Meeting documents

The Committee will consider the submission from the County Councillors who called in the decision and witnesses they have invited to attend the meeting.

There will be 15 minutes to present the case, followed by an opportunity for the Committee to ask any additional questions.

Contributors:

Mr Brian Roberts, County Councillor for Aylesbury South East

Mr Niknam Hussain, County Councillor for Aylesbury South West

Mrs Julie Ward, County Councillor for Aylesbury East

Mr Rob Beel, Member of the Bucks Sports and Social Club

Mrs Jenny Hunt, Chairman of Stoke Mandeville Parish Council

Supporting Papers:

·         Submission from Mrs Jenny Hunt, Chairman of Stoke Mandeville Parish Council

·         Submission from Mr Rob Beel – To follow

·         Representations received in response to the Cabinet Member Decision

The Chairman welcomed Mr Brian Roberts, County Councillor for Aylesbury South East, Mrs Julie Ward, County Councillor for Aylesbury East, Mr Niknam Hussain, County Councillor for Aylesbury South West, Mr Rob Beel, Member of the Bucks Sports and Social Club and Mrs Jenny Hunt, Chairman of Stoke Mandeville Parish Council to the meeting.  The group were advised that they had a total of 15 minutes to present their case, followed by questions from the Committee.

During the presentation and in response to subsequent questions the following main points were noted:

·         In September 2016, Brian Roberts attended a meeting to discuss possible reforms to the Bucks Sports and Social Club and a potential lease arrangement. By the end of November 2016, the lease should have been prepared but nothing happened.

·         In March 2017, club staff raised a number of concerns with Brian Roberts as their local County Councillor and he took these issues to the Cabinet Member and relevant officers and suggested a further meeting should be held. Mr Roberts continued to press for Officers to meet with Members and Club Members, but this didn’t happen.

·         Finally on 24^th July 2017, two officers met with two club staff but the Cabinet Member decision recommending closure of the club had been published on 19^th July, to be taken on or after 27^th July.

·         It appeared that a draft lease had been prepared and a business case had been put together with a view to turning the club’s fortunes around and club members believed that this was being progressed.

·         Whilst Mr Roberts fully acknowledged that Buckinghamshire County Council faced financial challenges, he believed that local residents were right to raise concerns about a lack of engagement and consultation around the possible closure of the Club.  Stoke Mandeville Parish Council only heard about the possible closure on local radio station, Mix 96 which Mr Roberts felt was unacceptable. Over 800 people had signed a petition opposing the club’s closure.

·         There were a number of inaccuracies in the report, particularly around the membership figures.  The report claimed there were only 56 members, but the level of representations made on this decision illustrated the number of people who use the club regularly, many of whom had been advised that they could not become members currently.

·         There had been no consultation with local Members or the Greater Aylesbury Local Area Forum ahead of the Cabinet Member Decision report being published and no public consultation feedback had been included in the Cabinet Member report, despite the report template clearly indicating that consultation feedback should be included.  There was also no evidence that an Equalities Impact Assessment had been undertaken.

·         Wes and Mel Personal Training (WMPT Sparks) currently delivered their fitness classes at the Club and had been told that their bookings would be honoured to April 2018, although the Cabinet Member Decision stated bookings would only be honoured until 31^st October 2017.

·         There was a risk to the Council’s reputation due to the lack of consultation.

·         Between 2003 and 2012, the Club was producing an average annual surplus of £24,500.  In recent years, since the BCC Facilities Management team had been managing the Club, there had been a financial deficit of -£5,500 in 2015, -£25,000 in 2016 and -£64,500 in 2017.

·         Club members recognised that it was not part of the Council’s core business and agreed that the current situation was unacceptable. In 2016, two former County Councillors had offered to represent the Club Committee and put their case forward, which included offering to take on the lease of the club by forming a legal entity to allow this and a schedule of works for the site which included investing in new changing rooms.  Subsequently it was discovered that the Councillors had not presented these ideas and had turned down an invitation to establish a Community Interest Company (CIC).

·         Club Members had now incorporated as a CIC, lease terms had been drawn up and they had investigated options for new changing rooms.  They believed that they could increase the membership and revenue the Club produced and asked for this opportunity, as set out in Option 3 of the Cabinet Member Decision report to be considered.

·         The Localism Act 2011 allowed facilities to be registered as an Asset of Community Value.  In 2015, Stoke Mandeville Parish Council wanted to nominate Bucks Sports and Social Club as an Asset of Community Value and was advised by Buckinghamshire County Council’s (BCC) Estates department not to proceed.  The Parish Council agreed to reconsider but ultimately decided to submit a bid, which was accepted by Aylesbury Vale District Council in May 2015 and BCC was notified.

·         On 21^st July the Parish Council was alerted from a report on local radio that there was a plan to close the Bucks Sports and Social Club.  The Cabinet Member report was then obtained and Mrs Hunt, Chairman of Stoke Mandeville Parish Council contacted the Cabinet Member to make representations and to complain about lack of consultation. There has been plenty of opportunity to consult the Parish Council and the users of the Club. Mrs Hunt asserted that BCC had failed to follow Government guidelines on public consultation.

·         Mr Hussain advised that the green space of the Club site helped BCC with its duty around Health and Wellbeing and was well-used by the whole community, including Booker Park School who used the playing fields for their sports lessons.

·         Mrs Ward reiterated concerns about reputational risk to the Council due to a lack of engagement around the proposal to close the Club, which was widely used.

·         There had been mismanagement and miscommunication at the Club over the past couple of years, particularly in connection with diary management for bookings.

·         400 people recently attended a Fun Day event at the Club, 190 people would like to become Members and the Committee was confident that if they could replace the changing rooms they could further increase the membership.

·         Up to 2014, the Club had been run well and the Council published the Club’s accounts up to this point. BCC took over the management of the Club in 2014, due to financial impropriety at the Club by a member of BCC staff who was no longer working there.

·         The Club had previously been open six nights a week and during the day at the weekends – this level of activity had reduced since BCC took over. The Air Ambulance landed there and clients from the Spinal Injuries unit at Stoke Mandeville also used the Club to socialise.

The Chairman thanked all contributors for attending the meeting.