Agenda item

Report of the Corporate Director, Community.

The Sub-Committee received a report of the Corporate Director, Community which provided Members with monitoring feedback in response to the ‘Community Involvement in Parks’ Scrutiny review report and relevant Recommendations.

Following a brief overview of the report by an officer, Members made the following comments and asked the questions below and officers provided the following responses:

·                     Had the new booking system for sports pitches been publicised?

An officer advised that there was an online, area-based booking system as most sports clubs were now online.  The website also provided information about clubs and groups.  He added that most outdoor tennis courts in Harrow were free to use.

·                     Were there plans to install any more green gyms in the borough?

An officer stated that a green gym had recently been installed in Cedars Park Open Space  and another would be soon be installed at the Woodlands Open Space. No further suitable sites had been identified. 

·                     Statistics showed that the level of adverse health indicators in Pinner South Ward was high.  Was there any data to show who used the green gyms and what benefits they achieved?  How had they been funded?  How had the bicycle stands in parks been funded?

The officer stated that Edgware and South Harrow had been targeted in the first phase of installing green gyms, where the key objective had been to promote health amongst those with diabetes or had obesity issues.  These had been funded from Capital funding, NIS (Neighbourhood Improvement Scheme) funds and monies from the local Primary Care Trust.  He added that the bicycle stands had been installed next to each green gym and near children’s playgrounds had been funded by TfL (Transport for London).

A Member stated that figures showed that life expectancy in Wealdstone Ward was 10 years less than in Pinner Ward.  He proposed that green gyms should be installed in other deprived areas such as Wealdstone and Queensbury and specifically in the Whitefriars Open Space, Weald village and the open space by Artisan Place area.  He suggested that these could be funded from the 15% of CIL (Community Infrastructure Levy) which would be received from new development.  The motion was seconded and won.

·                     A Member asked why the Corporate Scorecard no longer listed voluntary hours.  Did groups submit information about how they publicised their events?

An officer advised that it was difficult to judge the effectiveness of how groups worked in terms of the number of hours.  For example, some local groups had a large membership but did not necessarily undertake a large volume of work.  Groups were required to submit information about their projects and events to the Council.  This information was monitored in order to help groups achieve their targets.

·                     What priorities had been set for parks?

The officer stated that there was a more detailed plan in place.  Some of the Recommendations from the report had not yet been pursued, for example, the young champions, as currently the focus was on user groups. The existing strategy would be developed further in consultation with the park user groups.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.