Decision details

In introducing the report, the Cabinet Member for Voluntary Sector and Leisure, Councillor Donatus Anyanwu and officers informed Cabinet that the one-year contract extension would allow Lambeth to review an in-house offer to provide the service. The extension would build capability and would also allow the Council to look at future-proofing income.

In response to a question raised, officers and the Cabinet Member assured Cabinet that the in-house avenue and extension had been discussed and negotiated with GLL, who was the current provider and that there would be no reason for performance to dip within this one-year extension.

Cabinet expressed the following:

·                     That GLL had been an excellent provider for the past 15 years and during this time the leisure offer at Lambeth had improved significantly.

·                     That the council offered a high-quality service once this was in-house.

·                     They were pleased to see that the report focused on health.

·                     Sports are vital and the council’s inclusive strategy was something to be proud of.

RESOLVED unanimously:

1.         To insource Leisure Services from 1 April 2023.

2.         To agree a one-year extension of the existing Leisure Services contract with Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), from 1 April 2022 until 31 March 2023; and to delegate authority to the Strategic Director for Resident Services in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Voluntary Sector and Leisure, to finalise the arrangements for the extension.

3.         To agree the commencement of a procurement exercise to secure specialist support for the creation of a detailed implementation and transition plan for the new in-house service.