Committee Report Checklist
Stage 1
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
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ITEM |
Yes / No |
Date |
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Councillor engagement / input from Chair prior to briefing |
Yes |
4/12/25 |
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Commissioner engagement (if report focused on issues of concern to Commissioners such as Finance, Assets etc) |
Yes |
5/12/25 |
|
Relevant Group Head review |
Yes |
3/12/25 |
|
MAT+ review (to have been circulated at least 5 working days before Stage 2) |
Yes |
5/12/25 |
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This item is on the Forward Plan for the relevant committee |
Yes |
4/12/25 |
|
Reviewed by |
|
|
|
Finance comments (circulate to Finance) |
SF |
5/12/25 |
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Risk comments (circulate to Lee O’Neil) |
LO |
5/12/25 |
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Legal comments (circulate to Legal team) |
JC |
5/12/25 |
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HR comments (if applicable) |
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For reports with material financial or legal implications the author should engage with the respective teams at the outset and receive input to their reports prior to asking for MO or s151 comments.
Do not forward to stage 2 unless all the above have been completed.
Stage 2
Report checklist – responsibility of report owner
|
ITEM |
Completed by |
Date |
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Monitoring Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
L Heron |
12/12/25 |
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S151 Officer commentary – at least 5 working days before MAT |
TC |
5/12/25 |
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|
|
|
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Confirm final report cleared by MAT |
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|
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Title |
Tennis Court and Football Pitch Improvement works |
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Purpose of the report |
To make a Decision |
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Report Author |
Mary Holdaway Leisure Development Manager |
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Ward(s) Affected |
All Wards |
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Exempt |
No |
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Exemption Reason |
Not applicable |
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Corporate Priority |
Community Resilience Environment Services |
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Recommendations
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Committee is asked to: · Authorise the Group Head Community Wellbeing & Housing in consultation with the Chair of Corporate Policy & Resources Committee to select the chosen suppliers and award the contracts not exceeding the community infrastructure levy funding set out in this report · Authorise the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter contracts with the chosen supplier · To recommend to Council a supplementary capital estimate of £260,000 for the gross cost of the capital works |
|
Reason for Recommendation |
Community Infrastructure Levy funding has been secured to improve tennis courts and surrounding fencing; as well as improvements to football pitches across the Borough. |
1. Executive summary of the report (expand detail in Key Issues section below)
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What is the situation |
Why we want to do something |
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• Tennis courts and football pitches in the Borough need improvements • Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) funding has been secured to implement a programme of improvements to all Council owned courts in advance of Local Government Reorganisation • Procurement has been initiated in accordance with Council Contract Standing Orders. • Following the procurement process we will need to award and enter contracts with chosen suppliers. |
• Funding has already been approved and allocated for the services listed in 2.2 below. • To fulfil these projects, we are required to follow Council contract standing orders which are formal, legally binding rules that set out how we as a local authority procure goods, services, and works, ensuring fair, transparent, and value-for-money spending of public funds |
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This is what we want to do about it |
These are the next steps |
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• Authorise the Group Head Community Wellbeing & Housing in consultation with the Chair of Corporate Policy and Resources Committee to select the chosen suppliers and award the contracts. • Authorise the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter contracts with the chosen supplier |
• If approval is given by Committee, the project documents will be updated with timelines. • The procurement process will be evaluated, and the Group Head Community Wellbeing & Housing in consultation with the Chair of Corporate Policy & Resources Committee will award contracts to each of the suppliers relative to the spend. • The Group Head Corporate Governance will then enter contracts with the individual suppliers. |
2. Key issues
2.1 The Council is committed to helping increase physical activity amongst residents. One way to achieve this is through the provision of good quality leisure facilities. This includes tennis courts and football pitches, within parks and open spaces. The tennis courts are inspected by Neighbourhood Services monthly and are scored on maintenance and cleanliness. The Lawn Tennis Association suggests that tarmacadam tennis courts have a lifespan of 10-15 years, with repainting/recoating every 4-6 years. The condition of the Council owned courts varies between site and the work required reflects this. The courts at Bishop Duppas require the most major work, followed by Ashford Recreation Ground. Currently only Ashford Recreation Ground has weld mesh fencing so it is proposed that all other sites will be upgraded to this more durable type of fencing.
2.2 Leisure & Community Development have secured funding as demonstrated in the table below:
|
Awarded by |
Ward |
Services |
Cost |
Previous Improvement works |
Service |
Completion Date |
|
Local CIL |
Ashford Town |
Ashford Recreation Ground |
£15,445 |
Courts Resurfaced 2009 Fence replaced 2015 |
Resurfacing of tennis courts |
Spring 2026 |
|
Local CIL |
Staines |
Lammas Recreation Ground |
£29,830 |
Courts Resurfaced 2011 Cleaned and repainted 2018 |
Tennis court improvements and replacement of surrounding fencing |
Spring 2026 |
|
Local CIL |
Staines South |
Staines Park |
£28,861 |
Courts Resurfaced 2019 |
Tennis court improvements and replacement of surrounding fencing |
Spring 2026 |
|
Local CIL |
Stanwell North |
Stanwell Recreation Ground |
£22,965 |
Courts Resurfaced 2014 |
Tennis court improvements and replacement of surrounding fencing |
Spring 2026 |
|
Strategic CIL |
Shepperton Town |
Bishop Duppas Recreation Ground |
£66,180 |
Cleaned and repainted 2018 |
Resurfacing of tennis courts and replacement of surrounding fencing |
Spring 2026 |
|
Strategic CIL |
Halliford & Sunbury West |
Cedars Recreation Ground |
£27,155 |
Courts Resurfaced 2009 Cleaned and repainted 2018 |
Tennis court improvements and replacement of surrounding fencing |
Spring 2026 |
|
Strategic CIL |
Various |
Football pitch improvements |
£68,805 |
|
Football pitch improvements |
Before Sept 2026 |
|
Local and Strategic CIL Combined Total Award |
|
|
£259,241 |
|
|
|
2.3 All courts, except those at Fordbridge Park and at Long Lane Recreation Ground have been included in the review. Fordbridge is subject to a long-term lease until 2091 to Spelthorne Community Tennis. They are responsible for the court maintenance and upkeep. The tarmac area at Long Lane Recreation Ground includes a MUGA, tennis court and basketball court and has not been included due to the ongoing Stanwell Place project. There is potential to draw in external funding for this site. The Council is currently undertaking a Playing Pitch and Open Spaces Assessment which is due to present the findings in the summer of 2026.
2.4 Following contract standing orders, authority has been received from Terry Collier, Interim Chief Executive and Karen Sinclair, Group Head Community Wellbeing & Housing to start the procurement process for services as detailed in 2.2 except for the football pitch improvements.
2.5 Football pitch improvements will take place across 4 sites and it is expected that works can be delivered by Neighbourhood Services except for the levelling of a pitch required at Kenyngton Manor Recreation Ground. This will need to be done by an external contractor, and the value of this work is expected to be under the value of £30,000. This amount is covered within the £68,805 CIL funding secured.
2.6 Tennis courts are free of charge for residents to use and are used throughout the year, however the main season is April – October. Due to the nature of the work, some work will need to take place during the tennis season. The programme of works will be agreed through the procurement process and the contractor will be asked to ensure a phased approach to ensure minimal disruption to residents. Improvements to football pitches will take place around current bookings, with some work taking place during season and the majority taking place outside of the season.
3. Options appraisal and proposal
3.1 Option 1 (Preferred)
Committee are asked to agree the follow recommendations:
|
· Agree to the tennis court and football pitch improvement works within the Council’s parks and open spaces. · Authorise the Group Head Community Wellbeing & Housing in consultation with the Chair of Corporate Policy & Resources Committee to select the chosen suppliers and award the contracts not exceeding the community infrastructure levy funding set out in this report · Authorise the Group Head of Corporate Governance to enter contracts with the chosen supplier · To recommend to Council a supplementary capital estimate of £260,000 for the gross cost of the capital works |
3.2 Advantages:
- Offers an opportunity to ensure good quality leisure facilities are provided in our parks and open spaces
- Supports residents to become more active
- CIL funding has been secured
- Ensures a time efficient process by delegating authority to relevant Group Heads to minimise disruption during the main tennis and football seasons.
- Provides a legacy for Spelthorne, ensuring that facilities are of a high standard prior to local government reorganisation
Disadvantages:
- Officer time required to deliver procurement process and delivery of project
3.2 Option 2:
- Committee to retain authority to select supplier and award and enter the contract.
Advantages:
- Committee would be sighted on all tenders.
Disadvantages:
- This would ultimately delay the award of contract as a further report would need to be presented to a future committee meeting and would delay the commencement and completion date. This would result in courts being taken out of action at a time when there is greater demand to use the courts.
3.3 Option 3:
Do not proceed with the project
If authorisation isn’t given, work cannot commence and CIL funding would need to be returned.
Advantages:
- Saves officer time
Disadvantages:
- Missed opportunity to improve facilities in the borough
- The facilities will deteriorate over time, and it is unknown when improvements are likely to be made, especially with local government reorganisation
4. Risk implications
4.1 There is a risk that if improvement works are not done on the courts, they may have to be closed due a health & safety risk.
4.2 There is a risk that extreme weather could delay the works. Some works will be required to take place during the tennis season. A phased approach will ensure that residents can be directed to other local facilities to minimise disruption.
4.3 There is a risk that supply issues could cause delays in installation, this will be mitigated by issuing awards as soon as possible after the suppliers have been selected.
4.4 There is a risk that the bids could come in at a higher price than the CIL funding that has been secured. The procurement process will take place with sufficient time to submit a supplementary CIL application if required.
5. Financial implications
5.1 CIL funding has been secured for the proposed works listed in 2.2. If the bids are higher than the funding secured, then in the first instance, a further application to CIL will be submitted. There are good levels of funds expected for 25/26. The costs of works will be received from suppliers ahead of the CIL funding deadlines for 2026.
5.2 If further funding cannot be secured, an amended programme of works will be presented to Committee to request decisions to be made as to what work can or can’t be done from the existing secured funds.
5.3 To recommend to Council a supplementary estimate of £260,000 for the gross cost of the capital works
6. Legal comments
6.1 All contracts must comply with the Procurement Act 2023 and the Council’s Contract Standing Order Procedural Rules. The Council has a duty to deliver best value under the Local Government Act 1999.
6.2 Legal Services are to be instructed to prepare contract documentation.
6.3 Under the Local Government Act 1972 the Council has the necessary powers to commence the proposed procurement exercise and to award the contract. This decision is also within the scope of the general power of competence under the Localism Act 2011.
Corporate implications
7. S151 Officer comments
7.1 The S151 Officer confirms that all financial implications have been taken into account and that the recommendations and are fully funded.
8. Monitoring Officer comments
8.1 The Monitoring Officer confirms that the relevant legal implications have been taken into account.
9. Procurement comments
9.1 Procurement will assist with completing a full and compliant tender process, in line with the contract standing orders. The supplier will be selected via the tender process, based on the quality and cost of the submissions received.
10. Equality and Diversity
10.1 Spelthorne Borough Council is committed to equality of opportunity for all in the delivery of goods and services. Our policies, strategies, procedures, services, and all aspects of what we do incorporate equality objectives.
10.2 We will take equality issues into account at all stages of our procurement process, and we expect organisations that deliver goods or provide services on our behalf to promote equal opportunities within their businesses. We are committed to ensuring that contractors delivering services on our behalf share our equality vision and adopt anti discriminatory practices.
10.3 The promotion of equality in procurement will help us to deliver facilities that are more accessible and meet the needs of our residents and visitors.
11. Sustainability/Climate Change Implications
11.1 Procurement policies and procedures tackle climate change by integrating sustainability into our buying decisions, this ensures we consider the entire life cycle of good and services to help reduce environmental impacts.
11.2 This includes choosing products that area eco-friendly and incorporating whole life costing that accounts for energy, waste, and carbon costs.
11.3 By engaging with suppliers at an early stage of the procurement process we can help to drive lower carbon footprints across supply chains which will contribute to sustainability aims.
12. Other considerations
12.1 None
13. Timetable for implementation
Procurement will conclude and contracts will be awarded once authority has been granted to award and enter these. Ideally works would take place outside of the sports main season (prior to spring for tennis and May-August for football) and outside of school holidays, although due to the nature of the works, there may be some disruption during the tennis courts. Work must commence within one year of the CIL offer letter dates.
14. Contact
14.1 Mary Holdaway, Leisure Development Manager (jobshare)– 01784 446261 m.holdaway@spelthorne.gov.uk
14.2 Claire Moore, Leisure Development Manager (jobshare) – 01784 446452 c.moore@spelthorne.gov.uk
14.3 Kamal Mehmood, Strategic Lead Leisure & Community Development, 01784 444208 k.mehmood@spelthorne.gov.uk
Please submit any material questions to the Committee Chair and Officer Contact by two days in advance of the meeting.
Background papers: There are none.
Appendices:
Appendix 1 – Tennis Court Location Maps