reaching Mrs Rossa."

Councillor Bill Boulter, who chaired the meeting, said: " Leisure Connection installed insulation but we were still getting complaints.

"This equipment and technology was not available at the time. Now everyone has reached an agreement, I hope it will be the end of the matter." Mike Darlison, regional manager for Leisure Connections, said "This should go a long way to eliminating any noise problems."

Leicester Mercury 21.8.08  Noise Gripes Finally Heard   Reproduced in Full

Residents have celebrated a crucial victory in a 17-year battle against noise from a leisure centre. People living near Parklands leisure centre, in Oadby, have complained since 1991 about noise when events such as weddings are staged at the venue, saying it was "destroying" their lives.

They have been unhappy with efforts by Leisure Connection , which runs the Wigston Road centre, and Oadby and Wigston Borough Council, to control the problem. However, at a borough council licensing hearing on Monday, it was agreed that an independent sound consultant would be appointed to work with the residents and the leisure company over the next six months to tackle the problem.

Jackie Rossa, who lives in Wigston Road, said: "You can feel the bass thumping. That sort of noise causes stress and high blood pressure. You cannot escape from it. My husband can't watch TV in the living room. It kept my children awake and disturbed them when they were studying for exams. It has been dreadful. We have complained so many times, but it has never been sorted. We're absolutely delighted with the results of this hearing. Something has to be done and this is a good start. Finally, our views are being listened to and someone independent is being brought in." Events are held at the centre up to five times a week, but Mrs Rossa said she could not hear noise from all of them - and sometimes there could be a month of quiet before several nights of noise again.

Another resident, who lives in The Oval, but did not want to be named, said: "It is a very loud bass noise. We sit up waiting, knowing it is going to happen. It is destroying our lives, but it would be simple to sort out. They just need to keep the doors and windows closed and sort out the air-conditioning." The licensing hearing on Monday was to vary the conditions attached to the venue's premises licence.

Mike Darlison, Leisure Connection 's regional manager, said, with the help of the consultant, the company hoped to find a solution to the problems. He said: "There has been a history of problems involving noise from Parklands leisure centre. A lot of work has been done to sound-proof the room, but clearly this has not worked as well as people thought it would have. We want to work with Oadby and Wigston Borough Council and the local residents to bring this problem to an end." The application to change the premises licence included adding licensable activities, including allowing plays to be performed and films to be shown at the venue, and the provision of late-night refreshments.

The licensing panel of Oadby and Wigston Borough Council granted this addition on Monday, but said the noise problems must be addressed.
A council spokesman said: "Residents have complained about noise levels, which the council is investigating, by the appointment of an independent noise consultant.''

12.5.08 from Annual Report to the Scrutiny Panel for the 2007/08 Municipal Year 12.5.08
http://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/Home/Councillors%20and%20Committees/Agenda%20and%20Reports/Scrutiny/2008-09/2008-05-02/2008-05-20%20Annual%20Report%20Appendixgal%20.pdf

 Leisure Connection – Review

 At the meeting held on 29th October 2007 the Panel received a report on the operation of the Council’s Leisure Contract which was provided by Leisure Connection. The meeting was also attended by the Leisure Connection Contracts Manager and also the Regional Manager, who informed Members of progress made with the leisure facility since the widely publicised problems of earlier in the year. A review had been conducted of the structure of the operation and changes made. New procedures had been introduced, new training initiatives undertaken and new lines of communication opened with the Council. The company had conducted a ‘back to basics’ exercise with all aspects of the operations reviewed. It had provided the opportunity for more flexible working between sites and for staff to have opportunities for further training.

 It was anticipated that a marked improvement in standards would be reported by 31st December 2007. A new computer system, coupled with barriers to entry was being introduced, not only to control access and exits, thus avoiding lost income, but also to record and retain customer data. This could be used in the marketing of the services, particularly with promotional offers. It was anticipated that these would be in place by March 2008.

 During discussion on this topic the catering received most attention. Leisure Connection confirmed plans to introduce new catering facilities across all these sites, with vending machines being introduced at the swimming pools. At Parklands it was intended to introduce an enclosed bar area and a continental café environment. This was proposed to be a franchise operation but under the terms of the contract approval from the Council was required before any sub-letting could take place.

 A separate review under the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act was being undertaken at the Wigston Pool following a report received from the Council earlier in the year. The Panel agreed that this situation would be reviewed again in six months time when a review of usage figures would be undertaken, and the catering facility would hopefully be resolved.

 Outcome

 The Panel will be revisiting this topic at its October 2008 meeting and will consider the subject of catering in March 2009.

 Back to basics, eh? And just how was it that standards slipped so far? See below. PB 

From Audit Commission "Annual Audit and Inspection Letter - Oadby and Wigston Borough Council" March 2008  http://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/Home/Policies/Annual%20Audit/audit_letter.pdf

21. Improvements following the Audit Commission’s Culture inspection (published in July 2007) which found that the Council delivered a fair, one-star service with poor prospects for improvement, have not all been completed and key information about user numbers at leisure centres is still not collected. This means the Council cannot assess the success of initiatives, or manage them against key targets. Overall satisfaction with the Council’s leisure services, at 51 per cent, is amongst the lowest nationally.

25. ... The annual performance plan focuses on actions instead of outcomes that will make a difference to local people. Some plans for improvement lack clear milestones, against which to measure progress, and actions are not always assigned. Consequently, some areas for improvement  have had significant attention but have not yet delivered the expected improvement. For example numerous meetings have been held with the leisure contractor, by various officers and councillors, yet the desired outcome (in this case, knowing the numbers and types of users) has yet to be resolved. ...

21.9.07 A user writes to The Leicester Mercury  SWIMMING POOL NOT UP TO SCRATCH  Text reproduced in full www.thisisleicestershire.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=132938&command=displayContent&sourceNode=132547&contentPK=18450198&folderPk=77483&pNodeId=132438 
 I was interested to read (Mercury, September 15) about Leisure Connection being fined for failing to keep the Oadby and Wigston swimming pools clean.

I have been a regular swimmer at the Oadby pool since it opened and I have complained for a very long time about the state of the facilities, in particular the ladies changing room. I have written previously to Leisure Connections head office in Leeds, but received no reply. 

I visited the pool on three occasions last week and I can assure the regional manager that things have certainly not "improved massively" as he claims.

The toilets were dirty at 8am on Monday and did not appear to have been cleaned during the week at all. Surely in a public facility such as this, toilets should and must be cleaned and disinfected on a daily basis.

Mrs M Beaumont, Oadby. 

15.9.07  COMPANY FINED OVER DIRTY SWIMMING POOLS by Paul Conroy, Leicester Mercury  http://snipurl.com/1r4r6  Text reproduced in full
 
A company running council-owned swimming pools has been fined for failing to clean them properly. Council bosses say the problem at the Oadby and Wigston swimming baths led to the resignation of a pools manager. Oadby and Wigston Borough Council took the action against Leisure Connection after investigating complaints from users about the pools.

People had complained about the cleanliness and state of repair of the pools as well as the changing rooms. The firm was fined a total of £2,500 for the problems, which dated back to March and April this year. Details of the problems have only just emerged in the minutes of a meeting, which will go before the council on Tuesday.

A council report said: "The senior contracts manager's inquiries revealed that the problems were largely a result of poor management on site. "As a result of bringing this to the attention of Leisure Connection's senior management, a pools manager has resigned his position and steps are being taken to improve the morale of the workforce at the pools." (This is contradicted below by LC, suggesting poor communication between the council and the company. PB)

Leisure Connection denied the manager resigned over the failures, saying he left for another job and had been looking for a new position for some time. The council said standards have improved but increased monitoring had continued to ensure they do not slip back. (Given the criticism by the Audit Commission - see next item below -  one would very much hope there has been effective monitoring. PB)

Mike Darlison, regional manager for Leisure Connection, said: "We did have some issues at the time, we had some staff turnover. Clearly standards dropped at the time. Things have improved massively." He said the firm had been working with the council for 18 years and there had never been "anything of this nature" before. (Or lack of monitoring let LC get away with it. PB)

Coun Bill Boulter, who chairs the services committee that looked at the problems, said he was satisfied with the job now being done by Leisure Connection.
He said: "Things are a lot better. There won't be a repeat of the problems. "I think it was a management problem at the pools. It was just a lack of managers' control." (Not "just" lack of control by LC. Why wasn't the Council doing its job of monitoring the contract effectively? PB)

Ruth Arnold, who is a coach for Oadby and Wigston swimming club, said both pools had been in a poor condition. She said they were neither clean nor properly maintained with problems like a door missing off a toilet left for months before being fixed. She said: "All the major things have been addressed, probably since the fine. But it's not as clean as you would like it - there's general grubbiness."

Alison Blissett, 28, from Fleckney, uses Wigston pool with her two children Georgia, six, and Lattisha, four. She said: "I've noticed it getting worse and worse over the past year. The toilets are dirty, there's water everywhere and the shower cubicles are absolutely disgusting. "I make my children go to the toilet before they leave the house because it's so dirty here. It was particularly bad in March and April but I would not really say that it had got any better."

The Audit Commission inspected the council's leisure provisions in June and was critical of the authority. It said the number of people using the pool was falling and it was down by 18 per cent since 2004 to 05.

How Not to Manage a Leisure Contract

In July 2007 the Audit Commission published the results of a detailed  Inspection Report into Cultural Services at Oadby and Wigston Borough Council http://www.audit-commission.gov.uk/Products/BVIR/036833C5-F672-4cc5-9F29-04E7D194B088/OadbyandWigstonBC-CulturalServices05Jul07REP.pdf

 The report included the Council's Parklands Leisure / Banqueting Centre, Oadby Swimming Pool and Wigston Swimming pool, all outsourced to LC.

Under  "How well does the service manage performance?"

"The Council is not challenging the leisure contractor to improve performance. A presentation to the Scrutiny Panel in October 2005, a few months before the contract was renewed, highlighted the contractor’s intention to increase usage of the leisure facilities by 25 per cent over the next five years and to engage all sectors of the population. However, attendances have fallen and are targeted to fall further. Not all of the community projects relating to sport and recreation agreed for 2006/07 have been effectively delivered." (Words are even cheaper when there is poor contract management. I don't assume this is down to the quality of the council staff. Insufficient staff and resources to ensure performance, poorly worded contracts and lack of political will to use penalties are also factors. What should be clear by now is that contractors must be proactively managed because trust is not enough. PB)

 "... in 2006 the Council extended the contract to manage its swimming pools and leisure centres to 2014 without the benefit of an evaluation of the condition of the facilities, planned as part of the asset portfolio review in 2007. The Council may find it has signed up to operate its current leisure facilities that are not fit for purpose..."
 Recommendation

 "Improve its performance management of cultural services by... developing more output and outcome measures and associated targets for itself, its contractor and partners including indicators that specifically measure value for money..." 

Other Extracts

"The Council has not worked with the leisure contractor and other partners to overcome known cost barriers. The survey of participation in sports and leisure activities carried out by the Council in 2005 identified cost as the main barrier to swimming, playing badminton and using a gym. Further consultation carried out in 2006 as part of the Council’s budget-setting exercise showed that almost one in ten of those responding gave affordability as a reason preventing them from using the swimming pools and leisure centre, the second most frequently stated reason. Decisions on pricing and concessions are not effectively supporting the community plan priority to overcome barriers to accessibility of leisure particularly among target groups."

 "The Council’s approach to service standards is weak. Although a customer charter is in place at the facilities managed by the leisure contractor, the Council does not have a comprehensive suite of service standards across cultural services. This means that local people do not know what levels of service to expect or have sufficient information to judge whether the Council is providing a good service." 
 
Extracts from Services Committee 22nd August 2006  LEISURE CONNECTION – PROGRESS REPORT http://www.oadby-wigston.gov.uk/Home/Councillors%20and%20Committees/Agenda%20and%20Reports/Services/2006-07/2006-08-22/Leicesure%20Connection%20Progress%20Report.pdf 

Leisure Connection, following pressure from your officers, have employed a Maintenance technician for 20 hours a week across the sites with the primary objective of reducing down time to all our facilities and to improve the standard...

During the last six months a default notice was served on Leisure Connection for failing to rectify a problem within the allocated time...

Officers have also expressed concern regarding usage figures which are enclosed .Leisure Connection are putting proposals together to increase usage...