The Cabinet Report of 12th March 2007, which received approval to extend the contract with Slough Community Leisure to 2017, indicated a number of advantages arising as a consequence in relation to the management of the contract, for example:

"Priority 5 - Maintaining excellent governance within the council to ensure it is efficient, effective and economic in everything it does.

This proposal links strongly to aims 5.1, 5.2 and 5.3 where the rationalisation into one contract will provide better opportunities for financial and asset planning, provide SBC with an opportunity to renegotiate the performance standards against which SCLL will be monitored over the next ten years and simplifies and makes more efficient the procurement route."

and

"Extending the Trust contract supports the principle now being embedded of local authorities taking on a greater commissioning role and enabling the 'third sector' to deliver services and this is especially the case with respect to transferring a sports development function into the Trust, the delivery of which to be agreed in partnership."

and

"The history of the relationship with SCLL is one of partnering that has seen negotiated reductions in funding, joint investments in services, improvements in service quality and successful transfer of additional services."

The revised contract will incorporate a new benchmarking protocol based upon best practice within the leisure industry, and will incorporate

• Financial measures. Cost per visitor, management fee % of income etc
• Activity pricing review (including discounts to priority groups)
• Health and well being activities for the over 50's.
• Health and well being activities for people with disabilities.
• Health and well being activities for the 11 - 16 year olds.
• Sports development services outside the leisure centre setting.
• Quality benchmarking via Quest

On this basis and on our experience of working productively and successfully in partnership with Slough Community Leisure to date we are confident that the partnership has sufficient strength and controls to continue to deliver a high quality service to the residents of Slough.