To receive a report by the Senior Ranger on park activities for the period September 2016 to February 2017.
Contact:J Arnold / C Moss 07810 637547/388207
Minutes:
In receiving and noting the contents of the Senior Ranger’s report on park activities for the period September 2016 – February 2017, comment was made as follows:
(a) Staffing
Following a reduction in the number of employees at the Centre, including the departure of the Hospitality Manager, new ways of working had been introduced. The new arrangements were working well, particularly at the café.
(b) Volunteers
Attention was drawn to the activities of volunteers with Special Educational Need and Disability (SEND). It was noted that a SEND group had been working at Spring Common, Huntingdon.
(c) Wider District
The Council’s Tree Strategy was valued by parish councils. The Countryside service would have an input into a review by Overview and Scrutiny into the way trees were managed. The service had worked with the Tree Warden to find places for 4,500 trees. Members commended the work that took place in this respect and recommended that it should be publicised. The Joint Group was then acquainted with the extensive ways in which this was already done via social media. The latter provided feedback on users’ interests.
(d) Park Management
Storm Doris had added to the winter maintenance workload. Better working relationships with the Operations section had improved the way this was managed.
(e) Café
The café had had achieved a significant increase in income in the reporting period.
(f) Countryside Centre
Income from bookings at the Countryside Centre had increased significantly, producing consistent income. This was partly the result of a trend to more unusual uses.
(g) Events, Activities and Promotions
More emphasis would be given to events in the future. A number had already been held, such as the Lego event and a map reading challenge. Some events had received national recognition.
A lunch had been held for the volunteers to thank them for their input into the service.
(h) Financial Position
The report on the service’s financial position indicated that for the Country Park in the current year there was a forecast reduction in staff costs, running costs were as expected but income was slightly lower than the budget. The financial positon for the Countryside Centre was as expected. Income at the Café was higher than the budget, which offset higher staff costs.
The report submitted now included the budget for the following year. It showed a significant decrease in staff costs; however, this attributed to a change in the way the costs of staff at other sites were coded.
The Joint Group then discussed District Council Members’ involvement in the management of the Country Park and other District Council countryside assets. It was argued that there would be merit in Members having a greater understanding of and responsibility for countryside assets including their wider benefits in terms of their contribution to the local economy. However, the Joint Group had been established to exercise the responsibilities of the District and County Councils for Hinchingbrooke Park and it was for the District Council to put in place its own arrangements to carry out the suggested functions, possibly through the appropriate Overview and Scrutiny Panel.
Supporting documents: