2020

SL0240 - Leisure classes online offer? - 171220

Many leisure operators have moved content online as a response to Covid-19 and Gym closures/restrictions

This has been well received by most and providers are now seeking to include it within their leisure offer.

Please can you provide answers to the following:

• Do you offer fitness training classes online?
• Is this self-generated by inhouse instructors/ external PTs/ commercial content (e.g, Les Mills)
  • If commercial who is the provider?
• What platform do you use? Zoom/Teams/Youtube/ Other?
• Is it part of the gym membership package / an additional paid option / free?
  • If paid, what is the fee?
• Have you offered a free class option to the general public during the pandemic?
• What are the average attendance numbers?
• Do you have a mechanism to gauge feedback?
• Do you live stream actual classes including physical customers?
  • If so how do you seek permission to record?

SL0239 – Employee & Elected member discounts in Leisure – 290920

A member authority is considering discounted/free leisure facility membership to employees and elected members

Please can you supply the following information:

• Do you offer discounted membership to council employees?
• Do you offer discounted membership to elected members?
• What is the level of discount?
• Do you use free/discounted memberships by way of a reward/incentive scheme?
• Do you use free/discounted memberships by way of addressing sickness levels?

SL0238 – Gym Memberships post Lockdown – 220920

Please supply the following information:

• Number of membership cancellations, suspensions and re-joining?
• What are you doing to promote the reopening of their gyms including customer safety, lessons learnt and any proposed changes to operating procedures?
• What are you planning moving forward including any special offers to encourage take-up of memberships?

SL0237 - Outdoor Education provision - residential and non-residential - 010920

If outdoor education is run through a separate directorate and you don’t know the answers, please forward this email to the right officer/department

APSE along with authority officers are trying to determine the current state of outdoor education provision

• Does your authority run an outdoor education centre and/or other provision?
• Where is it located?
• Is it residential or non-residential?
• Brief description of provision?
• Is it currently open partially/fully? (School holidays and/or from Sept 2020)
   

SL0234 - Leisure Workers on Instructor Contracts / Short-House Contracts – 020420

A number of APSE member authorities have raised gaps within the Furlough scheme; which is not generally intended to apply to local government. However, within Leisure services a number of unique staffing arrangements are in place which include
• Zero hours arrangements with gym instructors
• Call on contracts for gym instructors
• Short hours contracts – not guaranteed hours

This reflects the working arrangements whereby gym instructors work across multiple gyms and across multiple authorities. Therefore as the work is non-standard these workers are often treated as falling outside of ‘defined’ employees.

It would therefore be helpful to know if any local councils have adopted:-

• A form of Furlough scheme for these workers ( in anticipation of recuperation of the wages bill from central government )
• A retainer payment ( similar to that in place for term time only workers in schools ) to ensure that when services return to normal the instructors are available to be called on
• No scheme put I place – with former workers advised to use the Government scheme to seek out of work support / benefits

It would also be helpful to know if any retainer arrangements have been rejected by staff because it would impact upon their ability to claim out of work support / benefits.

SL0233 - Sports and Leisure services: Online provision of physical activities - 270320

A group member would be interested in finding out the following regarding the online provision of physical activities during this time.

1. What physical activities are you considering migrating to online provision?
2. How are you managing risk to participants in terms of PLI?
3. What digital platforms are you using for delivery?

SL0232 - Training Policy - 270220

A member authority is reviewing their training procedures and would like to learn from others:

1 - Does your organisation have a training policy (Service Specific)?

2. Does your training policy set out what you deem as mandatory training for each job role?

3. Does your organisation;
• Pay for the staff to undertake training that you deem mandatory to the their job role and does this include casual workers?
• Pay for awarding body fees to undertake qualifications / requalification’s that you deem as mandatory and does this include casual workers?
• Pay for any travelling expenses occurred to travel to training courses that you deem mandatory?

4. Does your organisation
• Pay for the staff to undertake training that is not required in their current role but is seen as a development opportunity and does this include casual workers?
• Pay for awarding body fees to undertake qualifications / requalification’s that is not required in their current role but is seen as a development opportunity and does this include casual workers?
• Pay for any travelling expenses occurred to travel to training courses that is not required in their current role but is seen as a development opportunity

5. Does your organisation pay employee fees to National Governing Bodies/Professional memberships such as CIMPSA.

SL0229 - Use of Mosaic data in Leisure - 120220

A member authority is investigating the use of mosaic data as a tool to drive users to leisure facilities
They also wish to target other health and physical activity projects.

Do you use mosaic data to drive leisure/health services?
• If yes:-
o What level of data have they purchased – postcode level or household level?
o Have they found it useful and can they give an example of how it’s been used (preferably driving income at leisure centres/attendances in physical activity)
o Would they be happy to be contacted to discuss in greater detail, and if so could we ask for a relevant officer contact details?
• If no:-
o Why have they decided against Mosaic data?
o Have they used any other data to provide insight into their residents that has been useful for targeted leisure/physical activity work?

SL0231 - Cashless Operations in leisure or community centres - 190220

A Member authority is reviewing a proposal to implement a cashless operations system in leisure and community centres. Please can you answer the following questions.

Do you operate a cashless operations system in your leisure or community centres?
Yes/ No

If No:
• Have you considered this system?
Yes/ No
• What were the reasons for you not implementing such a system?

If Yes:
• How long have you been operating this system?
• What engagement or consultation was completed prior to implementation?
• How has the system been received by customers and facility users?
• How do you support customers and facility users who do not have access to Bank Accounts or pre-payment cards?
• What feedback did you receive when you switched to cashless, and what ongoing feedback do you receive?
• What have been the benefits;
• To customers/ facility users?

• Service operations?

Has there been any financial changes from implementing the system?
Yes / No

If Yes:
• Approximately what was the percentage increase / decrease?

Has there been any change in participation numbers as an effect of implementing the system?
Yes/ No

If Yes:
• Approximately what was the percentage increase / decrease?

• Has there been any change in participation of any particular demographic group as an effect of implementing the system (i.e. Women and Girls, Older People 60+, Young People 17 and under, BAMER, those with a disability, those living in an area of deprivation).
Yes/ No

If Yes:
Approximately what was the percentage increase / decrease for each?

SL0230 - Fitness Membership - 170220

A member authority is researching the penetration of local authority gym/leisure fitness memberships

Please can you supply the numbers of fitness memberships across your whole authority:
• Paid fitness memberships?
• Non paid fitness memberships?

Responses will be shared amongst all who reply.

SL0228 - Direct Debit Administration in Leisure - 230120

A member authority is reviewing the Administration and collection of Direct Debits for Leisure memberships

Please can you answer the following questions:
• Have you outsourced DD management to an external company?
o if so, what was the driver for doing so?
• How was DD management previously done and by whom?
• What have been the benefits to the Council?
• What have been the benefits to the Customer (member)?
• How many DD members do you currently have?
• Have your customer retention figures increased or decreased?
• Have you experienced any adverse publicity - albeit by association with a third-party DD management company?
• Have you experienced additional charges from your supplier over and above your contractual arrangement?
• Does your DD solution integrate with your accounting software?
• How are failed/missed payments dealt with i.e. does the company operate a debt recovery process?
• Are there added costs to the customer for any debt recovery issues?