Hackney GLL, a charitable social enterprise, manages sport and leisure facilities and services for the London Borough of Hackney under a contract which runs to 2029. The partners are working together to raise participation rates and improve the health of local people, while reducing the cost to the council over time.
Hackney has a growing, diverse and young population, with a quarter of residents aged under 20. GLL has been working with Hackney Council for over 12 years, managing facilities and services including leisure centres, a water sports centre, a lido and the famous Hackney Marshes, with 82 football, rugby and cricket pitches. GLL and the council work closely together to raise participation rates, improve the condition of the leisure facilities, target key community groups and generate increased income.
The partnership employs over 160 permanent staff and more than 300 sessional staff, mainly from local communities, and pays the London Living Wage. GLL has an apprenticeship programme based in Hackney offering young people paid employment, training and career opportunities.
Impact and outcomes
GLL has made significant improvements to the services provided to communities and in terms of participation. Total participation rates have increased from 1.1 million visits in 2009 to 1.9 million in 2016.
The relationship has also yielded increased revenue and service standards. GLL reported a £4 million increase in revenue generated up to 2015 over a six-year period. As a leisure trust it utilises a cross-subsidy model, using this revenue to subsidise investments, services and activities, particularly targeting people most in need. The improvements in service standards have been evidenced by a 68 per cent reduction in complaints, achievement of the Quest Plus standard and the Customer Service Excellence award.
Examples of how the partnership work is supporting council priority objectives include:
- Free family swimming lessons: in partnership with Hackney Council, GLL delivers free swimming lessons at Kings Hall Leisure Centre during school holidays. In 2017 there were 1,386 visits to the programme, from all ages, with many teenagers and adults progressing from being non-swimmers to being able to swim 25 metres.
- Dementia swimming: GLL delivers a dementia swimming programme, which has had 30 individual participants in the first two years.
- Activities for older people: March 2017, with funding from Hackney Council, a project began aimed at developing communitybased opportunities for older people. To date, four chair-based exercise sessions have been set up with housing and care providers. An average of 26 participants attend per week. All the participants have housing, support and care needs, with around 50 per cent living with dementia.
- Hackney Cup for Health: in 2016 GLL’s Community Foundation supported Hackney Wick Football Club to deliver a sevena-side football tournament. The event was attended by 487 people, with 170 becoming engaged with grassroots football for the first time. It was repeated in 2017.
Hackney Council and GLL work with a range of local and national partners to deliver programmes and projects, including local voluntary and community sector organisations, Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Sport England, Amateur Swimming Association, England Netball, England Squash, Lawn Tennis Association, Homerton University Hospital NHS Trust and the South East Commissioning Unit.
Looking to the future
Given the successful performance of the partnership and the context of financial pressure on local authorities, GLL and Hackney Council entered into discussions on the future management of the facilities.
The aim was to achieve:
- continued delivery of health and social outcomes and priorities
- the provision of planned investment and improved performance of the existing centres
- financial savings for the council.
As a result of these discussions, the key changes included a five-year contract extension for GLL to 2029; a reduced cost to Hackney Council through decreasing subsidies towards a zero-based management fee; the council investing capital to redevelop two existing facilities during the contract term; and a capital investment of £3.5 million by GLL in two other centres, to complement the council’s investment plan and ensure continued increases in participation.
Key learning points
- Ongoing discussions and reviews are important. This includes monthly operational meetings with facility managers, quarterly meetings at headof-service level and strategic review meetings every six months. This continual relationship at all levels allows for a consistent and positive partnership.
- A joint, proactive approach to implementing national policy and good practice. For example, both organisations are committed to being London Living Wage employers.
- A culture of proactivity across the whole contract has been important in delivering the outcomes.
Contact
Adrian Ballington
Head of Development and Partnerships GLL
[email protected]
or
Ian Holland
Head of Libraries
Leisure and Green Spaces
London Borough of Hackney
[email protected]