Page 19 - link magazine

A tender time for recreation services 15
February 1991 and the next nine competing with other contractors to
months are going to be a tense time manage all the Council's leisure fa-
for the officers and staff of cilities which involves millions of
Thamesdown Council's extensive pounds per year.
Recreation Service. Compulsory There are also worries amongst
competitive tendering for manag- Thamesdown's recreation profes-
ing sports and leisure facilities is sionals that if anotheropera tor takes
being introduced and later in the over, motivated by making a profit
year they will find out whether their from the management contract with
employment with Thamesdown is the Council, there will be a decline IGERS
to continue, or whether they will be in service to the customer. Whilst in the Town Hall
looking for a job with another or- the short term an operator will 1 iPX Est.1882
ganisation. comply with the specifications of
For the users of Thamesdown's the contract, once the present team
leisure services, which mustbe some of managers and staff built up over
of the best in the country, it will be a several years is disbanded, they will
time when the quality and access to try to employ fewer staff with worse
facilities is up for grabs. conditions of employment and
The Government's policies of try- generally cut corners on equipment
ing to ensure that the taxpayer's John Fisher and running costs. Lower safety
money is well spent started with the "A prospective operator will not and quality of service could well
ie's
Stephan
l982 Local Government Act. Atfirst be required to make the leisure result. "S
council services like refuse collec- centres pay for themselves. To do so However the present manage- Secretarial
tion and school meals were put out would put prices way out of reach ment team at Thamesdown is confi-
to tender, but leisure services were for nearly everybody. In their bids dent that theirbid will be successful, Services
added in 1987. to take on management, the opera- according to John Fisher. "There is
The management of Thames- tor will have to take into account all a team of talented, committed, loyal An Efficient Service
down's leisure facilities will be ad- the costs - the staff, heating, lighting, and experienced people already in is offered for those
vertised this month and over the promotion, equipment and so on. place, about 700 posts in all. The of you with that
next six months the Council will Having made allowances for in- process of examining the way we Important letter or CV,
examine the tenders, interview the come, they will submit a tender on presently operate recreation in
organisations submitting the bids the basis of receiving the lowest Thamesdown has helped us to report or thesis.
and select one or several on the basis subsidy from the Council." manage the service even more effi- Full secretarial
of value for money. An announce- The Recreation Service will be ciently for the future."
ment is expected in September. support for the small
Link Centre Co-ordinator John business.
Fisher says that the business of pre- From one centre to another
paringforcompetitive tendering has Rob Whitehouse was activities manager at the Link Centre for five years. Tel: 881413
been longand detailed. "With refuse Now he's the Manager of the Oasis Leisure Centre. Here he looks back
collection and school catering, it's on his time in West Swindon and forward to his new challenges.
probably fairly straightforward to
stipulate whatis required of a service 'Rob's moving to the all singing, all COOKS
in a contract. An operator has to dancing Link Centre', the words of
empty the bins of a defined number my manager in London as I left in T.V&
of houses and businesses, or a set 1985, how he underestimated the
number of meals have to be served. place. VIDEO
"With leisure services, things are The Spring of 1985 was an excit-
less well defined because an opera- ing time as the newly recruited staff
tor is dealing with changing de- busied themselves in the huge empty REPAIR
mands from the customer and the shell that was Link, all able to con-
quality of service that they expect." tribute to the opening of a unique SERVICE
He added that competitive ten- complex, all excited to see how well
dering is not privatisation and the it would be used. FREE
Council is not required to sell off its The first 18 months saw the Ice Home Estimates
facilities. Also users should not fear Rink's honeymoon period, capacity
being being locked out, or prices crowds trying out new facilityand Repairs by
rising steeply. The Council can for many a new sport. For me, it Qualified
specify the service it expects and meant dealing with more staff and Engineers.
will set the times of opening, the customers in one day than my old
range of activities to be provided centre saw in a week. My learning ernment's Compulsory Competitive Sales & Rentals
and the prices to be charged. curve went vertically upwards. Tendering legislation, and develop- All Work
Over the last 12 months Council 1986 and 1987 saw the other Link ment through constant review of Guaranteed
officers have been writing a very facilities develop as the communi- the Link Centre and its facilities.
detailed set of specifications with ty's demands became obvious. Ac- My move in December 1990 to Tel: Swindon
which the leisure operator will have tivities which are now well estab- manage the Oasis Leisure Centre
to comply. According toJohn Fisher, lished were introduced, Lifestyle has given me yet another challenge, 825795
there have been both benefits and sessions, mini-gym, daytime fitness, not to create something new, Oasis
disadvantages to this process. "The recreational trampolining and bad- has been operating for 15 years and NO
Recreation Service has taken a good minton, Saturday courses, holiday has a national reputation for excel-
look at itself and has been working camps to name but a few. My move lence, but to maintain the quality of
to make itself 'fit and lean to com- in late '86 to the post of Activities service and develop the facilities to CALL
pete.' But it has meant a vastamount Managerensured great involvement keep up with our customer needs.
of time spent looking at every little in these and many other issues. Five years at the Link have gone OUT
bit of detail involved in managing The last two years at Link have by very quickly and provided not
leisure facilities and laying down seen expansion with Delta Tennis only the skills to move on, but also
the required standards of service to Centre opening in the Springof 1988, fond memories of experience gained CHARGE
the customer. distraction in the form of the Coy- and the people I worked with.