2023

SL0288 - Swimming Instructor Contracts

A member authority is reviewing their contracts for swimming instructors Please can you answer the following:

1. Are your swimming instructors contracted?

2. If they are contracts? - dual contracts (i.e. 1 contract for term time school lessons and 1 for the centres core swim school that runs all year)?

3. Do you have sample contracts showing how this is managed?

4. What challenges have you had with split contracts if you use them?

 

SL0287 - Outdoor Gym Equipment Signage

A member authority is reviewing their policy on outdoor gym equipment in or near play areas.

Please can you answer the following:

• In instances where outdoor gym equipment and play equipment are near each other - do you have a physical barrier in place, as well as signage?

• If you have any older outdoor gym equipment (which predates mandatory signage) - what do you do/have you done with this equipment if retrospective signage cannot be sourced?’

 

SL0286 - Leisure Service Operating Models

A member authority is reviewing their contract with their current leisure operator. The operator wishes to make changes

• How do you operate leisure services currently? (inhouse/trust/contract/whoc)

• If contracted out who is responsible for VAT?

• Do you operate an ‘Agency’ model whereby the Council operates the centres with staff via the contactor? If so have you obtained VAT benefits?

• Have you considered a change to your operating model since Covid?

 

SL0285 - Access to Leisure - Child discounts

A member authority is reviewing their charging policy for children Please can you provide information on the following:

1. Do you offer free access or discounted leisure facilities to -

• Foster children?

• Foster carers and other siblings in the family?

• Care leavers - If so up to what age?

• Children with disabilities?

• Family members of children with disabilities?

2. If you offer discounted facilities for any of the above what % discount is this on your standard fees?

3. What activities do you offer free / discount on?

4. What evidence do you ask for eligibility?

5. Do customers have to apply annually?

6. Does your leisure service receive funding from elsewhere to provide this service?

 

SL0284 - Costa Coffee Machines

A member authority is evaluating the potential acquisition on costa coffee machines in their leisure facilities Please can you supply the following information:

1. Do you have any experience of working with Costa Coffee?

2. Have the machines given you income? - If so are you able to let us know how much?

3. Do you have a contact number for your account manager at Costa?

4. Would you recommend having the costa express machines?

 

SL0283 - My Fit App

A member authority is evaluating the use of the MyFit App If you utilise this App, please supply the following information:

1 Did you purchase the My fit App through Gladstone or direct with innovatise?

2 Do you pay API management fees to Gladstone to manage the API?

3 Are you able to advise the API costs?

4 How have you found the integration between the APP & API?

5 How much time is needed to keep the App up to date on a weekly basis?

6 What have been your experience of the App, would you recommend?

 

SL0282 - Weak swimmer policy / Deep end safety test

A member authority is reviewing their weak swimmer policy in regard to use of the deep end. Currently their lifeguard must check any person who, in their opinion, may be at risk out of their depth but wishing to use it. Their current requirement is that the user must be able to swim 25 metres on their front and also tread water out of their depth for 30 seconds. Please can you provide answers to the following:

1.What is your policy for weak swimmers out of there depths?

2.What test would you conduct for weak swimmers to swim out of there depth.

3.Do you make allowances for autistic children (or other disabilities) who may struggle to do a test on demand?

4.Do you have a scheme where once a child has done a test they are given a competency card for future use?

5.Do you put on special sessions to conduct the deep end test?

 

SL281 - School Swimming Hire Charges

A member authority is reviewing the changes to schools for swimming Please can you provide the following information: Do you charge for school swimming? What is the hourly rate? ( or if not hour per session) What is the basis for charging - per hour / session/ headcount? Are lifeguards included within the hire or provided by school?

 

SL280 - Use of hyprolysers (electro-chlorination)

A member authority would like to know what experience other Local Authorities and Leisure Partners have with use of hyprolysers (electro-chlorination) and have any studies been done on the effects of the use, adequacy of safe storage and ventilation, any noticeable changes to the behaviour of the fabric of buildings and components and finally if there are any actual published research papers on such system use (Building Research Establishment etc.)”.

 

SL279 - Free Swimming - School Holidays – 290623

A member authority is considering running a Free-Swimming programme for children during the summer holidays.

Do you run a similar scheme?

If not have you run a similar scheme in the past?

Is there a report you can share? ( or case study/guidance)

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SL278 - Sexual Orientation/Identification and use of changing rooms and toilets – 120623

A member authority is reviewing its policies on sexual orientation / identification and the use of changing rooms and toilets

Please can you assist with the following:

Do you have a policy regarding sexual orientation and changing room usage?

                If so please can you share a copy?

What if any specific criteria that had been taken into account?

Have any challenges to the policies been made/upheld?

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SL277 - Booking systems for pitches and tennis courts – 050423

A member authority is seeking to introduced a self-serve system for

sports pitches and tennis courts

Please can you provide the following information:

Do you operate a self-serve booking system for sports facilities?

•If so what type? ( e.g. tennis/football/bowls etc)

•What booking system do you use?

•What works well / less well?

•How is it enforced?

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SL276 - Secondary spend in Leisure centres – 310323

A member council is developing a business case for a new leisure centre.

They would be interested in the following information regarding the catering arrangements:

•              What catering arrangement is in place at your centre?

o             in-house delivery or outsourced?

•              If in-house delivered what is the secondary spend per user for catering income?

•              If outsourced what is the fee arrangement?

•              Did you change from in-house delivery to outsourced and if so, why?

•              What is the number of covers for the facility?

•              What is the footfall/throughput of the facility?

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SL0275 - Verbal / Physical Abuse and Anti-Social Behaviour In and Around Leisure Facilities – 020323

A member authority is reviewing its procedures following an increase in abuse of staff in and around their Leisure Facilities

Please can you supply the following information:

• Have you noticed an increase in Verbal Abuse, Physical Abuse and Anti-Social Behaviour towards staff post covid?
• Do you have a formal  Policy and Procedures for dealing with Verbal Abuse, Physical Abuse and Anti-Social Behaviour?
  • If so, please can you supply a copy.

Are your policies and procedures  generic? – i.e. covering the whole organisation or specific to leisure operations and facilities

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SL275 - GDPR/ GPSA bikes – 270323

A member authority is seeking assistance on bike loans

Please can you answer the following:

• Do you have bikes available for loan to individuals or groups that are owned by the Council?

•Are they operated in house or by an external operator?

• What system and processes are in place for use and return- is there any terms and conditions in place that you can share eg. are they members, is there a hire fee/ deposit?

• Are the bikes fitted with GPS for tracking in event of loss or theft?

• Have you any examples of the GDPR documentation around use of GPS tracking you could share?

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SL274 - Staff Less (Unstaffed) Leisure Centre Access – 010223

A member authority is assessing the feasibility of operating some of their leisure facilities with a staff less access offer

(Staff less defined as allowing users to access any part of the leisure centre without a member of staff present on site).

If so, please can you tell us:

1.            Which of your leisure centre(s) provide this offer?

2.            What area(s) of your leisure centre(s) have you enabled staff less access to?

3.            What hours do you allow staff less access?

4.            Which staff less access solution & leisure management system do you use?

5.            Was staff less access introduced to existing leisure centres, or as part of refurbishment / new development project?

6.            Are any of these leisure centres on shared school site? (i.e. the leisure centre facilities are used by a local school as well as members of the public).

7.            Is staff less access included as part of the standard membership price, or as an extra charge. If extra, how much do you charge for this?

8.            How do you address the issue of customer safety and safeguarding on site to minimise the risk of personal injury/accidents/incidents /threats to customer safety etc.

•              Do you have a member of staff present on site in case of customer emergency?

•              Do you use a monitored CCTV system, panic alarm system, two way tannoy system to monitor and engage with users during staff less access?

•              Is this monitored internally by staff employed by the leisure centres / local authority, or outsourced?

•              If outsourced to an external CCTV, panic alarm monitoring security company, which companies do you use?

9.            How have you addressed emergency evacuation procedures on 1st/2nd floor areas for individuals with mobility issues e.g. wheelchair users, in a staff less operating model

10.         On average what attendance levels are you achieving during your staff less provision periods?

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SL273 - Data capture systems for Play Areas – 250123

A member authority is in the process of renovating a Play Area.

They are keen to implement a data capture system to understand the demographics of their service users.

They are seeking a comprehensive approach which provides a better level of data than simple footfall

Do you operate a data capture system for a play area?

•              What systems do you use?

•              Any suggestions

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SL272 - Drowning Detection Systems to aid Lifeguards observing Pools – 100123

A member authority is currently reviewing their Pool Safety Operating Procedures for lifeguards observing pools

They are aware of Drowning Detection Systems such as 'Angel Eye' and 'Poseidon but have no direct experience.

Please can you supply the following information:

•              Do you use a Drowning Detection System (DDS)?

o             if so which system?

o             What type of pool (simple tank or Free form) is the DDS system installed in?

o             Do you have underwater or overhead cameras, or both?

o             Why did you opt for this particular system?

o             What was the reasoning behind the installation?

o             What form of maintenance is undertaken , frequency, and approximate costs?

o             Have you, through risk assessment, been able to reduce the number of observational lifeguards, and if so, does this apply to all