There is of course only one real option to when stuff happens, as far as I’m concerned: get stuck in and sort it out. And ten days on, since GL1 and Oxstalls Sports Centre closed, the City Council and I have made significant progress, to re-open both, although there’s further to go.
I can absolutely reassure every reader, for example, that the line ‘GL1 will be closed for a year’ is for the fairies. GL1 may be partly closed for a few more weeks, while Oxstalls is mostly business as usual for pre bookings this week.
Let me first thank constituents who have e mailed or messaged me on my fb page updates (@richard4gloucester). You’ve raised many points and asked many questions, and this e news is intended to cover most of them. Let’s start at the beginning, in q&a style, but first and more important thing is that I'm as frustrated as you are and am determined to help the City Council get this sorted so that everyone can get back to GL1 and Oxsalls as soon as possible.
What happened?
The Aspire Sports & Cultural Trust decided to go into liquidation on Friday 29th September: with all staff immediately laid off and the doors closed to all customers.
What is the Aspire Trust?
A local charity created with the encouragement of all parties in the City Council in 2008 to run specialist leisure services for the city more efficiently and less expensively than the Council could. It was given a 15 year lease of both the GL1 Leisure Centre and Oxstalls Sports Park, which expired this September.
Had their contract been extended?
Aspire decided not to re-tender but agreed to extend for another year while a complete re-tendering exercise took place, with the Council agreeing to an extra £260k (as sought by the Trust) to help them through 2023-24, not least with energy bills.
So why did the Trust go into liquidation?
The Council wanted oversight of major spending decisions to ensure that taxpayer funds were being used for best value. The Trust did not accept that outright, and had concerns about their final salary pension scheme: auditors questioned whether the Trust was still a going concern and Aspire decided to go into liquidation.
When did you become aware of what was happening?
I was aware of the plan to extend the Aspire contract. This news came out of the blue as I was travelling back from Kyiv 28th-29th. I reached Gloucester c4pm and met (virtually) the City Council at 5pm.
Did the Chair or CEO of the Aspire Trust contact you?
Neither the CEO nor the Chair has been in touch at all for a long time: which is perfectly reasonable if all is going well. So to put an organisation which serves so many of my constituents into liquidation without any contact at all was, in my view, deeply irresponsible.
But they’re not answerable to you..
No. But when things go wrong it’s the Council and I who face the music, not the Chief Exec or Chair of Aspire Trust.
That's why I need to know before not after bankruptcy if things are going wrong so that (if need be) I can convene a meeting to see what might be done.
What was your immediate reaction to the news?
To recognise the intense frustration and disappointment of so many of my constituents (customers and employees) – and get on with doing something positive, part of which was communicating: and the other part focusing on finding alternative venues for pre bookings by groups, including competitions.
So I messaged / rang the Heads of three schools and the owner of Riverside Leisure & Sports on the weekend, and got a positive response of ‘yes we’ll try and help if we can’ response from all. A small city needs to pull together to get through crises and this immediate response from several key people was helpful.
Did it work?
In part.
For example I’m grateful to King’s and Wycliffe for hosting all Gloucester City Hockey Club training and matches, to Barnwood Park for hosting an U14 netball competition that weekend, to Gloucester Academy (and the Greenshaw Trust in general) to responding to many enquiries re their indoor sports centre, to the HALO sports operator at Holmleigh and St Peters for their attempts to help. Riverside is the closest swimming pool and sports club to GL1 and is allowing people to use their facilities without a membership fee, putting on additional swimming lessons and some school sessions. They encourage “anyone looking for facilities or to contact the club on admin@riversidesports.co.uk”.
Also lots of offers on tennis including a club that uses courts at the Wotton Lawn Tennis Club, as well as the nearby Churchdown Tennis Club, all of which are on my fb page @richard4gloucester. In this weather I also recommend the free outdoor courts at the Oval and Kingsway.
But what about getting Oxstalls and GL1 re-opened?
Yes that was and is the main objective for the Council, with my complete support, and to do so as soon as possible. I was in touch with the new Vice Chancellor of the Uni of Glos re Oxstalls on that first weekend, and the City Council in touch with their Head of Sports and others: all with the objective of getting Oxstalls up and running asap – and working out the sequence of events. Later last week the Council plans were as follows:
So what’s the timing at Oxstalls?
Pre booked outdoor sport eg football was back in action at Oxstalls last weekend (Rising Stars YFC and Longlevens AFC Youth). Students at the Uni of Glos are back in The Arena. This week the changing rooms/loos for pre booked astro activity at Oxstalls will be available, and I hope tennis too. The Oxstalls Park Run will be back next weekend (it could have been this last weekend but understandably they’d made other plans).
This can all be done with skeleton staff, the help of the Uni of Glos and the different sports clubs involved themselves taking responsibility for their players’ health & safety issues.
How about GL1?
GL1 is more complicated as it’s all indoors, a big space and the pool to manage, and the Council needs to appoint a temporary operator to do that (as well as at Oxstalls). That’s why the Council has been seeing the major organised groups for eg football, hockey, swimming, netball, gym, tennis and badminton. Anyone with pre bookings keen to get back should e mail leisure@gloucester.gov.uk.
What progress has been made on appointing a temporary operator?
The City Council has also already had some preliminary interest, and the first meetings with potential operators. Sport England is giving advice and I believe an appointment will be made before long, for a year. The Council can then get on with organising a proper tender for a longer lease, with better value for the taxpayer.
Will former staff be re-appointed?
The City Council has guaranteed former staff an interview with the new Operator (if they would like one).
So who is to blame?
I’m most interested in getting our leisure and sports facilities back up and running as soon as possible – and in a sustainable way.
But if nothing went wrong why did Aspire fail?
I don't know the detailed answer yet. But I do know that any organisation, whether a charity, a mutual (eg a Co-op), a community interest company (CIC) or a limited company running our sports centres is responsible for the sport and health of several thousands of my constituents and the jobs of 150 – all of which were put at risk. Walking away from that responsibility should only be done as a very last resort. I do not believe that the Aspire Trust can be proud of how it has handled a situation not entirely of its own making: but our job is to sort this out.
And now?
The commitment of Deputy Leader (lead on finance) Cllr Hannah Norman and Sports & Culture lead Cllr Andy Lewis, working with senior officers, is exactly what’s needed.
How difficult will the journey be?
I think the journey’s bound to have a few bumps for a while, but am very optimistic longer term.
The Council has to find an operator, which has to sort booking systems and pre bookings – which hopefully those involved have receipts and confirmation of – and decide on staff to run the two sites well. Some investment in making both sites looking better is needed: that may need a longer term leaseholder to be appointed.
But with managers putting heart and soul into getting both our sites completely up and as soon as possible, I believe we can turn this around. I also think the government – with whom I’ve had many conversations – will help, and I have full confidence in the City Council doing the right thing.
Meanwhile my advice is to ignore any posturing from those not actually doing anything, but world class at scare mongering. When Stuff Happens you just need your Council and your MP to sort it: and we’re on the case.
Lastly... do keep an eye on the City Council website on the Recovery Plan - www.gloucester.gov.uk/culture-leisure/sports-and-leisure/leisure-facili… – which has most of what you need, including a FAQs www.gloucester.gov.uk/media/9232/faqs-aspire.pdf. And if I haven’t answered your specific question here please do prod me again by e mail.
Thanks!
Best regards
Copyright © 2023 Richard Graham MP, All rights reserved.
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