Kirklees Active Leisure

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) was established by Kirklees Council in 2002 as an independent charitable leisure trust. This was seen as the best way to secure investment in the council’s leisure facilities and ensure that communities could access sustainable and good quality provision. The original 10-year agreement has since been extended to 2032.

KAL manages 12 leisure facilities owned by Kirklees Council. In broad terms, the council owns the assets and is responsible for most of the development and maintenance; KAL manages each site and develops and delivers the services and activities. Both are committed to partnership working in order to provide, develop and protect good quality leisure services for local communities. The partnership is based on a statement of understanding, which outlines the overall outcomes and partnership approach, along with a funding agreement and facility leases.

Kirklees Council has an in-house sport and physical activity team which leads on strategic and spatial planning, supports the voluntary and community sports sector and delivers targeted physical activity schemes for people with long-term conditions, many of which are delivered in KAL centres and subsidised by KAL (for example through discounted membership and free use of space).

Impact and outcomes

The partnership has yielded strong outcomes. KAL has invested in providing, maintaining and improving leisure provision across the borough, leading to significant growth in customer numbers – from two million annual visits in 2008/09 to over three million in 2016/17.

Financially, there has been a significant reduction in the funding subsidy provided by Kirklees Council whilst KAL’s turnover has increased. The ratio of funding to overall turnover has fallen from 35 per cent in 2009/10 to a projected eight per cent in 2017/18. The facilities have benefitted from capital investment from KAL, paid for through a combination of the trust’s own reserves and prudential borrowing. These capital projects include invest-to-save schemes such as energy saving programmes, invest-to-grow projects and general facility maintenance.

The trust contributes significantly to the local partnership agenda, working with the council on a range of strategic matters which are far broader than straightforward leisure provision. This includes involvement with the Kirklees Third Sector Leaders group, the Healthy Child integrated commission, a collaborative youth offer, the local children and young people’s partnership, Kirklees Active Schools and other initiatives benefitting local people. These have been delivered as part of KAL’s commitment to social and community development, at no additional cost to the council – but providing lots of added value.

Looking to the future

The partnership is moving from ‘council outcomes’ towards ‘partnership outcomes’, with partners across the public, private and voluntary sectors looking at how they can collectively contribute. A commissioning agreement is being developed which will set out the outcomes KAL is being commissioned to deliver, with clear performance measures. There is regular contact between KAL’s chief executive and Kirklees Council’s client officer. Quarterly liaison meetings take place which focus on finance, partnership performance and capital matters.

Councillor Viv Kendrick, Cabinet Member for Adults and Public Health, said: “We at Kirklees Council still take a local leadership role in relation to sport and leisure. KAL operates the facilities and, in so doing, provides universal access to sport and physical activity opportunities for the people of Kirklees. It is being proactive in ensuring that facilities and services reflect changing public demands and trends.

“Sport and physical activity impacts on multiple agendas and so four Cabinet members oversee this area. KAL engages us in discussion about proposals to develop the leisure centres and provides regular performance updates. Our partnership is going from strength to strength and we have confidence in KAL being able to contribute to the outcomes we want to achieve and look after our stock of leisure facilities.”

Key learning points

• Having an outcomes-based approach is key. Both partners need to commit to the same outcomes and support their joint delivery.
• Achieving a balanced skills and personality mix is essential. It works best if there are councillors, trustees and senior managers who are prepared to invest time and effort in a long-term partnership approach.
• Enable the trust to have flexibility to engage with a range of partners as they see fit – making collaborative links, adding and receiving value and connecting programmes and services.

Contact

Alasdair Brown

Chief Executive

Kirklees Active Leisure

[email protected]

or

Adele Poppleton

Head of Active and Creative Communities

Kirklees Council

[email protected]