This meeting will include the Environment and Community Services Committee’s first quarter budget, an update on negotiations to extend the Enable contract, an update on the procurement of a new grounds maintenance contract, and the Council's response to two petitions.

Future Arrangements with Enable Leisure and Culture

The Committee will be asked to note a report on the future of the contract between the Council and Enable Leisure and Culture. The report, which will be presented by Paul Chadwick, the Executive Director of Environment and Community services, notes that:

The current contract with enable leisure and culture expires on the 31 March 2025 with the potential to extend up to a further five years. The Council and enable are working together to develop an optimum operating model to commence from April 2025.

The report asks the Committee to approve a plan to transfer responsibility for managing the arboriculture and biodiversity work in Wandsworth's parks and open spaces, as well as the main grounds maintenance contract, back to direct Council management. It also asks the Committee to approve the transfer of responsibility for sports development strategy back to the Council. According to the report, eight members of staff would transfer from Enable to the Council to continue to carry out those roles at an expected cost of £75,000 per year. The report states that the Council is carrying out an audit of the Enable contract, and that a further report will be presented to the Committee in November to set out the details of an extension to the contract, including the transfer of the additional services and staff, an increase to the annual fee the Council pays to Enable, and a proposed methodology for open book accounting¹.

Revenue Budget Monitoring: Quarter 1 of 2024/25

The Committee will be asked to note a report on the Environment and Community Services Committee’s revenue budget for the first quarter of 2024/25. The report, presented jointly by Paul Chadwick, Executive Director of Environment and Community services, and Jon Evans, Assistant Chief Executive, shows a projected overspend of £411,000 against a revised budget of £47.869 million. The overspend is attributed to a shortfall in income from the Enable contract, an increase in the use of rapid response street cleansing, and investment in new staff to support the delivery of the Cleaner Borough Plan. These overspends are offset by an underspend in waste disposal costs as a result of higher than expected electricity generation by the Western Riverside Waste Authority's (WRWA) Belvedere Energy from Waste plant, and an overachievement of income from Network Management.

Grounds Maintenance Contract

The Committee will be asked to note a report on the outcome of the procurement of a new grounds maintenance contract for the borough's parks and open spaces. The report, presented by Paul Chadwick, the Executive Director of Environment and Community services, explains that a joint procurement process was run by Wandsworth and Richmond Councils for their grounds maintenance, housing, and parks and open spaces contracts. Two bidders submitted tenders for the Wandsworth Parks and Open Spaces lot. The report recommends that the contract be awarded to Bidder 2 for a period of six years, with an option to extend for a further six years. The report explains that the new contract will include play inspection and maintenance for the first time. This service will transfer from the Enable contract, and will save the Council £46,156 per year. The report also states that the Council will retain all of the income from sports pitch bookings, which is estimated to be around £300,000 per year. This income will not count towards the overall cost of the contract. The report confirms that the new contract will include a requirement for the contractor to pay its staff the Real Living Wage, and that it represents a real terms saving of £133,711 per year on the cost of the current contract.

Petition Response: Purchase of Springfield Park

The committee has been asked to note the Council's response to a petition, signed by 1,131 people and submitted by Councillor Peter Graham in November 2023, requesting that the Council purchase Springfield Park. The report explains that the Council considered, and rejected, the opportunity to purchase the park from the Springfield Hospital Trust in June 2023. The report notes that:

The decision not to adopt the park within the Springfield site was based on the positive social benefits the continuing ownership by the Trust will bring and to the ongoing revenue commitment adoption of the park would create for the Council (circa £180,000 per annum).

The report reiterates the Council's prior position that there is no new information or justification that would cause them to change their mind on this issue.

Petition Response: Swaffield Road Pocket Park and Playground Facilities

The Committee has been asked to note the Council’s response to a petition, signed by 279 people and presented to the Council by Councillor Paul, requesting that a pocket park be created on disused Council-owned land between Swaffield Road and Whitehead Close. The report explains that a feasibility study has been carried out, and three design options have been developed. The report states that a consultation exercise on these options will be launched in July 2024, and that the park will be built, subject to the results of that consultation, in early 2026.