Agenda and minutes

Consideration was given to a report of the Acting Strategic Leader, Resources and Information on the need to seek agreement to continue the procurement of the Leisure/Joint Service Centre Project, having reported on the outcome of the Outline Business Case Submission to the Treasury Project Review Group, and the Council’s request for additional PFI Credits from the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (ODPM).

The Treasury Project Review Group has approved the Council’s Outline Business Case for the Leisure/Joint Service Centre Project and the ODPM has agreed additional PFI Credits. If agreed, the next step is to place an advertisement in the Official Journal of the European Union requesting bids from the private sector to design, build, finance and operate all of the facilities (including the leisure delivery) for a period of up to 30 years.

The result of this exercise will be brought back to the Cabinet in August before the full tender document, the Invitation to Negotiate, is issued.  The whole procurement procedure should last until Autumn 2005, when it is planned that building would commence.

The Project Review Group approved the Council’s Outline Business Case on 11^th May 2004, and at the same time, the ODPM agreed a sum of £5.83m PFI Credits (compared to the original £2.6m).

Ten existing outdated swimming pools are to be closed and replaced with four new strategically sited pools, one to serve Rotherham town centre and the west of the borough, and three to serve the north (Wath), east (Maltby) and south (Aston) of the borough respectively.  A town centre fringe 1970’s leisure centre at Herringthorpe will be demolished and rebuilt as a dry centre.

The PFI credits will fund pools placed on secondary school sites:  Wath in the north, Maltby in the east and Aston in the south.  These will be complemented by a new town centre pool at St. Ann’s as well as the dry centre at Herringthorpe.  The latter will be financed by the private partner with repayments by the Council from ring fenced revenue budgets.  On completion of the build, all existing swimming pools will close.

Resolved:-  That, subject to the approval of The Cabinet, a notice calling for expressions of interest for this project be placed in the Official Journal of the European Union with a further report on the outcome of this process being made to Elected Members in August 2004.