Vale Farm Showers Petition

Concerning Conditions at Vale Farm Leisure Centre

We, the undersigned appeal to Brent Council to resolve long-standing issues with wetside showers at the Leisure Centre.

When Leisure Connection took over management of the Centre they installed a new wetside shower system. This system has not been reliable. For most of the time women swimmers had the worst of it, with many complaints from them about cold showers.

The showers were meant to be repaired over the holiday period at the end of 2005 and the start of 2006. The work was not completed until February 2006 but soon after that time it became clear that while the women's showers had improved those in the men's changing area had deteriorated.

As users of the centre we request that the Council ensures that effective and lasting repairs to the showers are carried out as quickly as possible and that measures are put in place to ensure that all aspects of the contract are managed to ensure adequate staffing, maintenance and cleaning over the rest of its duration. 

Background 

There was a meeting on 21 July 2004 of users, council officers and Leisure Connection representatives. The notes written up by a Council Officer include:  

"Showers – Problems with temperature fluctuation within the shower areas. Action:  The site management team to monitor the temperatures on a daily basis, to check fluctuations.  Maintenance Team to check the temperatures to investigate whether there is any proactive means of improving temperature variations."  

In July 2004 Brent Council printed results of a survey of leisure users from October 2003. The most popular suggestions for improvements included improve the changing rooms, shower facilities, cleanliness and staff attitude. The council added, "actions are being taken to make improvements" and specified  "capital works to improve the showers at Charteris and Vale Farm Sports Centres". 

In the minutes of "Annual Meeting - Leisure Connection and LB Brent" held on 24.6.05 under "Overall Improvement" is: "Repairs and maintenance - slow to implement necessary repairs and maintenance to equipment or fixtures and fittings e.g. broken gym equipment, light bulbs…   Showers and water temperature - this is an ongoing issue but one that leads to customer dissatisfaction" 

In agreeing a new contract with Leisure Connection in July 2006 the Council promised tighter controls over Leisure Connection. Councillor Irwin Van Colle, lead member for Environment, Planning and Culture, said: "Hopefully this will close a book we all want to see shut and allow a fresh start." 

While users recognise the efforts of many Leisure Connection staff, overall the record of the company at Vale Farm continues to be disappointing. The Council has not ensured that the contactor delivers consistently under the old or new contracts.

Petition to Brent Council

We the undersigned appeal to Brent Council to reolve long-standing issues with wetside showers at the Leisure Centre.