Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Broadwell and Councillor Halford.

In the absence of Councillor Halford (Chair), Councillor Bajaj (Vice-Chair) assumed the Chair for the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed.

Members were asked to declare any interest they had in the business to be discussed.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting of the Heritage, Culture, Leisure and Tourism Scrutiny Commission held on 7 June 2022 are attached and Members will be asked to confirm them as a correct record.

Members were asked to confirm that the minutes of the meeting of the Heritage, Culture, Leisure and Tourism Scrutiny Commission held on 7 June 2022 were a correct record.

AGREED:

That the minutes from the Commission meeting held 7^th June 2022 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Monitoring Officer to report on the receipt of any petitions submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no petitions had been received.

The Monitoring Officer to report on the receipt of any questions, representations or statement of case submitted in accordance with the Council’s procedures.

The Monitoring Officer reported that no questions, representations or statements of case had been received.

The Chair commended the participants of the Commonwealth games and congratulated the England Women’s Football Team for their achievement in the finals of the UEFA Euro 2022. It was noted that these events had raised the profile of women’s sports across the continent.

The Director of Public Health to provide a presentation update on Swim Leicester.

The Director of Delivery, Communications and Political Governance submitted a presentation update on Swim Leicester.

Andrew Beddow, Head of Sports and Victoria Ball, Sport and Active Recreation Manager, were present to answer questions put forward by the Commission.

Members discussed the presentation which included the following points:

·       Participants in the Learn 2 Swim programme had returned to pre-pandemic numbers. Additional scheme benefits, such as learners receiving a free swim hat, bag and access to free swimming across city leisure centres, had been met with great success.

·       Swim England had undertaken an assessment of the old swim programme in 2015, which had been underperforming, with less than 4,000 participants generating an income of £950k per annum. In comparison, the new swim programme catered for 6,600 learners weekly with a further 1,200 on waiting lists. Attendance was forecasted to increase to 10,000 learners by 2025.

·       In terms of resources, a new centralised role had been established, namely Aquatics Development Manager, alongside new Swim Co-ordinator roles. Centres had moved away from temporary staffing contracts to permanent, 20-30 hour contracted swim teachers, with the ability to pick up more hours across other centres. A ‘Recruit to Train’ approach had assisted the development of 60 dedicated swim tutors across city leisure centres. In-house swim trainers were stationed within leisure centres across the city.

·       80% of the school population across the city had taken up the school swim programme with council leisure centres, this represented a 50% increase since the establishment of the Aquatics Development Manager. Further work would be undertaken to communicate with and engage the remaining 20% school population.

·       It was noted that pools could be sectioned off during swimming lessons to allow for continued public access.

Members questioned whether the Council provided outdoor swimming access. It was clarified that outdoor swimming wasn’t a provision of the authority, and currently that was only offered through the Open Water Safety programme, which provided information on how to navigate the dangers of open bodies of water. The Open Water Safety programme was usually held annually in the summer.

AGREED:

1.    That the update be noted.

2.    That the statistics for lower income areas and ethnic groups be brought to the Commission at the next meeting.

3.    That the Commission be kept up to date on the provision of outdoor swimming.

The Chair to provide a verbal update on the task group review: Encouraging women into Sports and Physical Activities in Leicester.

The Chair provided a verbal update on the work of the Task Group Review, ‘ Encouraging Women into Sports and Physical Activities in Leicester’.

It was noted that the work of the Task Group continued to make good progress. Speakers from various associations had been invited for feedback and provided evidence regarding the low rates of female engagement in sport and physical activity. Further evidence gathering was planned via a questionnaire survey to women in the city.

It was predicted that the final report of findings and recommendations would be complete during September / October, which would feed into the Councils new strategy work in sport.

AGREED:

1.    That the update be noted.

2.    That the final report be brought to the Commission meeting in November 2022.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment to provide a presentation update on the Jewry Wall, Roman Leicester project.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment submitted a presentation update on the Jewry Wall, Roman Leicester project.

Joanna Jones, Head of Arts and Museums and David Orton, Finance and Project Manager, were also present to answer questions put forward by the Commission.

The City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, introduced the item. It was noted that due to the investment placed in Leicester’s tourist attractions, progress had been made towards increasing Leicester’s reputation as a tourist destination, leading to increased hotel occupancy rates.

Members discussed the presentation, which included the following points:

·       The project was in Phase 1, which was primarily regarding the building externals and walkway. It was noted thath 90% of the canopy scaffolding removed following the completion of the roof replacement. 

·       It was noted that progression had been delayed for ten months due to the previous contractor entering administration. The Estates and Building services were now overseeing progress of the works programme, which was due to be completed in April 2023.

·       Phases 2, regarding internal building works, and 3, bespoke museum exhibition fitout, were in development, and due to be completed and opened to the public in summer 2024.

·       The Phase 2 procurement process neared completion. A contract with a supplier would soon be signed.

·       The Phase 3 programme had developed the exhibition design in collaboration with Haley Sharpe Design, and Elmwood Projects had been appointed to manufacture infrastructure for the exhibition. The procurement exercise for the Audio Visual contract was in progress.

·       Despite contractor turbulence, the project was on budget as it was able to draw upon a contingency budget, set aside before the start of the project.

·       The gallery design included interactives throughout the site, including artifact handling, a mobile application and school site access. Further on-site interactive activities were being explored.

·       Meeting rooms and classrooms would be available for booking and public use. The main hall would also be available for hire.

·       Part of the previous Vaughan College classrooms were in the process of being refurbished into toilets and a kitchen.

·       The redeveloped gallery included displays which depicted the diverse communities of Roman Leicester.

·       The ‘drum’ displays which were a key feature of the design could be easily updated and changed.

AGREED:

That the update be noted and the Commission receive a further update on progress in six months.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment to provide a presentation update on the Ugandan Asians 50^th year anniversary.

The Director of Tourism, Culture and Inward Investment provided a presentation update on the Ugandan Asians 50^th year anniversary.

Joanna Jones, Head of Arts and Museums, was present to answer questions put forward by the Commission.

The City Mayor, Sir Peter Soulsby, introduced the item.

Members of the Commission were informed that an artist had been appointed to design the statue, commemorating the 50^th Anniversary of Ugandan Asian migration to Leicester. The statue design had been chosen, depicting a meaningful ‘Sculptural Gateway’, which would be set on Belgrave Circle, Leicester. The artist had been working with the local community to further develop the final design.

It was noted that the project was joint funded by the Council and the Lottery Heritage Fund, while funding for elements of the statue would be raised through crowd funding.

Members discussed the Leicester Museum and Art Gallery exhibition celebrating the Ugandan Asian anniversary and its potential progression in the future. It was clarified that the artefacts used in the exhibition were on loan from members of the Ugandan community, which limited permanent or extended touring exhibitions, however a touring exhibition was already underway in Loughborough, with plans for the exhibition to return to Leicester Museum and Art Gallery on December 23^rd, 2022.

Members of the Commission indicated their support for the artwork commemorating the Ugandan Asian 50^th Anniversary.

AGREED:

That the update be noted.

Members will be asked to consider the Work Programme for 2022/23 and to suggest possible items for future meetings.

Members were asked to consider the Work Programme for 2022/23 and to suggest possible items for future meetings.

Members discussed the increased interest in the hospitality sector and surge in occupancy rates in hotels in Leicester noting ongoing research into business and hospitality levels across the City.

Members considered the quantity of plaques adorning historical landmarks in the city and the potential of increasing the number available, especially in prior cinema locations, marking the death knell of cinema and the advent of television.

AGREED:

1.    That the Work Programme be noted.

2.    That an item on the research into business and hospitality levels and the findings be scheduled into the work programme for January 2023.

3.    That an item on the commemoration of importance places and events (e.g. Heritage panels) be added to the work programme and brought to the Commission at a future meeting.

There being no other business, the meeting closed at 7:16pm.