Agenda item

To provide the Panel with an update on Leisure provision (report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture enclosed).

The Area Manager and Contract Manager of Parkwood Leisure Ltd will also be in attendance to deliver a presentation to the Panel regarding performance over the last 12 months and to answer member questions.

Consideration was given to the report of the Assistant Director – Leisure and Culture which provided the Panel with an update on Q3 & Q4 performance for 2023/2024.

• The Leisure Services Officer introduced the report and presented the following summary of performance outcomes for the period:
  • Usage of the Castle Sports Complex, the Castle Swimming Pool, and the Peele Leisure Centre steadily increased in Q3. The Castle Swimming Pool site reported an increase in general swim, swimming lessons and school usage. The Castle Sports Complex site reported higher usage in class attendance, although gym usage reported a decrease. The Peele Leisure Centre reported an overall increase in all areas compared to Q3 2022;
  • In terms of sales, the Castle sites reported mixed results in Q3. Gym membership sales were below target for October but exceeded targets for November and December;
  • The Castle Pool sales varied month on month;
  • The Peele Leisure Centre consistently exceeded all sales targets;
  • In Q4, the leisure facilities produced strong results with increased sales and usage overall. Whilst the Castle Sports Complex experienced a decline in gym visits, the Peele Leisure Centre experienced increased sales and usage for gym and class visits; and
  • Membership sales exceeded targets in January, February and March 2024 at the Castle sites.

The Area Manager and Contract Manager of Parkwood Leisure attended to deliver a presentation to the Panel (appended to the minutes) which included an update on the following areas over the last 12 months:

• Introduction and review of 2023/2024;
• Memberships – Health and Fitness;
• Memberships – Swimming;
• Memberships – Swimming Lessons;
• Usage;
• Marketing and Promotion;
• User feedback;
• Challenges;

• New site – opportunities and challenges.

Members considered the Parkwood Leisure presentation and raised the following questions:

• It was suggested that posters/flyers be circulated to local community groups and libraries in Long Sutton and the surrounding villages, as not all potential customers engaged with social media.
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that they did not exclusively advertise on social media platforms and recently flyers had been inserted into all council tax envelopes that were distributed to every resident across South Holland District.

• Members queried the catchment area of users of both sites.
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that the membership system could provide a postcode breakdown, which would be provided to the Panel.

• Members requested that the marketing campaign for the Peele site be broadened to incorporate a wider catchment area to increase the current usage levels. Did Parkwood have targets to increase usage?
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that:

§  This was dependent on what the usage was for, he explained the sports hall remained booked throughout the week, but was quieter at the weekends;

§  The gym had a steady flow of customers throughout their opening times but would continue to maximise usage;

§  It was particularly difficult to increase memberships at the Peele site, in reality the school site numbers decreased during Covid and had not returned to previous levels. Increased membership numbers and general usage was an ongoing challenge; and

§  The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure acknowledged members’ comments and agreed, where applicable, to extend leaflet drops to local community groups and libraries in Long Sutton and the surrounding villages

• Members stated that they could assist with advising of locations for leaflet drops and displays and suggested that the inclusion of leisure facility marketing leaflets in local parish magazines/newsletters distributed to residents could be economically effective.
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that:

§  Following a recent meeting with Parkwood Leisure’s National Marketing Manager, it was acknowledged that decisions relating to marketing activity and promotional spend for the next 8 to 12 months were challenging.  Clarity was required from SHDC regarding the Gym and Group Exercise facility provision when the Castle site closed for redevelopment - without this the ability to market / promote such provision was difficult.

• Members acknowledged the challenges ahead and requested that the council confirm arrangements as soon as these were known, enabling the contractor to inform the public of available leisure options and signpost customers to the interim site.

• Members queried when the contractor for the new Health Hub would be announced. It would be beneficial to award the contract to an operator sooner rather than later, enabling marketing plans to be put into place and for SHDC to support with a communications plan.

§  It was important that the SHDC Levelling up website “Delivering a new Health and Wellbeing Hub for all of South Holland” was kept up to date.  Sites had banners/posters signposting customers to the hub website to keep them updated and would also accommodate any other supporting information SHDC supplied to assist staff and customer communication. 

• Members asked whether Facebook advertisements and posts could be increased as this was a free form of advertising and could be utilised in a more productive way.
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that whilst Facebook posts were free, the advertising element did incur a cost. Analysis of social media campaigns had not evidenced a favourable outcome and the cost versus membership gain was not viable.

• Members noted the higher than national average usage increase at the SHDC leisure sites, and queried if the reason for this was known
  • The Area Manager - Parkwood Leisure responded that the majority of the increment was attributed to an increase of swim memberships and swimming lessons which has continued to grow post-Covid. The Castle Swimming Pool would remain open until the new Health Hub completed and communications around this has helped with memberships.

• Members asked whether the increased number of swim memberships and lessons had resulted from the marketing campaign and advertising structure. Additional leaflet drops were positive and had been well-received.

o   The Leisure Services Officer responded that although increased leaflet drops were circulated with marketing material in the Council Tax letters, it was difficult to track the outcomes and actions from those leaflet drops. Parkwood Leisure would continue to provide a varied range of marketing strategies; and

• Members asked whether Parkwood Leisure had a view on the size of swimming pool for the new facility. Would a 50-metre pool be beneficial in order to attract competitions?

§  In terms of competitive swimming, ‘short course’ swimming required 25-metre pools whilst ‘long course’ swimming required 50-metre pools. Certain depths were also required for specific competitions. Consultants would have taken such requirements into account when producing and submitting proposals however the decision would ultimately be one for SHDC;

§  Should they be granted the new operator contract, Parkwood Leisure would be happy to work with any size and space and to fulfil contract requirements, such as running swimming competitions, in accordance with the facilities provided;

§  Parkwood Leisure had provided input for the design of the new facility and had welcomed the development of a new teaching pool; and the 25-metre pool was a modern design which would be suitable for short course competitions; and

§  A larger (50-metre) pool would not necessarily bring economic benefits when considering the increased staffing and utility costs against normal usage and potential competitions.

AGREED:

After consideration of the Swimming Pool and Leisure Facilities Task Group update:

a)    That the Quarter 3 and 4 2023/24 performance outcomes be noted; and

b)    That the comments of the Panel be noted.