Issue - meetings

Report of Councillor M Durrant, Chair of the Communities Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED - That the recommendations of the review into leisure activities for older children/teenagers by the Communities Scrutiny Committee be approved as set out below:

1.Review fees and charges around young person activities to ensure activities are inclusive and accessible for all young people, reporting the outcome to committee.

2 .Increase the offering to open up the membership to allow access to more activities such as Tag Active, soft play or access to other fitness classes.

3. Increase engagement with older children/teenagers, this includes targeting non-users as well as current users, by way of questionnaire/survey out to schools within the District and using social media channels. Reporting the outcome back to committee.

4.Targeted promotion of the activities we have on offer to children, specifically older children/teenagers.

5 .Encourage young people to engage in sports and leisure activities, not just within our Leisure Centres but also outside the Leisure Centres such as Extreme Wheels, Climbing Walls, outdoor sports i.e. football and running.

REASONS FOR DECISION – The Review had enabled the Council to develop further its Plan Objectives as being a Great Place to Live Well and a Great Place to Access Good Public Services.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - N/A.

Please note that this was not a Key Decision and so can be implemented with immediate effect by officers.

The Chair of the Communities Scrutiny Committee presented a report to Cabinet outlining the findings of the Communities Scrutiny Committee’s review into leisure activities for older children/teenagers.  The report made 5 recommendations to Cabinet, based on the Committee believing that the cost for children/teenagers to access the Council’s leisure facilities was slightly high, most of the marketing appeared to be targeted towards adults, and more work was required to target older children/teenagers. 

Cabinet discussed the report and thanked the Leisure staff who had participated in the review.  Members agreed with all 5 of the recommendations because they would all develop the Council Plan Objectives as being a Great Place to Live Well and a Great Place to Access Good Public Services.  Members were pleased to see that some of the recommendations in the report had already begun to be implemented by Leisure Centres. 

RESOLVED - That the recommendations of the review into leisure activities for older children/teenagers by the Communities Scrutiny Committee be approved as set out below:

(1)         Review fees and charges around young person activities to ensure activities are inclusive and accessible for all young people, reporting the outcome to committee.

(2)         Increase the offering to open up the membership to allow access to more activities such as Tag Active, soft play or access to other fitness classes.

(3)         Increase engagement with older children/teenagers, this includes targeting non-users as well as current users, by way of questionnaire/survey out to schools within the District and using social media channels.  Reporting the outcome back to Committee.

(4)         Targeted promotion of the activities we have on offer to children, specifically older children/teenagers. 

(5)         Encourage young people to engage in sports and leisure activities, not just within our Leisure Centres but also outside the Leisure Centres such as Extreme Wheels, Climbing Walls, outdoor sports i.e. football and running.  

REASONS FOR DECISION – The Review had enabled the Council to develop further its Plan Objectives as being a Great Place to Live Well and a Great Place to Access Good Public Services.

OTHER OPTIONS CONSIDERED AND REJECTED - N/A.