This meeting of Wandsworth Council's Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee is scheduled to include a petition and feasibility study for a new pocket park, a potential new contract with Enable Leisure and Culture, a review of the Council’s fees and charges for the next financial year, and an update on the Council’s performance and budget.

Proposed New Contract Arrangements with Enable Leisure and Culture

The Committee is scheduled to discuss a proposed new three-year contract with Enable Leisure and Culture to manage a range of the Council’s leisure and cultural services. The proposed contract is an extension of the current contract and will begin on 1 April 2025 with an option to extend it for a further two years.

The proposed new contract will not include the biodiversity or sports development services that are currently contracted out to Enable. These services, and the four members of staff that deliver them, are scheduled to be brought back in-house by the Council from 1 April 2025.

This follows the Committee’s previous decision in September 2024 to bring the arboriculture service back in-house.

The report notes that:

The proposed changes strengthen the council’s strategic control of these service areas and more clearly define the division between operational and strategic responsibilities between Enable and the Council.

The report goes on to say that under the proposed new arrangements, The Council:

accepts tariff risk and the operator consumption risk.

The report states that the proposed new arrangements will generate a saving to the Council of £426,000 a year compared to the current contract.

Revision of Charges

The report pack includes a proposal to revise the Council’s fees and charges for the 2025-2026 financial year. The report proposes increasing most fees by 2.2% in line with August’s CPI inflation figure, with a number of exceptions.

It also outlines the next phase of the Council’s Access for All programme, which will see eligible residents receive a 50% discount on a range of the Council’s services.

The proposed expansion of Access for All will see eligible residents benefit from:

• Free birth and death certificates from Wandsworth’s Registration service.
• 50% discounts on a range of Town Hall ceremonies, such as weddings and citizenship ceremonies.
• 50% discounts on annual fishing permits.
• 50% discounts on allotment rents.
• 50% discounts on fees for courses and diplomas at Putney School of Art and Design.
• A range of discounts and concessions for bereavement services.
• 50% discounts on tennis and bowls memberships and season tickets.

The report also notes that the Council will be making 5,000 discounted tickets to the Battersea Fireworks display available to residents eligible under the Access for All criteria.

Revenue Budget Monitoring: Quarter 2 of 2024/25

The report pack contains an update on the Council’s revenue budget for quarter two of the 2024/25 financial year. The report forecasts that the Committee will overspend by £456,000. The report identifies three main reasons for this projected overspend:

• A shortfall in income from the Enable contract.
• Higher volumes of variable street cleansing costs.
• One off costs associated with the rollout of the new Serco waste management contract

The report notes that the overspend is being partially offset by:

• Lower than expected waste disposal costs.
• Income generated from street works licences.

Mid-Year 2024-25 Performance Report - Environment OSC

The Committee will receive an update on the Council’s performance for quarter two of the 2024/25 financial year. The report covers the progress made on the delivery of actions outlined in the Wandsworth Corporate Plan, as well as an assessment of the Council’s progress against its key performance indicators (KPIs).

The report highlights the following progress made by the Committee:

• The completion of the procurement of a new grounds maintenance contract.
• The opening of the Yvonne Carr Centre and the start of feasibility work for a new park on the adjacent Oasis site.
• The launch of the new Battersea Park parkrun, which is one of the commitments in the Council’s new Wandsworth Moves Together Leisure Strategy.
• The completion of phase one of the Cleaner Borough Plan.
• The recruitment of an Estates Improvement Officer to oversee the implementation of an Estate Recycling Improvement Plan.

The report also includes data on a range of KPIs. The data shows that:

• The Council is on track to meet its target for participation in sport and physical activity.
• The Council is exceeding its target for the recycling rate for household waste.
• The Council is exceeding its target for the proportion of public streets with acceptably low levels of litter.
• The Council is exceeding its target for the number of interventions by Compliance Officers for engine idling.
• The Council is failing to meet its target for the number of reports about non-collection of domestic waste per 100,000 bins collected.