Mole Valley - Dorking  see also FOI Page

Thanks to LCW's special agents "Mo" and "Froggie" for sending cuttings about Mole Valley.

OFSTED Inspection finds medical needs not met  February 2011

Leisure Connection / Harpers Fitness “teams up” with Kids Fit for Sport to provide activities at centres managed by LC. An OFSTED inspection in February 2011 on the KFFS programme at Dorking Leisure Centre led to a  “non-compliance” letter and the requirement to make improvements.
 

 These are obvious requirements and one wonders how they could be overlooked by a company that supposedly specialises in working with children. PB

27.8.09  Members' anger at sports centre closure   Dorking Advertiser   Reproduced in full http://www.thisissurreytoday.co.uk/news/Members-anger-sports-centre-closure/article-1285496-detail/article.html

Flooding brought Dorking Sports Centre to a sudden close last week, depriving scores of people of the popular venue. Leisure Connection, which runs the sports centre on behalf of Mole Valley District Council, closed the Reigate Road venue on Friday, August 21.The centre remained shut over the weekend. It was partially opened on Tuesday, but normal services were not expected to resume until Saturday. Both swimming pools remained shut when the Advertiser went to press.
 
And from Tuesday, visitors had to use toilet facilities at the neighbouring Dorking Halls. Angry members who made wasted journeys to the centre have criticised staff for not properly informing them of the closure. Mike Briant who works in Church Street, Dorking, pays £32 a month to use the gym, but said he would now be asking for his money back.

"I am hoping they are going to give some sort of financial compensation. It is a regular lunchtime activity for me and I have had to walk all the way from the other end of town and there is nowhere else to go. No one has said anything to me. They are expecting everybody to wander up and find these notices on the door."

Whole families have also been affected. Nick Torpey, of The Borough, Brockham, said: "It is a bit of a shame. I use it quite a lot. I do a lot of football coaching and my wife does fitness classes there and my boys swim here. It is a really good centre but they don't want to lose the customers."

Kim Jones, training officer at the Dorking Dive Club which meets at the sports centre every Monday night at 9pm, was more forgiving. He said: "We were disappointed. We thought we could have been informed a bit earlier but we fully understand the reasons why it had to be closed and accept that."

The flooding is thought to have been caused by a faulty valve in the plant room.

Leisure Connection told the Advertiser the centre would be operating under a reduced programme until Friday, but hoped both pools, cafe, showers and toilets would be operational from 2pm on Saturday. A spokeswoman for the company added: "We apologise for any inconvenience caused to our customers and members alike. Due to the flood damage to essential building operating systems we did have to continue the closure of the Sports Centre all day Monday."

Customers are advised to phone 01306 870180 for more details.

From the Agenda for the Council Meeting on 13.12.05, under motions.  http://www.mole-valley.gov.uk/media/pdf/e/t/Council_Agenda_131205.pdf 

"The Committee considered a report, which informed Members of the outcome of negotiations with Leisure Connection. RECOMMENDED: That the settlement reached be approved, subject to the matters referred to in the report. (NB: Recorded vote: - 6 in favour and 5 against)."

The minutes of the meeting record: http://www.mole-valley.gov.uk/media/pdf/6/e/Council_minutes_131205.pdf 

RESOLVED: That the settlement reached be approved, subject to the matters referred to in the report.

The report does not appear to be available to the public. Nothing like open government, eh? PB

Dorking Advertiser 8.9.05

Fitness fans work up a sweat as gym's air conditioning fails 

Broken air conditioning is causing a sweat in Dorking Sports Centre. Members of the gym have been forced to exercise in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees as the air conditioning system remains unfixed. Gillian McCluskey has been a member of the gym since it opened in 2003. She said:... "I reckon it was 40 degrees in there the other day and they just have two air conditioning fans." 

Ms McCluskey believes the system has been broken for more than three weeks. She said: "They told me it will be fixed on September 12 if the people can get the parts to fix it."

But Pat Wrangles, contract manager of the centre, could not confirm when the system would be working again. He said: "Engineers visited the centre as soon as the air conditioning fault was discovered and they are now taking steps to ensure it is resolved as soon as possible. The fault only affects the gym and dance studios The centre's sports hall , swimming pool, crèche and reception area are all unaffected. In the meantime we have taken specialist advice and hired in four high powered fns to keep the affected areas as cool as possible..."

But this is not the first time the air conditioning has packed up at the centre in Reigate. Ms McCluskey said: "In May they shut for four weeks to fix the air conditioning in the building. When we came back it was fine then it packed up again."

 As of 13.9.05 there is no mention of this month-long problem on the LC website for the centre - http://dorking.leisureconnection.co.uk/. The authorities were happy to trumpet the refurbishment (see below) but seem more reticent about the continuing problems. PB

Dorking Advertiser 2.6.05 http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200surreyheadlines/tm_objectid=15585440%26method=full%26siteid=50101-name_page.html  

Sports centre all set to re-open after repairs 


DORKING'S Sports Centre will re-open on Monday - right on schedule after extensive work. It has been closed for the past month after being beset with difficulties during the first 18 months since opening. The final touches are now being completed to the gym flooring, the pool tiling and the reception area. Staff will then begin a complete clear up. The pools have to be thoroughly cleaned, refilled, filtered and then brought back to temperature before swimmers start reusing the centre.

The council's leisure development manager, Helen Dredge, said: "The defect works are on schedule so we can re-open in time for an early morning swim."

Improvements have been made to the sports hall flooring which now has more lines, and faulty tiling has been replaced on all the pools. Fresh coats of paint have been added, and the showers across the centre have been improved.

Pat Wrangles, the Leisure Connection contract manager at the centre, said: "We are looking forward to the re-opening of our facility so that we can resume operation in a fully-functioning sports centre. I would also like to reiterate our thanks to all members and users for their continued under- standing and patience." He added that the contractors working on the building have clocked up long hours to get the centre up and running. There will be smaller works continuing after June 6 for a further four to six weeks but these will not affect the public," he said.

Mrs Dredge has been monitoring the repairs on the centre's behalf on a day-to-day basis and she is ecstatic that it will be re-opening on time. She echoed Mr Wrangles' sentiments when she said: "We really do appreciate everyone's patience during this period and look forward to welcoming all customers back to the centre."

Council claims sports centre closure 'normal'   10.2.05   http://snipurl.com/cx1n 

Expert opinion sought. There is nothing in this article to suggest that LC is responsible for the closure of this facility opened in 2003. With regard to the suggestion that closures like this are normal, is anyone with experience in these matters able to comment? I wonder if the extended closure of Clissold Leisure Centre has limited expectations of getting it right first time? I am also puzzled as to why so many closures of swimming pools take place in the summer. Will this also be the case at Reigate Road and is this common with other leisure contractors?  PB

By John Williams, Dorking Advertiser (reproduced in full)   

THE teething problems that have beset Dorking's troubled sports centre will now see it closed for a month in the summer. The centre was opened in July 2003 but has continued to experience technical and structural problems. These were not helped by the building contractor responsible for the site going into administration only months after opening.

But council chiefs are confident that such problems are typical for a sports centre and that the closure may finally iron out the ongoing problems. The list of setbacks at the Reigate Road site has been lengthy. The swimming pool has had consistent problems with the tiling, including a month's delay to its original opening date.

The gym has been left without air conditioning on numerous occasions, including three weeks over Christmas. Power cuts have blighted the site and structural inadequacies have led to persistent flooding, which has in turn caused further problems. It is this flooding that will lead to the closure of the sports hall to allow the floor to be relaid. The swimming pool will be closed to allow it to be drained and the tiles and grouting to be examined.

John Cawdell, the district council's director of leisure services, said that the scale of the building work will in all probability lead to a complete closure. "We are in talks with Leisure Connection about the other parts of the building," he said. "We are fairly confident that the gym and the studio can be kept open for two of the four weeks. But there is a feeling that for health and safety reasons the whole place needs to close, with builders' materials and ladders lying around and so on. The council and Leisure Connection do not want cause any more disruption than we have to."

The tendering process to find a contractor for the site is still being carried out by the project management team at Mole Valley District Council. It was unwilling to discuss the cost of the repairs. The exact timing for the extent and duration of the repairs will be known when a contractor has been brought on board. The expense of carrying out such work will be covered by a retention fund maintained by the council from funds that were not paid over to Ballast, the initial contractor that went into administration. The council also took out an insurance bond at the start of the project to cover such costs.

Mr Cawdell is confident such extensive repairs are normal for a sports centre despite the relatively short time it has been open. "I know they have had to close the centre in Horsham as they have had similar problems," he said. There really isn't anything unusual in this. We had to close Leatherhead last year for six to eight weeks for refurbishment work as well."

Sports centre users are less confident and have expressed surprise and anger when told of another setback at the much vaunted site, which councillors hailed as a landmark project.

Swimmer Maureen Lewington said: "It does seem ridiculous that the centre would close after such a short period of time and when so much money was spent on it."

18.11.04  From Dorking Advertiser  Page 1  by John Williams (reproduced in full) 

Staff fear leisure supervision unsafe  /  Cost Cuts at sport centre ‘hit morale’ 

Problems at Dorking’s sports centre will be tackled after angry staff raised a list of criticisms. Measures such as charging non-members 20p to walk through the Reigate Road centre, which have left staff frustrated, could now be axed, according to the district council’s leisure services manager, John Cawdell. Mr Cawdell will now go to Leisure Connection – the private company that manages the site – with a list of concerns. 

The council and Leisure Connection have worked hard to turn the centre around after design flaws led to a series of mishaps. But now staff have spoken out at cost-cutting at the centre despite growing membership. Staff members contacted the Advertiser to speak of their frustration and low morale, but wanted to remain anonymous for fear of their jobs. “They cannot keep the staff on and the people who still work here are worn out ,” one staff member explained. “The people here are marvellous, but too much is being asked of them.” They have raised concerns with the district council that gym supervision and lifeguards are being cut to a minimum and that the use of casual labour is leading to poor cleanliness. 

Although the main leak in the roof, which led to some ceiling panels collapsing, has been fixed, there is still a problem with this part of the centre. They also spoke of staff being asked to look for forgotten pound deposits in the changing room lockers to go into the company’s coffers. And now they feel the 20 pence surcharge on all non-members entering the site is unfair. This means that for every person, even if they have aid to swim or play football must pay 20p extra every visit. 

Mr Cawdell said: “We have asked for the 20p to be withdrawn as it is not appropriate. There is provision for a spectator fee in the contract, but we feel that this goes against the spirit of the agreement.” 

Staff said,; “Leisure Connection  will soon introduce a measure where just one lifeguard will monitor both pools and on some occasions the gym is unmanned. Staff there know this is not really safe.” 

Mr Cawdell said that while one lifeguard was acceptable under the agreement, the gym should not be left unmanned. “I have told Leisure Connection the gym should be staffed at all times,” he added. 

The council has worked hard on overseeing the project and Helen Barnes, the council’s leisure development officer, has had regular contact with Leisure Connection to address the centre’s design faults. Council officials have also closely monitored cleanliness at the site but swimmers and gym users have still complained about hygiene levels.

Mr Cawdell said; “there has been an improvement in cleanliness, but we are still working together on that and have regular inspections. We are trying to do the best we can, “ he added. Leisure Connection was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

 2.9.04  Council sends in trouble-shooter to sports centre  

by John Williams  From IC Surrey Online http://snipurl.com/8w5g 

THE maligned sports centre in Dorking is set for improvement, with the council vowing to keep a close eye on its progress. A development officer for Mole Valley District Council has been appointed with the sole remit of monitoring the centre and ensuring an end to the problems that have beset the Reigate Road site since its opening.

Helen Barnes has more than 10 years' experience in the leisure industry, which saw her start as a lifeguard and has led to her current role with the council. In that time she has worked at various sports centres and has also worked with Pat Wrangles, the contract manager for the Dorking site, at a previous facility.

She is confident of success and said: "The staff just want to improve things and make the service better and it is within the power of the council to demand that the centre is a success." Mrs Barnes took the Advertiser on a tour of the site and demonstrated the work she has under-taken since May to improve hygiene and service levels with Leisure Connection.

Leisure Connection is a private company employed by the council to run the centre, which has faced numerous problems since its opening in June last year. Most recently, the centre's air conditioning unit repeatedly failed and the atrium was flooded during the torrential rain on Monday last week. Staff were forced to grab mops and use sandbags to stem the flow of water after the drains failed to cope with the unusually high levels of water.

Mrs Barnes admits this is part of a list of 45 defects that were revealed following a review under-taken by a surveyor earlier in the summer. Many of these problems stem from the initial completion of the building, which staff believe was not conducted satisfactorily, and compounded by Ballast, the contractor responsible for its maintenance, going into liquidation in October of last year.

The funds that have been used to undertake repairs thus far have been drawn from a separate account set up by Leisure Connection and the council, and will be allocated when the case of Ballast's liquidation is settled.

Mrs Barnes said: "These problems will be sorted out and the money required to resolve them will go into the account so they can be carried out. It is going to take time but the works will be done by the end of 2004." In the meantime, she is to carry on with her detailed inspections of the centre to ensure that it comes up to the high standards of cleanliness she expects.

The role allows Mrs Barnes to turn up unannounced at the centre and to undertake a tour to point out areas that need improving. At the moment she is paying particular attention to the swimming pool changing rooms and the pool side, which she feels do not come up to scratch. Mrs Barnes is determined that it can become a first-class facility and said: "I really hope that we have now seen the last of the problems."

Aug 5 2004  Keep fit fans sweat it out over repairs    from IC Surrey Online
 http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200surreyheadlines/page.cfm?objectid=14496377&method=full&siteid=50101 

By John Williams

GYM users who have sweated through more breakdowns at Dorking's leisure centre have been reassured by the council that they are "monitoring the situation". Air conditioning at the state-of-the-art gym broke down repeatedly during last week's heatwave, leaving members gasping for breath - but this is not their only complaint.

The council has received queries from residents who are concerned at the cleanliness of the centre, the state of the equipment, and cutbacks in classes. John Cawdell, director of leisure services at Mole Valley District Council, said: "We are monitoring the situation and are keeping in close contact with the management of the centre. We are aware of the issues concerning standards of cleanliness and are working with Leisure Connection to improve that area."

Parts of the centre that had come in for particular criticism were the poolside and the changing rooms. Users have have been left fraught by continued air conditioning breakdowns that have produced temperatures of 30 degrees in the gym, despite attempts by staff to improve the situation with fans.

Members are critical of the state of repair of the gym with numerous unusable machines, broken entry points to the centre, lift breakdowns and staff cutbacks which leave the gym unmanned at certain times. In terms of repair of the centre Mr Cawdell admitted that the council and Leisure Connection have struggled since the contractor who built the site, Ballast, went into liquidation shortly after completion.

This has meant that, in Mr Cawdell's words: "we have been having difficulty in trying to repair issues, and in appointing a contractor to deal with this" and that it was "unexpected".

Users on Monday night, when conditions in the gym were said to be "stifling" said that they "expected more" and were surprised that "so many things could go wrong a year after the centre opened".

Dorking Sports Centre opened with great fanfare in June of last year but immediately ran into controversy when the swimming pool was unable to open at the same time due to construction difficulties.

The centre was then beset with a series of teething problems including electricity cuts and air conditioning breakdowns and earlier this year users complained vehemently when popular classes were cut back.

Member Amanda Benwell said: "If Dorking Leisure Centre is to keep up with competition from larger chains in the locality, it needs to look carefully at fundamental areas that could benefit from improvement. It would be a shame to see such a well-equipped sports centre with amazing potential encounter further problems. The Government is ploughing money into schemes to improve the nation's health and fitness, and this needs to be reflected in the facilities on offer locally."

Mr Cawdell said that a new monitoring officer had been put in place at the centre and was confident that "people will see the improvements at the centre soon".

Pat Wrangles, the contract manager for Leisure Connection, was unavailable for comment at the time of going to press.

Dorking Advertiser 13.6.03    Report says swim pool a 'health risk' from http://snipurl.com/64zn
 
A DAMNING report claims Dorking Swimming Centre could pose "a potentially serious health risk" to swimmers. The consumer magazine Which? recently released the results into tests carried out in February at 61 swimming pools nationwide...

But the report is not the first time the pool has been criticised. Kate Ferris, from Rothes Road, complained to the district council about filthy facilities at Dorking Swimming Centre about a month ago, before the Which? findings were released.

"The changing area in particular just stinks so much. I think even the public toilets in South Street are cleaner, which says something. Whenever I go there all the mums are complaining about the state of it." ...

Carol Millett, also from Rothes Road, said: "The district council was aware of the findings of the report in February, but the cleanliness of the pool has deteriorated between then and now. We as parents and teachers have noticed this problem for a long time. Something needs to be done about it." She said the Which? report has confirmed the suspicions of many about the standards of the pool and surrounding facilities.

Becky Smith from Brookside Cottages said she has stopped her daughter going to the pool after concerns about the hygiene. She said although she has often seen officials testing the water at the pool, the changing rooms, toilets and footbath are often very dirty.

Both her children and Mrs Millett's son have caught a water-borne infection called giardia, which they fear may have been contracted from the pool although this cannot be proven.

Private company Leisure Connection has held the contract to run the pool on behalf of the council for about two-and-a-half years...

Another concerned parent Ellie Slitclift said: "Surely this is serious enough for the council to be able to break with Leisure Connection or penalise them."

Mole Valley District Council said this week the pool is tested every two hours during opening times. In a statement, the council added that regular bacteriological tests by the environmental health department have shown the pool is free of harmful bacteria...

Head of leisure John Cawdell said: "Leisure Connection runs the pool in accordance with strict specifications given to it by the district council." ... He confirmed some complaints had been received over standards about six to eight weeks ago.

"Leisure Connection advised us that it did have problems with cleaning contractors at the time and they have since increased the frequency and have done all they can," he said....

From IC Surrey On Line Feb 5 2004  By John Williams http://icsurreyonline.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200surreyheadlines/page.cfm?objectid=13917860&method=full&siteid=50101 

Members get to grips with bosses of sports centre

FRUSTRATED Dorking Sports Centre members had their say over its management after it came in for criticism from staff. At a public forum, representatives from Leisure Connection (LC) sat down with selected members of the public to discuss their views on the centre.

John Cawdell, director of leisure services for the district council, was invited to attend the meeting and felt the outcome was very positive. "I came away from the meeting with the view that Leisure Connection were doing their best to address a lot of the issues that have been raised about the centre in the last month," he said.

Issues raised included the maintenance of the building, cleanliness of the site, the timetable for the swimming pool and the controversial cut in exercise classes. Members of the public attempted to gain access to the customer forum to discuss the axing of exercise classes.

But they were refused entry to the meeting as it was limited to 12 members of the centre who had been formally invited. Amanda Benwell, a member who was refused entry, said: "One of the centre's main attractions was the diversity of courses on offer - including many highly specialised classes that are not a feature of any other centre in the area.

"It is therefore with surprise that many centre members learnt that these specialist classes had been cut from the timetable." Miss Benwell, and other attendees of classes that have been axed, was sceptical that their views were being put across to the LC management.

"We feel that the management should have consulted with its customers before making the decision about which classes to withdraw, and what better place to do so than a customer forum?" she said.

Mr Cawdell was confident that LC is running the centre to the best of its ability and that the public's views were being represented. "A wide portion of the public's views were put across," he said.

"LC were trying to make their customers understand that people have different needs and that a balanced programme is necessary," he said.

Pat Wrangles, the new contract manager for LC who started at the centre only three weeks ago, was pleased with the outcome of the meeting and that he could address some of the doubts of his members.

"I am pleased that we are getting a chance to speak to a variety of customers and we try to select a range of users of the centre," he said. "In the future we are planning to review all areas of the centre, including further development and children's activities. We had to reinvent the timetable as it was excessive for the number of members at the site. Our team did a lot of research and we are offering one class for every 39 members compared to other local sites such as Donyngs (at Redhill) that offer one class per 58 members. If our membership expands then we will of course be looking to increase the number of classes."

From the Mole Valley Community Committee Minutes 25 June 2002, available at  http://www.mole-valley.gov.uk/molevalley/council.nsf/pages/Communit100924.html 

Maintenance Work at Dorking Swimming Centre

The Chairman agreed that this should be considered as an urgent item of business.

The Committee considered a report which set out comprehensive details of maintenance and replacement work undertaken at the Dorking Swimming Centre during June 2002 and other actions taken to address management issues at the Centre.

Leisure Connection had been aware that 'Which' had undertaken this survey and also knew the results. However, they had not informed the Council of this. The Director of Services was not aware of the survey until the day before it was published. The Committee expressed a number of concerns relating to standards at the swimming pool and the Director of Services advised that monitoring had been increased and improved systems put in place to ensure the required standards. All procedures for monitoring the pool had been reviewed and this would include monitoring of the training provided by Leisure Connection to its staff.

From  Council Minutes 14.10.03
http://212.158.27.7/molevalley/council.nsf/0/031D408CEBA8818080256DF60036A2B2?opendocument

Which? Story   Council 'kept in dark' about pool health tests

By Beth Mcloughlin, Leatherhead Advertise at http://snipurl.com/6j0g   Jul 4 2002

URGENT work is to be carried out at Dorking Swimming Centre after council officials admitted they were kept in the dark about a damning report.

The pool was considered as an extra item at a meeting of the community committee last Wednesday.

It was opened to the public again last week after closing on Friday June 7 for maintenance.

This was just after a Which? report published the results of tests done back in February, but the district council insisted at the time the closure was unconnected to the report.

The Which? tests found the pH, or alkaline levels, were outside the normal range and said the pool posed a potentially serious health risk.

Councillor Derrick Burt (Lib-Dem, Dorking North) asked why the swimming pool was not closed in February.

"One of the failures of Leisure Connection was the failure to inform the council that tests had taken place. I was not informed until the day before publication," explained director of services Sue Threader.

She said tests carried out by Leisure Connection, which manages the pool on behalf of Mole Valley District Council, had been clear of any bacteria.

There was only one occasion when bacteria was found in the training pool and the pool was closed instantly as a result.

Mrs Threader added Leisure Connection was required to tell the council about the tests and has been issued a penalty notice as a result of failing to do so.

Mr Burt also asked what had been done about six cases of the stomach bug Giardia among people who had used the pool.

Mrs Threader said: "Giardia is a very common organism and can be contracted in lots of different ways.

"There is no evidence to suggest these cases were linked to the swimming pool."

He also raised the issue of the footbaths, which are frequently empty of water, and the cold showers.

Mrs Threader admitted the whole drainage system needed replacing despite the maintenance work that had been carried out recently.

"This is pretty awful," Councillor David Sharland (Con, Leatherhead South) said at the meeting.

He raised the question of whether the pool ought to be closed altogether until the new sports centre opens in spring 2003.

The council has agreed money will be spent between now and then to meet health and safety standards, with £15,000 needed for a replacement filtration system to control pH levels and another £10,000 to replace the showers and changing room area in part.

The new filtration system will have sand filters, chlorine control and an alkali-dosing system that will allow the swimming pool staff to have greater control over water quality.

The money will come from the Dorking Swimming Centre repairs and renewals fund.

Councillors from the north of the district were reassured that since the Which? report came out, Leatherhead Leisure Centre has been tested and everything was as it should be.

Chairman Blanche Douglass said: "The pool in Dorking is old and out of date, which is why we are building the new one."

Councillor Stephen Cooksey (Lib-Dem, Dorking South) said: "This has shaken the confidence of the public in general in the ability of the council to control the swimming pool and the ability of Leisure Connection to do the job it has been employed to do.

"We need to ask ourselves why it took the Which? report to show these issues. Why weren't they obvious? We should have been made aware.

"What is of even more concern is that Leisure Connection has now taken responsibility for the Oasis centre and the new sports centre."

A meeting between Mrs Threader and the regional manager of Leisure Connection will now take place to discuss issues of under-performance, and she said the company will be penalised again if necessary.

From Mole Valley Council Minutes 14.10.03  http://212.158.27.7/molevalley/council.nsf/0/031D408CEB 

Leatherhead Leisure Centre and Dorking Sports Centre – Industrial and Provident Society Status

The Council considered the progress with considering the transfer of the management of the Council's major leisure facilities to an Industrial and Provident Society.

RESOLVED:

(2) That the Director of Services be authorised, in consultation with a Working Party, to explore other options for the future of the Leatherhead Leisure Centre site, including those already considered by the Leisure Trusts Sub-Committee, and to make a report to a future meeting of the Council.