Issue - meetings

To present the South Holland Centre budget (report of the Assistant Director – Communities and Housing Services enclosed).

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Communities and Housing Services which presented the South Holland Centre budget.

The Cultural Services Manager introduced the report and highlighted the following points:

• This item had previously been discussed at PMP on 11 December 2024 and Members had asked for a more detailed budget to be presented.
• The report provided an overview of how the budget for the South Holland Centre was managed.

Members considered the report, and made the following comments:

• Members raised that there was no business plan in place for the South Holland Centre and therefore there was no targets set for the Centre to work towards over the year.
  • The Assistant Director – Communities and Housing Services commented that the South Holland Centre was a fabulous facility and important part of both Spalding and South Holland as a district. There had always been a plan in place for the South Holland Centre for the manager to work to, but this was not a business plan in the traditional sense.
  • The plan covered the programme of events for the next year and team delivery objectives.
  • The South Holland Centre was included within the Council’s extensive budget setting process where every line was scrutinised quarterly with the Centre Manager and their finance business partner.
  • The Chief Finance Officer (PSPS) added that the budget was set each year in collaboration with the Centre Manager and scrutiny challenges would be undertaken this year by the s151 Officer.
• Members commented that figures included within the budget required more explanation. Using the employees’ line as an example, there was a need to look at what was spent, what the prediction was for next year and how that figure was arrived at.
  • The Chief Finance Officer (PSPS) explained that the finance business partner would work with the Centre Manager on detailed elements that make up the total figure for that budget line.
  • For the South Holland Centre, this was also based on seasonal, and performance demands to forecast what staffing was required for the forthcoming three months.
• Members requested explanation as to why more money was spent in Q4 for 2024/2025 than for the first three quarters of the year.
  • The Chief Finance Officer (PSPS) explained that this could be attributed to utility costs where the billing was made in Q4 for use in Q3.
  • It was confirmed that more detailed information around this variance was included within the exempt appendix.
• Members queried what plans were in place to bring in more income revenue.
  • The South Holland Centre Manager explained that while live shows and hires of the auditorium were doing really well, the function hall was not being marketed to its full potential.
  • In partnership with the Red Lion, the function hall would be dressed for a wedding to advertise hire of the hall. The Red Lion would also bring a bank of suppliers for hirers to use which would assist in encouraging more bookings for the function hall.
  • The Assistant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 16