To receive any questions of which members of the Council have given notice.  Deadline for notification for this meeting is 5.00pm on 25 October 2016

34.1 The following question had been received from Councillor Roger Evans

Since it became clear that Shropshire Council's financial position implied that many services were now at risk, the Council's Administration has stated that it is seeking partnership with local organisations and Parish Councils to help find a way of continuing services such as leisure facilities, libraries and museums.  This approach has been much publicised and indeed used in several places already.  On the one occasion when the Council made an unpopular decision without proper consultation with local interests, it was taken to judicial review, where the judgment found against the Council with costs.

Why then in the case of the swimming provision for Shrewsbury is the Administration hell-bent on ignoring its own consultation, which found that 68% of responders wanted the Pool to remain in the town centre?  Why is it also ignoring the opinion of the Business Improvement District, an organisation which the Administration usually treats with considerable respect and which indeed is now mainly involved in the evolution of the Shrewsbury Vision?  And why is it ignoring the wishes of Shrewsbury Town Council, which unanimously expressed its preference for a town centre location?

Why is it operating an adversarial model which places all the above (the popular will, the business interest and the local Council) in OPPOSITION to its preferred site?  Why, instead of using Council resources and expertise to assist in finding a mutually acceptable solution, is it challenging all other parties to "come up with something better", and channelling its own resources into a single opposing business case?  Why is it that any other organisation which finds the time, resources and expertise to put forward an alternative case, is to be met after 12 months’ work by the Administration, with a vested interest in its own option, acting as Judge and Jury?

Response

Shropshire Council is not ignoring the outcomes of the public consultation and the opinion of the Shrewsbury BID and Shrewsbury Town Council. Quite the opposite, it is providing an opportunity for considered business cases to be developed by interested organisations that provide for a long term sustainable solution to swimming provision in Shrewsbury.  To avoid the possibility of unnecessary and potentially expensive work being carried out by interested organisations in the development of incomplete business cases, the Council is suggesting an interim stage and is providing the opportunity to give early feedback and guidance.

Shropshire Council has previously commissioned and presented a range of detailed work that supports its recommendation that the preferred location for further swimming provision is at the Shrewsbury Sports Village.  This recommendation is supported by a detailed evaluation against three questions: (1) Which options are deliverable and are the most affordable and sustainable; (2) Which options best meet the Council’s vision and strategy for swimming provision; and (3) What are the social, environmental and economic impact and implications of the different options?  However, rather than proceed to implement this approach it wants to provide other interested organisations with the opportunity to develop alternative proposals that better meet their aspirations for future pool provision.

The Council recognises that the process for the submission and evaluation of business cases must be open, fair and transparent, and this is described within the Terms of Reference.  Part 4 of the Terms of Reference sets out details of the client and project development team and states that “the client team will evaluate business cases provided by external organisations and the Council in an equal manner and using a similar methodology”.