On 13 February 2019, 10 Local and City Authorities from across England enjoyed a day of learning and engagement with SLC’s Directors on ‘Planning and Delivering Sustainable and Effective Leisure Services’.

The intention of the seminar was to provide a platform to share best practise and promote the development of effective leisure partnerships that generate both social and financial value.

The following key themes emerged, based upon delegates’ specific needs:

  • Developing strategic outcomes in alignment with Public Health England
  • Exploring management options to enable effective and efficient operational partnerships
  • Investment and funding solutions enabling service improvements and financial return on investment
  • Identifying innovation in delivering outreach and interventions to ‘hard to reach’ communities
  • Understanding asset management risks and lifecycle costs.

SLC facilitated a group discussion highlighting the key opportunities and challenges from their experience of strategic service planning and their role as lead adviser on national guidance in strategic outcomes planning and leisure services delivery.

During the event, challenging subjects were tackled. These included exploring physical activity opportunities beyond traditional leisure centre settings, gaining useful insight from less active groups and developing a much clearer connection between health and physical activity.

SLC’s Directors used case studies from recently completed projects to share prior learning and demonstrate how services can be transformed from ones that are heavily subsidised often with deteriorating facilities and limited service offer into more holistic, sustainable an

d impactful services targeted at the community’s needs.

In the afternoon, SLC ran ‘surgeries’, where delegates divided into small groups to discuss their own service challenges. The topics offered were:

  • Optimising your strategic approach to delivering outcomes through sport and physical activity
  • Optimising your partnership with your operating partner through service specifications and performance management
  • Optimising your leisure procurement / feasibility study.

Feedback from the day was overwhelmingly positive, with an overall satisfaction rating of 96% and comments, such as:

“Excellent day, very informative.”

“Great day overall, enjoyed the content.”

“Great set up, facilitation and group of people.”

SLC has been running industry leading Think Tanks since its inception in 2009. The next Think Tank will be on Wednesday 9 October 2019 at the British Library, London. Further details are available on request.

The focus of this upcoming Think Tank will be strategic alignment of your leisure services partnership (for Councils with Trust partners) and optimising your procurement to deliver social and financial value (for Councils looking to externalise or retender their services.)

It is also an opportunity to meet with colleagues from other authorities, organisations and experts involved in the transformation of their services in a challenging financial climate.

Further details are available on request. For more information call us on 01444 459927 or email info@slc.uk.com.