ITEM CH5
CHILDREN’S SERVICES SCRUTINY COMMITTEE 26 FEBRUARY 2008
THE OXFORD ACADEMY - THE FUTURE OF LEISURE FACILITIES AT PEERS SCHOOL
PUBLISHED ON: 17 JAN 2008
The leader of Oxfordshire County Council, Councillor Keith Mitchell, has written to Oxford City Council to make clear the timescales involved for funding of the Peers School swimming pool and leisure centre in Littlemore.
Earlier this week, the county council's cabinet approved an outline business case for a new academy to open its doors at the school in September. A final decision will now be taken by the government.
However, Oxford City Council has stated that it is unable to meet its obligations to provide leisure facilities at the site due to financial pressures and the Academy sponsors are equally clear they are unable to fund the running costs of the swimming pool as they receive no additional funds to enable swimming on the site to form part of the curriculum of the Academy.
In the letter, Councillor Mitchell said: "It is important to stress that the Academy is a part of the state education system funded along very similar lines to any other state school in Oxfordshire. The funding provided by backers is put into a trust to support specific pupil needs and not the general running costs of the Academy."
Councillor Mitchell set out a series of trigger-points relating to public access and funding of the swimming pool and the remaining leisure centre and to ask for a specific response from the city council.
These are:
· March 31: Without a contribution from the city council to its share of the joint costs of the swimming pool and/or the rest of the leisure centre, they must close for general community use from this date.
· July 31: If the city council was able to continue its contribution to the swimming pool and the leisure centre until the end of the academic year 2007/8, this would enable continued use by school children and continued community access until this date.
· July 31: 2010: Completion of the new academy campus for occupation from the academic year 2010/11 will include demolition of the leisure centre including the swimming pool. If the city council wished to see a continuation of the current swimming pool and leisure centre for community use, the county council and the Academy sponsors need to see the City Council's plans to commit and guarantee ongoing revenue funding as well as appropriate capital spend to bring the facility up to the level of specification of the new Academy build.
Councillor Mitchell said: "The sponsors are very keen to maintain the maximum possible community usage of this facility. They have made it clear that they are unable to fund either the running costs or the capital costs of a pool and it is for this reason that they always assumed it would have to close by 2010.
"If there were an offer of a substantial contribution towards running and any refurbishment costs, they would naturally wish to consider these but this has to be made against the timescale to which they are now operating."
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