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2019
MAIDSTONE BOROUGH COUNCIL
HERITAGE, CULTURE AND LEISURE COMMITTEE
Minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 5 March 2019
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Present: |
Councillors Cuming, Fermor, Harper (Chairman), Hastie, Mrs Hinder, Lewins and Mrs Wilson |
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135. Apologies for Absence
It was noted that apologies were received by Councillor B Hinder.
136. Notification of Substitute Members
There were no Substitute Members.
137. Urgent Items
There were no urgent items.
138. Notification of Visiting Members
There were no Visiting Members.
139. Disclosures by Members and Officers
There were no disclosures by Members or Officers.
140. Disclosures of Lobbying
There were no disclosures of lobbying.
141. Exempt Items
RESOLVED: That all items be taken in public as proposed.
142. Minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2019
RESOLVED: That the Minutes of the meeting held on 29 January 2019 be approved as a correct record and signed.
143. Presentation of Petitions
There were no petitions.
144. Questions and answer session for members of the public
There were no questions from members of the public.
145. Committee Work Programme
The Committee discussed the items on the Work Programme and made the following changes:-
·
The Museum’s Trust Status Update, Update on HCL Workshop,
Governance/Fundraising for Museum, Strategic Plan – New KPIs, Cemetery Update
and Destination Management Plan – 1 year Action Plan would be scheduled for the
April meeting.
·
The Market Review, scheduled for the June Committee meeting,
would be retitled ‘Lockmeadow Review’ to incorporate a fuller review of the
Lockmeadow complex.
·
Museums – Agreeing the ‘Story of Maidstone’ – this item was moved
to July.
· Long Term Maintenance of Assets – the Committee requested that the Property Services Manager provide a Briefing Note to the Committee to confirm if they had a schedule for planned maintenance for Council owned buildings and if not, what procedures were in place.
The Committee agreed that the Chairman would produce a short report on the work that had accomplished by the Committee during this municipal year.
RESOLVED: That
1. The Committee Work Programme, as amended, be agreed.
2. The Chairman would produce a short report on the
work that had
been accomplished by the Committee during this municipal year.
Voting: Unanimous
146. Future of Sport and Leisure Provision
Mr Mike Evans, the Leisure Manager, presented a report on the Future of Sport and Leisure Provision which set out proposals to conduct stakeholder engagement that would jointly address options for future leisure provision and the Maidstone Leisure Centre.
Mr Evans highlighted that:-
·
The Borough had a growing and ageing population which was why
future leisure provision should be tailored to the needs of all the
population.
·
Although there was a strong indication in the borough that
residents were fairly active or active (77.2%), there was an element of the
population that are not physically active (22.8%).
·
The Leisure Centre was the borough’s flagship sports centre and
had five years left to run on its current 15 year management contract. The
condition of the leisure centre building was unknown and there was uncertainty
as to whether a similar 15 year contract would be possible.
·
An engagement process would be undertaken to consult with key
stakeholders. A project officer would be recruited to support the entire
consultation period.
The Chairman emphasised that there was no intention of the
Council to dispose of the Leisure Centre but it recognised that it required a
lot of refurbishment and building works to be carried out to sustain its future
provision.
The Committee made the following comments:-
·
The Committee should be fully involved in the stakeholder
engagement at all stages.
·
Sport England should be invited at the outset of the engagement
process and also Birmingham City Council who had undertaken an Active Wellbeing
programme aimed at those residents who were inactive so would be able to
provide knowledge and experience.
·
That schools should be surveyed to identify what facilities they
had for sport activities and whether they made provision for others to use the
facilities.
RESOLVED: That
1.
That a stakeholder engagement exercise be run to understand the
feasibility of recommendations in the Sports Facilities Strategy and Playing
Pitch Strategy and to shape the future of sport and leisure provision in the
borough.
2.
That all Members of the Heritage, Culture and Leisure Committee be
invited to participate in all stages of the consultation.
3.
That the stakeholder engagement frames future leisure plans for the
borough alongside its existing commitments, including the future of Maidstone
Leisure Centre.
4.
That Sports England be invited at the outset of the stakeholder
engagement exercise.
5.
That the leisure centre surplus share be used to fund a fixed term
project officer post at a cost of £18,865 per annum to support the stakeholder
engagement exercise.
Voting: Unanimous
147. Duration of Meeting
6.30 p.m. to 7.00 p.m.