Public performance reports

Leisure and culture

The Council Plan Connect, outlines our objectives for 2022-27. Connect Outcomes should not be seen in isolation, they interact with each other and as we achieve success in one, we move closer to success in others. In delivering our vision to ‘improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire’ our priorities show how our work links with our partners including our Community Planning Partners.

For daily updates, stories and what’s going on in your area, visit our information and news website South Lanarkshire View.

Each year we produce Annual Performance Spotlights which summarise how we have performed in achieving our Connect Outcomes. To complement these, we have created a suite of individual Public Performance Reports which focus on key areas of council business. This report outlines the performance of our leisure and culture services and how these link to our health and wellbeing outcome.

The council has an important role to play in promoting the health, wellbeing, and learning environment of the population of South Lanarkshire. This is achieved through the provision of community learning and recreational activities within our museums, libraries and arts centres, and through the promotion of healthier lifestyles via our sports and leisure centres and outdoor recreation. These services are delivered by South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) which was set up in 2010 to operate leisure and culture services on behalf of the council.

More information about SLLC, including the SLLC Annual Report, can be found via the following link SLLC - About us.

SLLC is responsible for the operation and management of 22 indoor leisure facilities including nine swimming pools, an ice rink, and two athletics tracks. Through its development work, the service aims to increase opportunities for individuals to get engaged in physical activity. This is achieved through working in local schools and communities, in partnership with clubs, volunteers, sports councils and national governing bodies.

There are a number of indicators collected and reported that show the extent to which our facilities are being used:

Attendance at facilities managed by the Sport and Physical Activity section of SLLC – Target 1.49 million
What this means	This indicator shows the attendance figures at facilities managed by the Sport and Physical Activity section of SLLC – this includes swimming pools and other indoor sports and leisure facilities.
Why this matters	This indicator measures the extent to which the council is achieving its aim of encouraging everyone to participate in activities which will lead them to a healthier lifestyle and which will ultimately have a positive impact on the health outcomes of the residents and visitors of South Lanarkshire.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	Are we improving?
	SLLC	2.839 million	0.199 million	1.519 million	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	In 2021-22, closure of sites for a period, as well as restricted programmes operating within the appropriate Government guidelines, continued throughout some of the year, therefore attendance continued to be severely affected. However, with a robust recovery plan in place and through the huge efforts of all staff, services began to recover steadily as customer confidence increased and customers returned on a more regular basis. The Recovery Plan has been integral to the solid and steady recovery underway by maximising resources in a way that met demands.

Satisfaction with leisure facilities

Satisfaction data from the Scottish Household Survey is not yet available for 2021-22, however, SLLC conducted their own online customer satisfaction survey during 2021-22 to assess performance overall, and to establish what services were being accessed during the Covid-19 recovery period and why. The survey also aimed to establish how users felt after their visit, and whether our services had helped or supported customers. 1,037 responses were completed with 95% (985) highlighting they were very satisfied or satisfied with service delivery and 89% (922) said they would recommend SLLC to a friend. 83% (859) visited for health (both physical and mental), fitness, exercise, and social reasons and of those 96% (824) felt healthier, happier and better overall following their visit. This feedback has confirmed that SLLC are focusing services to customer needs and reaffirms the resolve to develop health improvement programmes further.

Outdoor recreation and country parks
SLLC is also responsible for outdoor country parks and outdoor learning and adventure, including 104 sports pitches, an indoor synthetic pitch, 12 bowling greens, six golf courses, a water sports centre and seasonal activities, including tennis and putting.

Attendance at Outdoor Recreation and Country Parks services – Target 1.775 million
What this means	This indicator shows attendance figures at the council's outdoor recreation and country parks service.
Why this matters	Like the indicators above, this indicator measures the extent to which the council is achieving its aim of getting more and more people taking part in sporting and leisure activities.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	Are we improving?
	SLLC	2.253 million	1.567 million	2.185 million	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	In 2021-22, closure of sites for a period, as well as restricted programmes operating within the appropriate Government guidelines, continued throughout some of the year, therefore attendances continued to be severely affected. However, with a robust recovery plan in place and through the huge efforts of all staff, services began to recover steadily as customer confidence increased and customers returned on a more regular basis. The Recovery Plan has been integral to the solid and steady recovery underway by maximising resources in a way that met demands.

Within South Lanarkshire, there are 23 public libraries, all with ActiveIT Learning Centres (free internet access). We also provide reference and enquiry services, family history and genealogy resources, and online library services. Working in partnership with key stakeholders to improve the learning experience for children and young people, the service makes a significant contribution to the Curriculum for Excellence agenda.

SLLC directly manages Low Parks Museum which includes Hamilton Mausoleum. However, like the library service, the work of the museum service extends further than this: from working closely with schools in the provision of learning programmes and activities off site, to informal learning opportunities provided through holiday activities, family activities, adult learning and special events. The museum collection includes 150,000 objects which feature in temporary and permanent exhibitions.

Number of library and museum visits – Target - 0.789 million
What this means	This indicator shows the extent to which library and museum services are reaching their potential service users.
Why this matters	This indicator measures the extent to which the council is achieving its aim of encouraging everyone to take part in cultural or learning activities which make them feel better, sometimes healthier, but always happier. Learning is not confined to classrooms or educational establishments. It can take place in museums and libraries.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	Are we improving?
	SLLC	1.395 million	0.471 million	0.956 million	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	In 2021-22, closure of sites for a period, as well as restricted programmes operating within the appropriate Government guidelines, continued throughout some of the year, therefore attendances continued to be severely affected. However, with a robust recovery plan in place and through the huge efforts of all staff, services began to recover steadily as customer confidence increased and customers returned on a more regular basis. The Recovery Plan has been integral to the solid and steady recovery underway by maximising resources in a way that met demands.

Satisfaction with libraries and museums:

Many respondents used multiple services, with 15% (152) specifically accessing library and museum services, and of those, 95% (144) said they felt better, relaxed, had achieved their goal and were satisfied following their visit.

SLLC is responsible for the management of five cultural venues: The Town House Hamilton, Rutherglen Town Hall, East Kilbride Arts Centre, Village Theatre East Kilbride and Lanark Memorial Hall. As well as the major venues, SLLC manages 68 community halls: 46 community halls/centres; 8 community wings; 9 community managed halls and 5 integrated community facilities.

Attendances at cultural venues – 0.689 million
What this means	This indicator measures attendances at cultural venues including halls, schools and arts venues.
Why this matters	Our aim is to get more and more people taking part in cultural activities which make them feel better, sometimes healthier but always happier. By taking part, individuals can become more creative, healthy and enthused.
Our performance and how we compare	Comparator	2019-20	2020-21	2021-22	Are we improving?
	SLLC	1.968 million	0.147 million	0.806 million	Yes
	Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	Yes
How we have performed in improving this public service	In 2021-22, closure of sites for a period, as well as restricted programmes operating within the appropriate Government guidelines, continued throughout some of the year, therefore attendances continued to be severely affected. However, with a robust recovery plan in place and through the huge efforts of all staff, services began to recover steadily as customer confidence increased and customers returned on a more regular basis. The Recovery Plan has been integral to the solid and steady recovery underway by maximising resources in a way that met demands.

Performance is generally measured through a programme of internal auditing, undercover mystery visits, through general customer feedback and via our more formal ‘Have Your Say’ comments and complaints policy. Recovery from the pandemic continued to impact our monitoring programmes due to restrictions to operations and available resources. However, we have continued to operate our formal ‘Have your Say’ customer comments and complaints policy throughout the pandemic and have partially reintroduced other monitoring systems (including an audit process and mystery shopper visits). In the meantime, essential communication has continued with both virtual and physical Health and Safety updates/visits undertaken to ensure standards are maintained and services are safe to operate.

External verification of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture’s service delivery is evidenced through VisitScotland awards. Working closely with private businesses, public agencies, and local authorities, VisitScotland work to ensure that visitors experience the very best of Scotland and that the country makes the most of its outstanding tourism assets and realises its potential. 7 sites are currently accredited through the awards. In addition, the cafes within Rutherglen Town Hall and Low Parks Museum are accredited to the Healthy Living Award, having met the necessary criteria.

Rating	Venue
3 Star Accredited Rating	Calderglen Country Park James Hamilton Heritage Park
4 Star Accredited Rating	Chatelherault Country Park Low Parks Museum Lanark Memorial Hall
5 Star Accredited Rating	Town House Hamilton Rutherglen Town Hall

Rating

Venue

3 Star Accredited Rating

Calderglen Country Park

James Hamilton Heritage Park

4 Star Accredited Rating

Chatelherault Country Park

Low Parks Museum

Lanark Memorial Hall

5 Star Accredited Rating

Town House Hamilton

Rutherglen Town Hall

There were 145 formal complaints recorded throughout the year. Over 97% of all issues raised were resolved at our frontline with only 4 escalating to ‘stage 2’ of our process. The top 5 areas of concern to customers were based around programming 27 (18.6 %), communication 16 (11%), maintenance 15 (10.34%), booking process 14 (9.65 %) and customer behaviour 12 (8.27%).

SLLC conducted an online customer satisfaction survey during 2021-22 to gauge customer perception of our services overall. 1,037 responses were completed with 95% (985) highlighting they were very satisfied or satisfied with service delivery and 89% (922) said they would recommend SLLC to a friend. 96% (824) felt healthier, happier and better overall following their visit. This feedback has confirmed that SLLC are focusing services to customer needs and reaffirms the resolve to develop health improvement programmes further.

The contribution SLLC has made during the recovery from the pandemic has been significant and continues to build. Having control of setting our own commercial prices has accelerated the recovery of lost custom to us during the pandemic and improves the opportunity for growth in new and innovative ways. We have also significantly strengthened our strategic partnerships with the Council, NHS and the Health and Social Care Partnership which we will continue to build on. As a member of the Community Planning Partnership Board we are able to increase the part we play in supporting our communities moving forward and will work to develop this further.

SLLC has commenced work on developing a new Strategy for 2022-2027. This strategy will complement the Council Plan Connect which outlines the council’s priorities and outcomes for 2022-27. A review of governance arrangements for SLLC is underway as we seek to transition from being a Company Limited by Guarantee to the more contemporary and appropriate Scottish Charitable Incorporated Organisation (SCIO).

In addition to the above key documents, Resource Plans are prepared each year by all Resources to outline the key developments they intend to take forward in the year. Performance and actions relating to leisure and culture services can be found in the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan.

Twice a year, performance reports are presented to council committees on progress against the Resource Plans. In addition, reports detailing progress against the Council Plan Connect Priorities are prepared - see Quarter 2 progress reports for further information.

More information on our objectives can be found in the Council Plan Connect and also the Annual Performance Spotlights.

Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) allows councils to work together, to use performance information in a way which will help understand variations, share knowledge, expertise and good practice, with a view to making improvements. At the core of the framework is an agreed suite of performance indicators. We report the results for these indicators, over time, on the website. Additionally, you can compare our LGBF results with other councils' using the mylocalcouncil tool. Not all local authorities are alike and so family groups of eight ‘similar’ councils have been set up for comparison purposes. Workshops take place throughout the year to discuss the indicators and results – South Lanarkshire Council is actively involved in these discussions.

The information contained within this report reflects the position based on the data available at the time of publication (February 2023)