Issue - meetings

To consider the continuation of the Community Centre Saturday opening Provision.

The Committee resolved to:

1.    Continue to endorse the Council’s approach of expanding the Community Centres provision to take account of the impact of current cost of living, energy and social isolation crisis on our communities.

2.    Continue with the provision of opening at least one community centre within the borough of Spelthorne for 6 days a week, which is currently in place, engaging centre staff to provide the additional provision.

The Committee considered a report from the Strategic Lead, Independent Living on the Continuation of the Community Centre Saturday Opening provision. Currently two of our three community centres opened on alternate Saturdays to offer a 6 day week centre offer to support our most vulnerable client group. The Committee were asked to consider endorsing the continuation of the 6 days a week approach and then review this again in six months (December 2024). There was provision within the North West Surrey Alliance Prevention Fund to further fund this initiative. However, for this initiative to become a permanent provision, a growth bid would need to be submitted to embed the additional budget implications.

The Committee noted it was important to manage expectations and emphasise to residents that this was a discretionary addition to the Community Centre service offer, should the return to the 5 day a week provision be reinstated.

The Committee made some potential suggestions to extend the Community Centre Saturday opening provision permanently. The Deputy Chief Executive noted the suggestions which could be modelled and explored in more detail by this Committee during the annual budget process. The Deputy Chief Executive highlighted that some of the options would be ongoing growth which may require the need for offsetting savings to be identified by the Committee and Corporate Policy and Resources Committee.

The Committee resolved to approve Option 2 and resolved to:

1.    Continue to endorse the Council’s approach of expanding the Community Centres provision to take account of the impact of current cost of living, energy and social isolation crisis on our communities.

2.    Continue with the provision of opening at least one community centre within the borough of Spelthorne for 6 days a week, which is currently in place, engaging centre staff to provide the additional provision.