The transfer of public leisure facilities towards volunteer delivery. Geoff Nichols, Sheffield University Management School Deborah Forbes, Newcastle University Business School ESRC Festival of Social Science Event. Research conducted in the summer of 2014, supported by the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity

Structure of the afternoon Presentation of research speakers from practice - Sylvia Green, RAD; Nick Ockenden, NCVO; Chris Chatten, Vice Chair, Richmondshire Leisure Trust Workshop – discussion – can it work speakers from practice – Bev Cross, VAS; Spencer Moore, CIMSPA Concluding discussion

What is asset transfer of local leisure facilities to volunteers? Libraries, sports centres, swimming pools, green spaces, museums Different combinations of paid employees and volunteers, in asset ownership /lease, and service delivery. No standard model

The scale of transfer - Library staff – changes to (CIPFA, 2014) 2008/92012/13 Paid employees FTE 25,64820, % Volunteers15,89433, %

Why? – budget cuts 57% of projected government savings delivered 2010 to FY 2014/15 ….. £33bn more to be made FY 2015 – 2018/19 Average reduction in spending power per resident per local authority 2010/11 – 2014/15 was £ uneven Y&H, £197.24; SE £74.08 Most deprived 10% - £228.23

Why? Local authorities may want to empower local people Leisure services are not a statutory requirement [apart from an undefined amount of library provision] Other services are more critical But leisure has a high political profile

It’s a sensitive issue… Replacing paid staff with volunteers? Redeploying paid staff On-going negotiations council and Volunteer groups Volunteer groups don’t want to say they can’t cope Local politics and media

Our research Methods Results – positive outcomes Results – challenges

Methods 20 in-depth interviews with facility managers, local authority managers, volunteers and support organisations. Between March and August Covered 10 facilities; including libraries, museums and sports centres; in 10 different local authorities. Complements Sport England guidance on how to do it. (Sport England (2014) The Community Sport Asset Transfer Toolkit)

Findings - Positive Outcomes Facilities have stayed open Improved links with the local community. Developing volunteers and providing benefits of social inclusion Volunteers seek reduced running costs, and there are reduced costs to the local authority.

Findings - Challenges The distribution of voluntary capacity is uneven The pace of budget cuts may outstrip the speed at which volunteer groups can be developed. Are volunteers replacing paid employees? Can local authority staff be redeployed The influence of local politics

Findings - Challenges The loss of government’s ability to plan strategically The potential loss of core skills and compromise of standards Are transfers sustainable? The need for a co-operative relationship of trust between local authorities and volunteer groups

The Future? New government May 2015 But cuts in expenditure likely to continue – only experienced half of these so far. Make the best of the opportunities – minimize the negative impact…

The Future? Facilities more responsive to local people where volunteering enriches the community as a whole. Viable in the long-term Reflects an enhanced sense of active citizenship and responsibility Or a quick and unsustainable fix – which will unravel in 3 years? Will services survive in disadvantaged areas?

The Future? Future research: Examples of successful long term volunteer management Examples of ‘good practice’ in volunteer development and facilitating transfer. Plotting the scale of transfer of facilities

References Nichols G. and Forbes D. (2014) The transfer of public leisure facilities to volunteer delivery Forbes-transfer-of-leisure-facilities-to-volunteer-delivery pdfhttp://svrn.group.shef.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Nichols-and- Forbes-transfer-of-leisure-facilities-to-volunteer-delivery pdf The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and accountancy (2014) Library Survey survey-shows-closures-slowing-visitor-numbers-falling-but-volunteers-soaring survey-shows-closures-slowing-visitor-numbers-falling-but-volunteers-soaring Social Mobility and Child Poverty Commission (2014) State of the Nation 2014: Social Mobility and child Poverty in Great Britain. /State_of_Nation_2014_Main_Report.pdf /State_of_Nation_2014_Main_Report.pdf Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) (2014) Local authority spending cuts and the 2014 English local elections. spending-cuts.pdfhttp://speri.dept.shef.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Brief6-local-authority- spending-cuts.pdf