1) “Chairman
This Council notes that the provision of the Gainsborough Indoor Bowls Centre has benefited thousands of residents over the past 27 years.
This Council recognises that sport and leisure provide huge benefits towards good physical and mental health amongst our residents and supports better health and wellbeing especially for the elderly.
This Council agrees with medical research that availability to social activities help reduce social isolation and reduces pressures on important services such as the NHS and Social Care.
This Council supports that access to sport and leisure should be for all age groups.
The Council recognises the huge amount of public support against the proposed closure of the Indoor Bowls Centre.
I therefore move that this Council resolves:
1) That this council temporary suspends the decision to close the Gainsborough Indoor Bowls Centre.
2) To ask the Lead Officers to carry out a further consultation process with all key stakeholders.
3) To request that officers look at a further options appraisal which includes retaining the Indoor Bowls Centre at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre.
4) To request that officers provide a further report to the relevant policy committee as soon as possible. “
Cllr Trevor Young
2) “Chairman.
The junction of Thorndyke Way and Corringham Road (A631) is unsafe, there have been 7 serious accidents in the last few years. This junction is in the top 5 priority highway safety schemes, but Lincolnshire County Council are unable to confirm when and how they will rectify this.
Instead Lincolnshire County Council have raised objections in response to a planning application for the Northern Neighbourhood citing highway safety at this junction as an issue.
The creation of this new neighbourhood is an integral part of delivering the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan. The County Council cannot use existing highway safety concerns as the basis to objecting to planned growth as the junction is already dangerous and contributes significantly to accidents on these roads and should be made safer as a matter of urgency.
Furthermore WLDC are already funding a strategic traffic model to support this growth and to develop a business case to the Department of Transport to support its’ delivery.
Chairman
1. I propose that with the full support of this Council I write to Lincolnshire County Council and require them to agree a scheme of works, funding strategy, implementation plan and timetable to address the current highway safety issues at this junction as a matter urgency.
2. I propose that this Council works with our partners on the Central Lincolnshire Strategic Group to address the issues at this junction in the context of delivering the growth and the 5 year housing land supply across the area.
I so move”
Councillor Jeff Summers
Minutes:
Councillor Trevor Young submitted the following Motion: -
“Chairman
This Council notes that the provision of the Gainsborough Indoor Bowls Centre has benefited thousands of residents over the past 27 years.
This Council recognises that sport and leisure provide huge benefits towards good physical and mental health amongst our residents and supports better health and wellbeing especially for the elderly.
This Council agrees with medical research that availability to social activities help reduce social isolation and reduces pressures on important services such as the NHS and Social Care.
This Council supports that access to sport and leisure should be for all age groups.
The Council recognises the huge amount of public support against the proposed closure of the Indoor Bowls Centre.
I therefore move that this Council resolves:
1) That this council temporary suspends the decision to close the Gainsborough Indoor Bowls Centre.
2) To ask the Lead Officers to carry out a further consultation process with all key stakeholders.
3) To request that officers look at a further options appraisal which includes retaining the Indoor Bowls Centre at the West Lindsey Leisure Centre.
4) To request that officers provide a further report to the relevant policy committee as soon as possible. “
Councillor Trevor Young”
The motion was duly seconded by Councillor David Cotton and debate ensued.
In reference to aspect 1) of the motion, a Councillor acknowledged the significant impact this would have on the agreed budget and therefore sought indication from Officers as to whether it would in fact be lawful to enact such.
The Leader of the Council addressed the meeting and made the following statement in response to the Motion:-
“Councillor Young thank you for motion. I have to say that I am fully in support of a number of points which you have raised
This Council does indeed recognise the benefits delivered by engaging in sports and leisure. As part of the proposals the leisure service will be greatly enhanced and in addition to the proposed changes at West Lindsey Leisure Centre, a new leisure facility will be provided in Market Rasen and an outreach service created to cover the whole District.
The new district wide outreach service will take activities out to communities, providing them with both exercise and social opportunities. Currently a large percentage of the West Lindsey population have no access to the leisure service.
Across the leisure service as a whole the new contract will provide enhanced opportunities across all ages and areas of the community. This will include having the necessary equipment to enhance use by children and young people, residents over 60 and also disabled residents.
I recognise that there is public concern about the proposed changes however the bowls hall is a vast space which is currently under-utilised and has been for a number of years. Furthermore the usage has continued to decrease over recent years.
This area will be transformed into a health and wellbeing hub which will not only provide traditional leisure and sporting opportunities, but will also provide specific health interventions including:
· Weight management
· Smoking cessation
· Diabetes control
· Illness and injury rehabilitation
· GP Referral scheme
· Cardia rehabilitation.
In summary, the new contract will radically transform the leisure service and ensure that it is sustainable over the fifteen years of the contract.
The current contract ends on 31st May 2018 and past that date no arrangements for the provision of Leisure Services will be in place and I do not believe that is an acceptable position for this council.
The contract has been awarded to SLM as a result of a robust and legally compliant procurement process and it satisfies the outcomes set by the Prosperous Communities Committee. This has taken two years of hard work for ourselves and the bidders.
Were the Council to suspend this decision this would present a number of risks
· Leisure provision could cease
· Potential legal action for damages from the contractor
· Reputational Risks
· Loss of income to the council.
To demonstrate openness and transparency to the process I have circulated to all Members of the Council a schedule of the process and a complete resume of the offer presently available to allow bowling to continue in our facility. This is on new mats, free of charge for one year beginning on 1 September open to all Bowling Club Members. I see this as a positive solution to increasing the bowling membership and securing the future of this beneficial and valued sporting activity. We have a duty of care to all our residents and I therefore cannot support your motion.”
Further debate ensued and a number of Members commented that they understood the direct and wider benefits of sport and participation and were whole heartedly supportive of this ethos and a number of the points which had been raised in the motion around access to leisure and sporting services. It was evident that there was much community passion around this issue, demonstrated by representations made earlier in the meeting.
However a number of Members also wished to reiterate that the Bowls Club was not being shut down or closed. However there had to be changes to ensure benefit for all. The Council had a duty to acknowledge that other sections of the community also needed to be considered, with some not currently having any access to leisure opportunities. The Council was offering a considerable number of things as part of the offer. The social aspects of the sport did not need to change, the health aspects of the sport did not need to change and access to the leisure centre could continue. It was apparent that there was discontent over the perceived differences between the current game and the solution offered and Members had sought and received assurance that the Council could genuinely offer something extremely close to the game currently played. Members welcomed the previous commitment from leading Members to continue negotiations and again re-iterated that this should not be viewed as a shutting down of the bowls club. There were still options that could and were being explored that could see the bowls club continue albeit with some changes for example located within a different room within the building.
In response to the question posed at the opening of the debate, the Director of Resources addressed the meeting, advising that a suspension of the decision would leave a budget gap within the agreed 2018/19 budget. Proposals would need to be submitted to Full Council as to how this gap would be funded in the short term. Furthermore it was anticipated that a number of potential legal issues could arise in light of the contract award notice having been published. However the full implications, which could include financial costs, were currently unknown.
Whilst opposition Members welcomed the commitment to continue negotiations with the Bowls Club, concern was expressed that an opportunity was being missed. The Bowls club should have been viewed as an opportunity to complement and enhance the proposals and offer at the Leisure Centre, citing examples of historic buildings who had found ways to increase usage without causing damaged to key features.
It was again re-iterated that the bowls club was not closing, however changes were being proposed as a result of a new leisure contract, the Council was offering a lot in return and the proposals had been well thought out.
There was a call for a recorded vote.
Other Members concurred that in their view the exercising and socialising element of the game did not need to change. Furthermore it was understood that the proposal included the purchase of bespoke mats which would be comparable to the current rink size. The club would get this arrangement free for a year, which was worth circa £14,000 pa to them. There was a Short Mat Bowls Association, County Teams and leagues and some were of the view that the comments which had been made about the game recently were disrespectful to what was a recognised and regulated sport originally set up to ensure players of crown green bowls could “keep their hand in” over the winter months.
However the mats on offer would be comparable to the current rink size and Bowling Club members were encouraged to give the proposals a go. In closing comments a Member summarised the reasons why he personally had supported the leisure contract proposal originally; it came at a significant cost saving to the Council and Tax payers, and offered more services to more people across all age groups throughout the District. This remained unchanged.
Having been proposed and seconded earlier in the meeting, the motion was then put to a recorded vote, having had the earlier request for such also duly seconded.
Votes were cast as set out below:
For: - Cllrs Boles, Cotton, Darcel, Young
Against: - Cllrs, Allison, Bardsley, Bibb, Bierley, Bond, Brockway, Devine, England, Howitt-Cowan, Lawrence, G McNeill, J McNeill, Mewis, Oaks, Palmer, Parish, Rodgers, Smith, Strange, Summers, Waller, Welburn
Abstain: - Cllrs White
With the majority of Councillors voting against the motion, the motion was declared LOST.
Note: Councillor Ian Fleetwood left the meeting during consideration of the above item and prior to the vote being taken.
Councillor Jeff Summers had submitted the following motion to the meeting: -
“Chairman.
The junction of Thorndyke Way and Corringham Road (A631) is unsafe, there have been 7 serious accidents in the last few years. This junction is in the top 5 priority highway safety schemes, but Lincolnshire County Council are unable to confirm when and how they will rectify this.
Instead Lincolnshire County Council have raised objections in response to a planning application for the Northern Neighbourhood citing highway safety at this junction as an issue.
The creation of this new neighbourhood is an integral part of delivering the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan. The County Council cannot use existing highway safety concerns as the basis to objecting to planned growth as the junction is already dangerous and contributes significantly to accidents on these roads and should be made safer as a matter of urgency.
Furthermore WLDC are already funding a strategic traffic model to support this growth and to develop a business case to the Department of Transport to support its delivery.
Chairman
1. I propose that with the full support of this Council I write to Lincolnshire County Council and require them to agree a scheme of works, funding strategy, implementation plan and timetable to address the current highway safety issues at this junction as a matter urgency.
2. I propose that this Council works with our partners on the Central Lincolnshire Strategic Group to address the issues at this junction in the context of delivering the growth and the 5 year housing land supply across the area.
I so move
Councillor Jeff Summers”
The motion was duly seconded by the Deputy Leader who indicated he concurred entirely with the Motion’s content. Debate ensued and the Local Ward Member addressed the meeting, indicating his support for the motion but also to highlight the need for short term action to be undertaken as a matter of urgency. Both the white lines and road furniture were in need of attention. The local parish council were perturbed about both past, recent and continuing accidents and there was a view that this junction needed attention as a matter of urgency.
The longest serving Member of the Central Lincolnshire Joint Strategic Planning Committee addressed the meeting to both support the motion and express his dissatisfaction at the actions taken by the Highways Department.
Since the inception of the Local Plan the planned Sustainable Urban Extensions (SUEs) in Gainsborough, Lincoln and Sleaford had been fully known and well known to the Committee, on which the County Council was an equal partner and at no time, to Members’ knowledge, had objections been raised to any or all of the SUEs in Gainsborough.
These extensions formed an integral part of the Local Plan and ensured the Authority achieved the requirement to have a five year land supply. Without such a land supply the Council could be open to development. The SUEs had always been critical to fulfilling the understanding of the Local Plan and therefore some Councillors were perturbed at the County Council’s decision to raise objections to the application on such grounds and the timing of such.
On being put to the vote, all Members present voted in support of the Motion.
The Motion was therefore declared CARRIED and the Leader and Officers granted permission to undertake the actions as set out in the motion.