Agenda item

This report sets out progress made within the areas covered by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe which fall within the remit of this Committee.

Discussion:

Members received an overview of progress on the areas of work within the terms of reference of this Committee and covered by the Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe, as set out below:

·      Archives

·      Armed Forces Covenant

·      Events and Festivals

·      Greenspaces

·      Heritage

·      Leisure Services

·      Sporting Legacy

·      Theatres and Arts

·      Tourism

The Deputy Leader and Portfolio Holder for Housing and Community Services, Councillor Doe responded to Members’ questions and comments as follows:

• Great Lines Heritage Park– It was questioned what improvements could be expected at Great Lines Heritage Park in view of the investment in it, how this would be funded going forward and how the park would be used for events. The Portfolio Holder said that significant work had been undertaken to achieve Green Flag standards. It was anticipated that the park would be used for further events in the future, although the needs of neighbouring residents would need to be recognised.

• Splashes Sports Centre – Assurance was sought that the redevelopment of Splashes Sports Centre would not be funded by S106 contributions from developments that were not within the areas in the Splashes user catchment areas. A Member expressed concern that the Splashes redevelopment was not progressing to the timetable previously set out. Splashes had closed in Summer 2020 and should have opened again in January 2022 had work progressed to timetable. In July 2021, it had been stated that Splashes would reopen at the end of 2022 or in early 2023. The Member questioned why the report said work was progressing to timetable when this did not appear to be the case and said that the condition that Splashes had been found to be in raised questions about the condition of other Council owned leisure facilities.

The Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Splashes redevelopment would predominantly be funded from capital expenditure, but that should other suitable sources of funding become available, they would be welcome. The Council was committed to the redevelopment. Available S106 contributions could be used to fund developments that would benefit the residents of a particular area. For Splashes, the user catchment area would be quite large. Architects had been commissioned who would ensure that the best value possible could be achieved from the investment.

In relation to the timescale for the redevelopment of Splashes, the Portfolio Holder said that it was difficult to be specific and that it was important to ensure that developments were of high quality and represented value for money. Consideration had been given as to whether the existing Splashes Leisure Centre could have been renovated but it had been concluded that this was not viable.

The Portfolio Holder advised that the Portfolio Holder for Resources reviewed condition surveys undertaken in relation to Council owned property and that no concerns had been identified in relation to other Council owned facilities. The expected lifespan of the former Splashes Leisure Centre had been 30 years.

The redevelopment was broadly proceeding to timetable. However, the timetable had needed to be revised as UK Power Networks had insisted on the removal of a sub-station at the site. There had been delays in this being removed and the Council had not felt the removal to be necessary, although this was not currently affecting the overall redevelopment timetable. It was challenging to be able to provide an accurate timetable, but work was being progressed as quickly as possible.

A Committee Member said that they had understood that consideration was going to be given to the provision of the health and wellbeing offer and that public engagement would be undertaken, but that this was not referenced in the Portfolio Holder’s report. The Member also requested that the planned exhibition to inform the public about the new development should take place in Twydall as well as in Rainham. The Portfolio Holder agreed that the consultation exhibition could also take place in Twydall.

In response to a further Committee Member question, the Portfolio Holder confirmed that the Splashes redevelopment would be considered by the Planning Committee and that major public works would be channelled through the planning process.

• Medway Events – In response to a question about how events would evolve, the Portfolio Holder said this was a constant process and that tourism was recovering quite fast. New festivals were being considered, for example a food and drink festival. Events such as the Dickens Festival brought a significant number of people into the area and work to revive tourism was succeeding. The Sweeps Festival was becoming increasingly important at national and even international level. Work was ongoing to enhance the tourism offer and to bring events to a wider audience.

A Committee Member expressed concern that events taking place were all Rochester or Chatham-centric and that there was nothing taking place in the Twydall area. The Member felt local events were important as some people were not able to travel and she asked that consideration be given to events being held in other parts of Medway. The Member also raised concern about Levelling Up funding being used for projects that people would have to pay to attend. In response, the Portfolio Holder said that Medway had been recognised as an area of special interest by Arts Council England and that events were being run on a more collaborative basis. The £14.5 million of Levelling Up funding would go towards initiatives such as the Docking Station, which would be situated in the former Police Section House in Chatham Historic Dockyard. Money invested in the Brook Theatre was not all being used for activities that people would have to pay for, for example it was helping to develop small groups who met at the theatre and contributed to the wider creative effort, while the work being undertaken with the Arts Council would benefit the general public. In relation to the hosting of events, Rochester was a natural stage, but local events were being encouraged. A street party kit would be produced to make it easier for people looking to organise such events. The Council also already subsidised a number of activities, such as free swimming.

A Committee Member asked whether events such as the Sweeps Festival, Queen’s Jubilee, Dickens Festival and street parties would be all be run as a single event. It was also requested that the Committee’s thanks be offered to the various teams involved in supporting the work of the Portfolio Holder.

The Portfolio Holder said that the Jubilee would be a theme running through the other events. Falklands anniversary celebrations would also fall within this period. The Jubilee aspect would be highlighted wherever possible.

• Archives – In response to a question about how the pandemic would be reflected in the Medway Archives, the Portfolio Holder confirmed that this was being captured and that oral history projects were being considered.

• Veterans Hub – The Portfolio Holder said that the Veterans’ Hub, which had been launched in November 2021, had seen the number of people involved increasing, with the Portfolio Holder having recently attended a Hub meeting at Fort Amherst. Feedback had been good from both the Army and from veterans.

·         Greenspaces – While acknowledging the work of the Medway Norse team to make Medway’s greenspaces welcoming, a Member highlighted that there were still a number of issues around the management of parks and a lack of funding. Assurance was sought that the Council’s budget would take proper account of the needs of parks and greenspaces. The maintenance and management of trees was highlighted as an issue with this currently being reliant on volunteers. In response, the Portfolio Holder acknowledged budgetary constraints and said that there was an opportunity to look at the management of parks. He considered that there was a sound ecologically based plan being developed for the 2022/23 year and that this would be communicated to the public.Resources would be directed to ensure that work undertaken was done well but it was acknowledged that better results could be achieved with more resources.

• The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee and the summer Dickens Festival - In response to a Member who raised concern about a date clash between summer Dickens Festival and celebrations to mark the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, the Portfolio Holder said that the Festival would take place on 4 and 5 June 2022 as planned but that it would have a jubilee twist. The development of the Jubilee celebrations was currently a work in progress, including the installation of a large screen to broadcast events taking place in London.

• Recovery of the Tourist Sector – In response to a question about the recovery of tourism in Medway following the pandemic, the Portfolio Holder said that tourism was recovering well. The Director of Place and Deputy Chief Executive added that a yearly report was produced by Visit Kent and the Council also had its own figures for specific events, for example there had been an increase of 50,000 in attendance at the Medway Christmas Market for 2021. It was agreed that figures would be circulated to the Committee outside the meeting.  

In response to a question about the impact of tourism on Medway and the need for it to be sustainable, the Portfolio Holder acknowledged that need. He said that the Council needed to make the best use of its assets without letting them deteriorate. In relation to events in country parks, if it was considered that if they were being overused then other ways of running events would be considered.

Decision:

The Committee:

a)    Thanked the Portfolio Holder for his attendance at the Committee.

b)    Requested that Visit Kent and Medway’s own tourist visitor figures be circulated to the Committee.

c)    Noted that the Portfolio Holder had agreed that the Splashes consultation exhibition due to be held in Rainham would also be held in Twydall.