Agenda item

DC asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

The decision to close John Carroll Leisure Centre is a major blow to the public health needs of local residents in Radford and surrounding areas. Was the Director of Public Health and the associated public health department at Nottingham City Council involved in the decision-making process and if not why not; and were the Area and Neighbourhood Officers adequately consulted regarding the likely negative impacts of this proposal in terms of community cohesion and mental and physical wellbeing? Nottingham City’s Health and Wellbeing Board published a declaration in 2018 along with Public Health England and the UK Health Forum regarding Physical Activity and Nutrition. Item 3.7 of the declaration acknowledges “the physical, social and cultural environment in which we live plays an important role in individuals’ physical activity levels and has the power to encourage or discourage sedentary lifestyles.” Has Nottingham City Council abandoned this positive joint health promotion declaration agreed with the NHS? Furthermore, in the City Council’s own recently published ‘Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategy 2020 – 2023’ the four priority areas listed under section 3 for ‘Inclusive and Accessible Services’ are as follows:

1. Prevention: promoting healthy lifestyles and intervening early when people’s wellbeing is at risk to avoid crisis and loss of independence
2. Community Connections: ensuring citizens can connect to the resources and support in their local neighbourhoods ensuring no-one is socially isolated and lonely
3. Independent Lives: supporting personal and community resilience, strengths and resources, reducing dependence on council funded support where possible
4. Choice and Control: seeing the citizen in the driving seat, shaping solutions around the outcomes that matter for individuals.

How will the closure of John Carroll Leisure Centre contribute to this important citywide strategy?

DT asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

According to the 2019 Index of Multiple Deprivation Radford is one of the most deprived places in the UK. Also, using census data to analyse the composition of areas within a 1km radius of each leisure centre in Nottingham we found that John Carroll has the largest number of people in ‘bad health’ or ‘very bad health’, as well as the largest number of people (including those aged over 65) who suffer from a condition that limits their ability to carry out their daily activities, and the largest number of single households with a lone pensioner. Furthermore, it has one of the most diverse groups within its catchment area, including the largest number of black people and second largest number of Indians and Pakistanis within 1km. Given this data if the Council proceeds to close John Carroll Leisure Centre then ethnic minorities will disproportionately suffer; pensioners who use the centre for social interaction will suffer; people who are already too ill to carry out their daily activities - never mind walk an extra 20 minutes to Djanogly as this Council suggests - will suffer. Given these facts, it seems astonishing that Nottingham City Council would close a facility that plays such a direct role in solving these very problems. The Council has responsibility for Public Health and as such should be ensuring that a facility such as John Carroll Leisure Centre is adequately funded and supported, especially as one of the only Council-run remaining sports, leisure and community facilities in the area. Can the decision to close John Carroll Leisure Centre be rescinded with a view to re-investing in the facility and giving the Centre a much-needed makeover with new signage, upgraded facilities and improved marketing?

SD asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

On 12 February 2021, a coalition of athletes, celebrities and health bodies wrote to the prime minister asking for the "fullest possible support" to help sports and exercise facilities survive the pandemic. The letter said they were "deeply concerned" that thousands of shut pools, gyms and leisure centres were at risk of permanent closure. Referring to a "deep drop in activity across all ages and backgrounds", the group said "facilities…are a cradle for developing our national sporting heroes. The threat of losing these places has brought us together as a collective voice, to hope that everything is done to ensure these essential facilities are available to support our recovery, and enhance the health of the nation.” John Carroll has been a factory for Nottingham’s professional and elite athletes. Its attendees have gained scholarships, won medals, and represented our city and country at the very highest level. To close this facility will deny many aspiring local athletes their chance to fulfil their full potential, as well as deprive other residents the opportunity to maintain their health and emotional wellbeing. Can this decision be put on hold pending a proper consultation with Public Health, Community and Leisure Management departments?

DD asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

In 2019 the Council Plan promised to protect leisure centres from any cuts. Two years later this Council is breaking its promises to local people. In relation to the planned closure of John Carroll Leisure Centre recently endorsed by the Council, can the Portfolio Holder please explain and justify this blatant policy reversal?

JM asked the following question of the Leader of the Council:

John Carroll is far more than a leisure centre - it sits at the very centre of Radford and is the beating heart of Radford and the surrounding community. However, it is obvious that over the years, Nottingham City Council has stripped away many of the community facilities previously available to residents, notably John Carroll Community Centre, the Tennyson Hall, the Tennyson Play Centre, the Shiefton Centre, and the Radford Unity Complex. The planned closure of John Carroll Leisure Centre will compound the shortage of facilities and contribute to an increased sense of helplessness and social isolation amongst the local community and probably lead to an increase in crime and anti-social behaviour. Can the Council undertake a genuine equality impact assessment taking into account the negative impacts of this decision on the local area especially in relation to promoting community cohesion?

Councillor David Mellen replied as follows:

Thank you Lord Mayor.  Lord Mayor, there have been a number of questions raised by members of the public regarding the closure of John Carroll Leisure Centre, and I thank each resident who has written in with a question and those who have contributed to the consultation process that preceded this decision.  I propose to answer these questions together. 

We know that this is a difficult decision which affects one part of our City in particular.  We share your sadness at this closure, that we have had to make as a consequence of the difficult financial position that the Council is in.  This is not new to us, sadly, and has been ongoing since 2011 during which time we have now made a total of £297m in savings from our revenue budget whilst at the same time having continually growing demands for vital services such as adult social care and children’s services, which account for 63% of our total budget whilst supporting some of the poorest and most vulnerable people in our City.  This year we will be receiving £100m less in revenue than we were given pre-austerity.  We are not alone in this, cities like Nottingham are facing the same challenges across the country and in the last year we have also had to deal with the impact of Covid-19, which has left us with a further £29m of un-reimbursed costs and lost income.  It is in this context that we have had to make some very difficult decisions. 

We want to maintain modern, fit for purpose, well-funded and well-used leisure centres.  However, John Carroll was the leisure centre that required the highest subsidy and has the lowest number of visitors to a leisure centre anywhere in the City.  There are also other leisure centres close by, such as Djanogly Leisure Centre only one mile away, the Harvey Hadden 50m pool is on a bus route from Radford and the small community Lenton Pool is not far away.  I am not expecting that those make up for the closing of a community facility, which is of course regrettable, and these other options don’t make up for having John Carroll in the heart of the Radford community.  Residents however, in this case, do not have to go too far in order to find an alternative and many people have taken up this opportunity already.  When budget proposals were published earlier this year, they were the subject of consultation with staff, trade unions and were subject also to public consultation, although in a slightly more limited way than has been happening in previous years.  There were online opportunities for people to respond to the proposals and many people did.  Whilst there was a Council Plan pledge to protect leisure centres from cuts, these are unprecedented times and so we have had to review all of our pledges in line with our current circumstances.  The Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken as part of the budget process and published.  The Council cares strongly about physical activity and wants to encourage activity across the City, which is why we are working hard to relocate those users of John Carroll to our other facilities so that they can continue their activity.  Local athletes will have the opportunity to go to other centres and fulfil their potential and hopefully some of this may continue in the John Carroll area if we can bring together a plan to use the centre for a mix of community sport and physical activity.  The issue of the Council’s joint health promotion was raised in the public questions around the closure, in that it is an outcome that is key to our citizens’ health and wellbeing.  But unfortunately that important goal cannot mean that we can continue to spend as much money on centres that have low usage when we have such pressures on our budgets.  Although John Carroll is our most expensive leisure centre and least used, we are working with community groups in the area who are interested in using the centre to promote healthy lifestyles, bring local groups together whilst operating at no cost to the Council.  If we can bring this to fruition then we may actually see a wider benefit of this model, targeting more of the most in need in the area.  There could be opportunities of funding from sources the Council cannot access to assist in tackling the issues of bad health and inequality.  None of us want to see one of our centres completely close so we are working continually with partners to try and have a continued community use of the Centre.  Thank you Lord Mayor.