The External Services/Providers Monitoring Group reviewed the Q3 performance report for Live Borders, noting positive trends in participation and membership, alongside ongoing work on a significant business transformation programme. Discussions also covered the future of swimming facilities, coordination of sports initiatives, and potential risks over the next 12 months.

Live Borders Performance Report Quarter 3 2025-26

The meeting received a comprehensive performance report for Live Borders for the third quarter of the 2025-26 financial year. The report highlighted generally positive trends across various services, including sports facilities, participation, and membership.

Sports Facilities and Participation: Improvements have been made to facilities, including the transformation of a spin studio into a mini-gym at Kelso Swimming Pool and a gym upgrade at Teviotdale Leisure Centre. These upgrades aim to enhance community access and cater to diverse user needs. Participation rates, measured by footfall at pools, leisure centres, and through health programmes, were described as positive and encouraging.

Sport Memberships: Youth membership continues to grow, with new junior swim memberships introduced for 8-11 year olds. Overall sports membership remains healthy, with initiatives like the Technogym Checkup at TriFitness aiming to improve member retention. While retention rates are improving, they remain below the target of 70%.

Learn2 Swim Programme: The Learn2 Swim programme continues to perform well, with a significant number of new joiners and participants successfully progressing to higher levels. While there were more leavers than joiners in the quarter, this was largely attributed to children completing the programme and parents feeling confident in their child's swimming ability. New lessons for children with Additional Support Needs have been introduced in the Hawick area.

Active Communities: Meetings have been held with community centre management committees regarding a new funding model to be introduced from April 2026. The Health Development service aims to reduce health inequalities, and despite a dip in referrals due to the cessation of NHS funding for some programmes, class attendances remain strong.

Museums, Galleries, Archives and Visitor Attractions: The Borders Textile Towerhouse hosted a successful Makers Market. Presentations were given on refurbishment plans for the Chambers Institution in Peebles, funded by the UK Government's Levelling Up Fund. Visitor numbers for museums and galleries showed seasonal fluctuations, with some venues closing during the autumn and winter.

Libraries: Online library usage continues to grow, and physical library visits remain stable. Maths Week activities were held at Hawick Library and Hawick Museum, including a Human Sundial installation. A review of the library book fund budget indicated a potential impact on borrowing rates.

Town Halls / Events / Arts / Creativity: A community theatre project, 'Untold Stories', has commenced at the Heart of Hawick, aiming to culminate in a performance in March. Primary school pupils from Langlee Primary School participated in Gaelic-themed workshops at The Great Tapestry of Scotland. Various live music, comedy, and theatre events took place across town hall venues. The Visual Artist and Craft Maker Awards (VACMA) distributed £7,500 in grant funding. A comedy workshop, part of the Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, demonstrated the value of social prescribing for mental health and community connection.

Corporate: The Royal Life Saving Society audit showed significant progress, with Live Borders nearing the top 'Excellence' rating. The ICT team completed the installation of networking equipment at the new Galashiels Academy. A substantial number of online training modules have been completed by staff, including Legionella awareness and Emergency First Aid. External funding secured in Q3 included contributions for artist bursaries and the Peebles Library Museum & Gallery. Marketing campaigns were developed for memberships and events, and improvements are being made to the Live Borders website and app. Energy usage across the six swimming pools has shown a significant decrease compared to the previous year.

Business Transformation Programme

The meeting also received an overview of the Live Borders Business Transformation Plan, which comprises 28 projects aimed at delivering financial savings and improving service delivery. Key areas of focus include organisational redesign, pricing strategies, and feasibility studies for sports facilities in Tweedbank, Teviotdale, and Gytes. The council's HR, payroll, and finance systems are also being reviewed with a view to adopting the 'Business World' system used by the council.

Key Discussions and Decisions:

• Swimming Lessons and Pool Usage: Councillor James Anderson raised concerns about a potential decline in children's swimming lessons and requested area-specific data. It was agreed that more detailed information on swimming participation, broken down by area, would be provided. Councillor Leagh Douglas, Chair of the group, highlighted the importance of understanding why people might stop swimming and suggested an agenda item on swimming for the next meeting, particularly in light of new Scottish Government funding for swimming.
• Energy Consumption: Councillor Anderson praised the staff at Eyemouth for their proactive management of energy usage, noting improvements following investment in the air handling unit.
• Library Membership: Councillor Anderson also requested more detailed data on library membership uptake by area, which Fiona agreed to provide.
• Technogym Checkup: The potential for the Technogym Checkup assessment tool to be rolled out to other gyms was discussed, with the understanding that it is a new technology and its wider implementation is possible. The possibility of offering occasional openings for non-members to trial the service was also raised.
• Live Borders App: Councillor Douglas praised the Live Borders app for its functionality and ease of use, encouraging others to download it.
• Equality Duty: Councillor John Greenwell questioned whether Live Borders was fulfilling its own equality impact assessments. Jenni Craig clarified that for performance reports, a full assessment is not required, but Live Borders has the same obligations as the council to impact assess any changes to policy or service delivery. This will be made clearer in the new Service Provision Agreement.
• Coordination of Sports Initiatives: Councillor Euan Jardine and Councillor Gerard raised concerns about potential competition between different departments and organisations (Sports Development, Active Schools, Live Borders) in securing funding for sports programmes. It was agreed that an ongoing collective group would be established to ensure better coordination and maximise opportunities for young people.
• Risks for the Next 12 Months: Jenni Craig identified increasing costs and uncertainty, along with ensuring community engagement and usage of services, as key risks for the next 6-12 months. Graeme McMurdo added that resource and capacity challenges, as well as the risk of missing opportunities, were also significant concerns.

The meeting concluded with the group agreeing to add a dedicated agenda item on swimming to their next meeting.