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Report to: |
Lead Member for Resources & Climate Change |
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Date of meeting:
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14 June 2022 |
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By: |
Chief Operating Officer
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Title: |
Uckfield Leisure Centre, Uckfield |
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Purpose: |
To seek approval for an extension to the current property agreement with Wealden District Council to allow them to provide community leisure facilities at Uckfield Community College. |
RECOMMENDATIONS:
The Lead Member for Resources and Climate Change is recommended to: approve a 12 month lease extension from 18 July 2022 to Wealden District Council (WDC) in respect of community leisure facilities at Uckfield Community College, Uckfield.
1.1 Uckfield Leisure Centre is situated within Uckfield Community College (UCC) grounds, which is a local authority-maintained college. The Leisure Centre is a separate building adjoining the main college campus. The Leisure Centre is occupied by Wealden District Council (WDC) under long-term operational leases that expire in July 2022. ESCC are the freeholders of the asset.
1.2 Under the terms of the lease with WDC, UCC has priority use of the leisure facilities in school hours but, outside of these hours, there is community use of the facilities by residents and sports clubs. The facilities of swimming pool, sports hall, squash courts, dance, gym and aerobic training. The facilities are managed by Freedom Leisure, WDC’s contracted leisure provider. The Centre is one of fourteen “Joint Use” agreements in which East Sussex County Council (ESCC) has a property interest in leisure facilities, typically involving school sites. In East Sussex, leisure services have traditionally been the responsibility of district and borough councils, as there is no statutory requirement on the County Council.
2.1 WDC have requested a 12 month lease extension from July 2022 at Uckfield Leisure Centre.
ESCC has considered this request, as freeholder of the site.
2.2 ESCC seek to grant a 12 month property agreement to allow WDC to continue to provide community leisure facilities at UCC. The current lease dates from 1992 and involves financial contribution from ESCC, UCC and WDC. WDC have a leisure provider, Freedom Leisure and they are agreeing commercial terms direct with them for a 12 month contract extension.
2.3 ESCC and WDC officers have drafted mutually agreeable commercial terms for a lease extension and the terms are outlined in an Exempt report later in the agenda.
3.1 The Lead Member is recommended to approve a 12 month lease extension from 18 July 2022 to Wealden District Council in respect of community leisure facilities at Uckfield Community College, Uckfield. The commercial terms of the lease extension are shown in an Exempt report later in the agenda.
Ros Parker
Chief Operating Officer
Contact Officers: Nigel Brown - Nigel.Brown@eastsussex.gov.uk
Pauline Young Pauline.Young@eastsussex.gov.uk
Local Members
Uckfield – Councillor Claire Dowling