Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The Director's group receives performance reports from each service area on a four monthly cycle. The attached report provides details of performance and key issues arising in Culture and Leisure services for the financial year to 30 November 2002.Culture and Leisure services include: Heritage Services; Leisure Services, including Parks, and Library Services.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the Executive note the performance of Culture & Leisure services for the period August - November 2002 and the issues arising during this period, as detailed in the attached report.

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3 FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

3.1 No financial implications directly arising from this report.

4 THE REPORT

4.1 The attached report provides details of key issues arising from the following services:

· Heritage Services

· Leisure Services

· Parks

· Library Services

4.2 The report also measures performance by the services against the twenty-six performance targets included within the Authority's Performance Plan and Council Strategy. Progress against targets is assessed, and the likelihood of achieving targets is assessed as either "Green" (on target); "Amber" (some difficulty expected in achieving target) or "Red" (target in danger of not being achieved).

4.3 Only one target is assessed as being in danger of not being achieved - that originally set (prior to the onset of FMD or 9/11) for school group visits to museums. The number of school group visits to museums in Bath & North East Somerset is the best in England, and includes visits by both UK schools and foreign students - mainly from Europe - studying with Language Schools in this country.

4.4 Visits by schools generally have been affected by rising costs passed on to schools by coach operators following the introduction nationally. Visits by foreign language school students in the early part of the year were badly affected by the effects of both FMD and 9/11 groups. In addition, following the re-classification of visitors aged above 16 as "adults", a proportion of language school visitors are no longer classed as school children. Heritage Services will be working with ARELS (the Association of English Language Schools) to identify whether the decline in language school visits forms part of a national, or more local trend.

4.5 Seven targets (27%) are assessed as "Amber", whilst 18 (69%) are assessed as "Green", i.e. on target to be achieved. Further details are provided in pages 5 to 6 of the attached report

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