Agenda item

If any Member seeks further clarity, or wishes to raise issues regarding any future Hub Committee agenda item, please contact Member Services before 5.00 pm on Thursday, 2 July 2015 to ensure that the lead officer(s) are aware of this request in advance of the meeting.                                                                 

(Please note: a request has already been received for an update at this meeting to be given on the Leisure Services Procurement agenda item that is scheduled for consideration at the Hub Committee meeting on 14 July 2015).

*O&S(E) 5      

The most recent (published 2 July 2015) Hub Committee Forward Plan was presented for consideration.

In discussion, reference was made to:-

(a)    the main purpose of this standing agenda item.  It was noted that the main purpose was to enable lead Hub Committee Members to be called to Committee meetings to update Scrutiny Members on specific items which were scheduled to come forward to the Hub Committee, thereby enabling early scrutiny of proposed agenda items;

(b)    the provision for public questions to be raised at Hub Committee meetings;

(c)    differentiating between Internal and External Overview and Scrutiny matters.  The Committee requested that, in the future, the Forward Plan include an additional column that illustrated whether a Hub Committee agenda item was within the remit of the Internal or External Overview and Scrutiny Committee.

(i)    Leisure Services Procurement

The Lead Hub Committee Member for Commercial Services and Contracts and Place Strategy – Lead Specialist attended the meeting to provide an update on the Leisure Services Procurement agenda item that was being presented to the next Hub Committee meeting.

In discussion, reference was made to:-

-         it being regrettable that the recently published Hub Committee report had not been circulated to the Committee.  Nonetheless, it was agreed that a copy of the published report would be circulated to Committee Members before the Hub Committee meeting;

-         the proposed award criteria.  The lead Member confirmed that the proposed percentage weighting for the award criteria had been considered at great length and the following percentage allocations were being recommended:- Services (40%), Technical (10%) and Commercial (50%).

A number of Members stressed the importance of the contract being sufficiently robust in respect of responsibility for replacement(s), repair(s) and maintenance.  As a result, these Members questioned whether the weighting for Technical should be increased to 15%.  To reflect this increase, some Members felt that the weighting allocated for Services should be reduced to 35%, whereas other Members were of the view that the allocation for Commercial should be decreased to 45%.

In light of these strong views, officers gave an assurance that further work on the proposed weighting for Technical would be undertaken with colleagues and the joint Member board before the Hub Committee meeting on 14 July 2015. 

-         the starting point for letting the contract being to award to a single contractor across both councils for a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of 25 years.  However, the lead Member confirmed that the process would retain complete flexibility, with there being potential for tender submissions from local interest groups and for bids to be made for a variety of different combinations of the leisure centres across the South Hams and West Devon.  A Member was of the view that there was local interest in the Okehampton area.  However, such was the perceived lack of Council support to assist local groups in this regard that they would be at such a disadvantage and there was little point in them expressing a formal interest in the process;

-         the quality of the leisure centre staff.  In recognising the importance, the lead Member commented that it was particularly evident during the recent Leisure Centres tour that the staff at each site were very impressive.    

It was then:

RESOLVED

That the Hub Committee take into account the comments and views of the Overview and Scrutiny (External) Committee (as summarised above) when it considers the Leisure Services Procurement agenda item at its next meeting.