Lewisham to award leisure contract in unscheduled decision

anon5422159 · August 9, 2020, 5:53pm

https://www.newsshopper.co.uk/news/18637302.lewisham-mayor-cabinet-approve-leisure-contract/

Lewisham’s mayor and cabinet is set to award a leisure management contract behind closed doors next week (August 12) in an unscheduled meeting.

The borough’s leisure facilities are currently managed on behalf of the council by two contractors, 1Life for the Downham Health and Leisure Centre and Fusion Lifestyle for the rest.

The entire meeting will be held in private, with the only information available to the public that a decision on “permission to award a leisure management contract” will be made.

The decision will be made behind closed doors “due to commercial sensitives” being discussed, a spokesperson for the council said.

This in itself is not unusual, but the meeting was also not scheduled to take place in the key decision plan, and appeared to suddenly emerge on the calendar this week. No comment was made to explain the lateness of the addition.

The Department for Communities and Local Government published a report in 2014 which said that councils must give 28 days warning if they intend to hold a meeting in private.

It states: “A private meeting can only be held without 28 days’ notice after the agreement of the Chairman of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been obtained that the meeting is urgent and cannot reasonably be delayed.

“In the absence of the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairman, the permission of the Council Chairman (or, in their absence, the Vice Chairman) must be obtained.

“If this agreement is granted the council must publish a notice about why the meeting is urgent and cannot be deferred.

“This notice must be available at its offices and on their website.

“If agreement is not given then the meeting must either be held in public, or the council must comply with the 28 day notice requirements.”

A council spokesperson said: “As is standard procedure all part 2 reports are discussed in private due to commercial sensitives.

“The mayor and cabinet decision will be subject to the same scrutiny process all reports go through and will be discussed at (overview and scrutiny) business panel August 18.”

Thewrongtrousers · August 9, 2020, 8:19pm

Well spotted Chris. I wonder what they have in store for us. I dread to think actually.

DevonishForester · August 9, 2020, 8:39pm

It seems that, as a resident constituent, you will be the last to know.

ChrisR · August 9, 2020, 8:45pm

Dare we hope that the contract is going to a new contractor that will manage the leisure centres better than it appears Fusion have done in the case of Forest Hill Pools?

maxrocks · August 9, 2020, 9:00pm

seconded! Too many broken promises by manger after manager and classes cancelled last minute and filth in changing areas finally caused me to cancel my membership.
Sad because I’d love a gym round the corner from my home

oakr · August 9, 2020, 10:41pm

Certainly sounds like a possibility. Maybe the gyms being closed has given Lewisham council and / or fusion a no penalty get out on contract option.

Or maybe fusion have said they can’t reopen as things stand so this is a renegotiation.

Or maybe as above but the contract is going elsewhere.

Whoever takes it over is going to have difficulties, many classes can’t run, or will do with smaller numbers and you’d have to expect further lockdowns and not sure you’d be able to insure for any loss of business so you’d think some subsidies will be required.

DevonishForester · August 10, 2020, 8:13am

Does anyone understand the financial model? If you are a gym member in Forest Hill, does your fee go to Forest Hill gym, or to a central fund at Fusion from where it is reallocated?

LdnLady · August 15, 2020, 2:01pm

Hi can you let me know which classes were cancelled at the last minute and why? Thanks

CHfigaro · August 15, 2020, 6:03pm

The income will go onto the centre’s P&L but the income will flow up to the central business of course

Typically in London operators like Fusion pay a fee to the council each year for the privilege of operating leisure centres, so they need to make a profit large enough to also pay for this.

maxrocks · August 15, 2020, 9:41pm

Aqua aerobics several times and once when we were all changed and waiting in the pool-no reason given if my memory serves…I kind of gave up booking classes there after a while and then after management changes and the changing rooms still being filthy ladies toilets poolside a particular disgrace I just gave up bothering with the place and went elsewhere.

DevonishForester · August 16, 2020, 3:23pm

Does anyone know if a decision has been taken?

John_Wilson · August 16, 2020, 4:20pm

I think you missed the point of ‘secret meeting’!

ChrisR · August 16, 2020, 4:26pm

According to the meeting details on the council website they made a decision which takes effect on 19th August but what the decision was is anyone’s guess at the moment!

oakr · August 16, 2020, 5:00pm

From your screenshot it says 19th August so in 3 days time…

ChrisR · August 16, 2020, 7:11pm

Thanks - I’ve amended my posting!

DevonishForester · August 16, 2020, 8:15pm

I suppose I’ll just have to wait for the investigative journalists at the News Shopper to discover what’s going on.

ForestHull · August 17, 2020, 5:36am

Sadly Bridie Witton (local democracy reporter for the BBC & newshopper) has moved to New Zealand, otherwise I’m sure she would have been all over this.

LdnLady · August 17, 2020, 1:05pm

Sorry to hear that. If it had been studio classes like Bodypump I can assure you would never have been let down. They must’ve had an unreliable aqua instructor/& or there was no communication relayed & they couldn’t cover at the last minute.
It must’ve been really frustrating especially if you’d already changed.
Best regards

anon5422159 · August 19, 2020, 4:55pm

So, the council has decided behind closed doors, and they’re not going to reveal the decision yet:

DevonishForester · August 19, 2020, 7:14pm

Is anyone able to translate the second para (from the News Shopper report) into plain English?

Mayor and cabinet awarded the contract behind closed doors last week (August 12) in an unscheduled meeting and has yet to release the contractor’s name.

The contract comes into effect today (August 19) if the business panel did not call in the decision last night, which is likely, as though the result has not been published the call-in meeting of mayor and cabinet scheduled for next week has been cancelled.

Should it read “although the result has not been published”?