Meeting documents

1 THE ISSUE

1.1 The Directors' 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 31 March 2003.Culture and Leisure services include: Heritage Services; Leisure Services, including Parks, and Library Services.

2 RECOMMENDATION

2.1 That the Panel note the performance of Culture & Leisure services for the period December 2002 - March 2003 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). As this report covers the period to the year end, there are no "amber" indicators.

4.3 Four targets have not been achieved (20% of the total). The first relates to the target we set for school group visits to museums; achievement of this target was adversely affected by the decline in tourist visitors following the onset of Foot and Mouth Disease and the September 11 terrorist attacks. Despite this, the number of school groups visiting museums in Bath & North East Somerset remains the highest 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. Visits by foreign language school students in the early part of the year were badly affected by the effects stated above. 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 The second and third targets not achieved relate to the number and cost of library visits, which are expected to improve with the introduction of the "people's network". The final target not achieved was visits to Council golf courses, due to poor weather in May, June and part of July, 2002. However, income has increased as a result of the pricing policy adopted.