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local


leisure


Following the Comprehensive Spending Review in October, local authorities now know the full extent of the cuts needed. Kath Hudson speaks to the experts to find out how they are planning to safeguard leisure


WHAT’S THE FUTURE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITY LEISURE?


authority leisure? With all the cuts, do the non-statutory leisure departments still have a future? How can they adapt? October’s Comprehensive Spending Review set out the


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reductions in local authority funding of around 7.1 per cent each year for the next four years. Funding from quangos is set to diminish, which will have a further negative impact. Sport


veryone looks set to feel the pinch as the coalition government aims to bring the structural deficit down to zero by the 2015/16 financial year, but what does this mean for the future of local


England has received a 33 per cent cut, UK Sport 28 per cent, English Heritage 32 per cent, Visit Britain 34 per cent and The Arts Council 29 per cent over the next four years. The 2006 Audit Commission report showed that 21 per cent


of leisure services were provided by trusts and 17 per cent by private contractors; it seems likely that more local authorities will pursue the trust option. The pressure is also on for leisure services departments to communicate the benefi ts of leisure to those involved in health and social care sectors. We ask our panel about the future of local leisure provision.


Craig McAteer


Managing director, Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust


There will be severe efficiency savings and I think we’re facing unprecedented closure of leisure facilities, as well as price increases. So it’s time to think outside the box. It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s


now the opportunity to pool resources and share services, which will lead to other avenues for providing and commissioning services. Local authorities will need to look at working more closely with the third sector and voluntary community sector to explore


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partnerships in coaching and possibly in running museums and libraries. Going forward, there is a future in


co-location. Putting services in one place drives effi ciencies and customer experience and maximises space. In Rochdale, we offer health screening in libraries and pilates in the museum. Local authorities will need to bring


innovation into programmes and involve the trust sector and social enterprise. The cuts will mean that we will have to be smarter about how we offer programmes. Commissioners will need to fi nd out exactly what local people want. There will also need to be partnerships


within authorities, including the pooling of resources and budgets. Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust has just won


Read Health Club Management online at healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital


the Municipal Journal 2010 Public Private Partnership Achievement of the Year, because we do have partnerships at the highest strategic level, driven by partners on the Local Strategic Partnership Board. In terms of trying to protect leisure


and cultural services, it will become necessary to offer a cross-cutting service that’s not just about leisure, but that also engages with other issues such as working with vulnerable people, children and diverse communities. For example, we provide free


entertainment and a place to meet on Friday nights for young people in Rochdale, and the impact – the reduction in the amount of nuisance caused, and hence police time needed – was calculated to be worth hundreds of thousands of pounds.


february 2011 © cybertrek 2011


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