Agenda item

Report of the Strategic Director of Place

Presented by the Community Services Portfolio Holder

The Community Services Portfolio Holder presented the report to members. She highlighted that one of the key actions within the 2018/19 Council Delivery Plan was to work with health partners to develop a health and wellbeing strategy for North West Leicestershire and that the strategy would determine priorities for the delivery of health and wellbeing locally, identifying where and how the various agencies and partners involved could contribute to support it. She stated that it would consider, amongst other things, areas such as physical activity, mental health, substance misuse, smoking, teenage pregnancy, air pollution, breastfeeding initiation, diet and nutrition, road safety, and winter deaths, setting out a long term vision until 2023 which would be supported by a shorter term action plan.

She informed Members that as it was a district wide strategy not just a council one, it was imperative that engagement took place with a wide range of partners to help deliver against the priorities. Internally, it would include engagement with members and service areas including Planning, Environmental Health, Safer and Stronger Communities, Housing, Environmental Protection and Cultural Services. External partners who would be engaged would include-:

•           Public Health

•           Clinical Commissioning Group

•           Leicestershire County Council

•           County Sports Partnership

•           Sport England

•           Local Strategic Partnership

•           Parish and Town councils

•           NWL Staying Healthy Partnership

•           NWL Local Sports Alliance

•           Schools

•           Voluntary groups

She felt that Cabinet would agree that the health of the residents was of primary importance to give everyone the best opportunity for an improved quality of life and that it was important to remember as well that improving the health of people could also have significant impact upon other socio­economic benefits such as increasing confidence, reducing social isolation, improving educational attainment and increasing employment prospects, to name a few.

She highlighted that the report set out the methodology by which the strategy would be developed and that it also sought approval for the Council to formally adopt a number of supporting documents which would help to underpin the strategy, something which she urged Members to fully support. These were:-

•           North West Leicestershire Playing Pitch Strategy

•           North West Leicestershire Sports Facilities Framework Audit

•               Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport and Physical Activity and Sport         Strategy

•               Sport England Active Design Guidance

The Chairman invited Councillor T Eynon to speak on the item. She put the following question to Councillor A V Smith:

“I welcome this Council’s intention to develop a strategy that will “determine the clear vision and associated priorities for the future for facilitation and delivery of health and wellbeing locally”.

The principles of this Council’s constitution require that Cabinet decisions are clear in their aims and desired outcomes, taking account of professional advice from officers.

This Health and Wellbeing Strategy will be a guiding policy as this Council develops its facilities for the future. The interim outline strategy stage 5 asks the authority to consider its “Priorities; what should they be...and why”. It also suggests that partnership-based delivery should be on the agenda for discussion.

It is a matter of some concern that this Council has agreed to go out to tender for an £18M facilities project prior to determining its health and wellbeing priorities. It is disappointing that this Council is only now considering the opportunities for partnership working.

1.    How will the Cabinet ensure future plans for the Council’s Leisure Centres are made in accordance with the principles of good decision making?

2.    If this Health and Wellbeing strategy led officers to consider different delivery models for facilities, what options remain open to this Council?”

Councillor A V Smith gave the following response:

1.    “There is a robust procurement process and programme of work in place reflecting best practice particularly from Sport England and a strong project team working hard to ensure that the project is well managed but importantly delivers the council’s required outcomes.  This includes a thorough assessment of all potential operators, and an extensive dialogue with them to understand how they will deliver against council priorities including the emerging NWL Health and Wellbeing Strategy. The Services Specification specifically states that the strategy is currently being developed, but it is clear that this will be a key document to drive forward the council’s priority to help improve community wellbeing and reduce health inequalities. We have a member workshop on 3 April where members will be able to help shape the community, social and health outcomes of the new leisure centre management arrangements.

2.    The emerging Health and Wellbeing Strategy isn’t a tool to review the delivery models that the council has in place to deliver its services. It will consider the delivery models already in place with a view to identifying the most effective way to work with internal and external partners to ensure that priorities are clearly identified and that there are mechanisms in place to be able to deliver against these not only by the council but a range of partners across the district.”

Councillor T Eynon thanked Councillor A V Smith for the response and stated that she fully supported the strategy. She acknowledged that the leisure centre was a small part of it but a notable one. She stated that the landscape had changed since the model had been considered and therefore felt that an £18m decision was going to be made before the strategy, that would inform it, was allowed to bed in. She felt that there should be a pause on the procurement so that the strategy was in place.

Councillor A V Smith stated that building a new centre was a huge commitment. She advised that the Council was currently out for procurement and once the main terms had been discussed talks could take place about what facilities the authority wanted to include, by which time the strategy would be well in hand and then run parallel to the leisure centre project. She reiterated that the strategy was not just about the leisure centre but the district as a whole and highlighted that there would be a meeting on the 3 April for all members to allow their input as to what they would like to see included in the new centre.

Councillor R Blunt stated that Councillor T Eynon was right to raise the timing issue however highlighted that the two would run together and that there would be a very high risk to the leisure centre project if it was delayed. He informed Members that the operators that had shown an interest were experienced and of high quality.

It was moved by Councillor A V Smith, seconded by Councillor R Blunt and

RESOLVED THAT:

1.    The process and timelines to develop a NWL Health and Wellbeing Strategy be noted.

2.    The formal adoption of the following documents in order to support the development of the Health and Wellbeing Strategy be approved

•    NWL Playing Pitch Strategy 2017-31

•    NWL Facilities Framework Audit 2017-21

•    LRS Physical Activity & Sport Strategy 2017-21

•     Sport England Active Design Guidance 2015

Reason for decision: To approve corporate adoption of the NWL Playing Pitch Strategy, the NWL Facilities Framework Audit, the Leicester-Shire and Rutland Sport ‘Physical Activity and Sport Strategy 2017-21’, and the Sport England Active Design guidance as key documents that will underpin the development of a Health and Wellbeing Strategy