The service delivery model for Auckland Council’s pool and leisure services has been confirmed, with the Mayor and councillors today deciding to proceed with an enhanced partially outsourced model for the region-wide network.
Mayor Wayne Brown said today’s decision reflects how much the council and Aucklanders appreciate these services, balanced with delivering better value across the network.
“I’m all for saving money and wasn’t opposed to considering changes to the operating model, however I’ve listened to our elected representatives and the community and believe it’s important that we find a compromise.
“When I met with the PSA, I was pleased to hear they were willing to work with us to find savings and efficiencies, alongside our staff.”
Planning, Environment and Parks Committee Chair Richard Hills says today’s discussion and decision has reinforced the importance of our pools and leisure centres to our communities.
“Today’s decision provides certainty for our communities and our staff while ensuring we have affordable, accessible centres into the future,” he says.
The Governing Body agreed to supporting the retention of a partially outsourced model for pool and leisure services, which also allows for future opportunities to achieve savings, increase revenue and create a more efficient service.
Director of Community Rachel Kelleher acknowledged the direction provided by the Governing Body and the expectations set out for ongoing delivery of the council’s pool and leisure services.
“We will continue to run a little over half of the council-owned facilities ourselves, with the remainder being operated by third party providers under contract.
“This reflects the mixed model that has been in place since Auckland Council was formed but today’s decision also reinforces the requirement to further enhance and develop our services, test new and better ways of delivering these services at our sites and improve our contract management,” she says.
The Governing Body signaled its expectation that further work will include engaging with union partners and staff, and that no further outsourcing should take place without clearly defined considerations being taken into account.
“This allows the council to focus on and improve performance at existing council-managed sites while still making improvements to the network and exploring operational cost reductions,” says Ms Kelleher.
There are no changes to the council’s strategic direction-setting role for the whole pool and leisure network, this includes access, hours and fees.
Background
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In keeping with the requirements of the Local Government Act (Section 17a), the council undertook a review process to look at the delivery model for pool and leisure services and ensure the council is getting value for money.
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The review explored a number of service delivery models, including options for third-party operators managing more, or all, services.
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This review coincides with the need to renew contracts at the existing outsourced sites, which will progress, taking today’s decision into account. These contracts will be awarded by the Revenue, Expenditure and Value Committee at a later date.
