FULL-TIME leisure centre staff won’t be replaced by volunteers despite a drive to recruit more of them, a top boss has said.
Hereford-based Halo Leisure Services, which is a registered charity and social enterprise, runs leisure centres for a number of councils in Wales and the West Midlands.
It took over responsibility for Labour-run Torfaen Borough Council’s leisure centres, which includes Cwmbran Stadium and the Pontypool dry ski slope, in April last year with one of its commitments under the contract to recruit more volunteers.
A report, assessing its first year of running the Torfaen centres, said it had recruited 12 volunteers.
But the firm’s chief executive, Scott Rolfe, said they aren’t intended to replace staff: “Volunteering is value added, it doesn’t replace the role of any paid employee.”
He said programmes using volunteers are run by staff and supervisors: “We use volunteers to enhance and augment it, not to replace any paid staff. We’ve never done that and it’s not part of our aspiration to do so.”
Mr Rolfe said he hoped his answer would give “some reassurance” to Labour councillor, and trade union official, Karl Gauden who had asked about the volunteering programme and any potential impact on staff.
‘Efficiencies‘
The report for the council’s adults and communities scrutiny committee also stated Halo had made staffing “efficiencies” since taking over Torfaen’s leisure services.
Cllr Gauden said he supported the use of volunteers and opportunities provided but was concerned and wanted more details on the redundancies.
The Ponthir councillor had asked: “What checks and balances are there as an authority, and Halo, about the impact on the full-time cohort of staff and those employed if you’ve got 50 volunteers running swimming classes and cleaning the showers?”
Halo manager Owen Thomas said the previous Torfaen trust didn’t have any volunteers and it aims to double the number of volunteers during this year, and to date an additional three have been recruited.
Volunteers currently help at swimming pools and gym training while one wants to volunteer at the ski slope while Mr Thomas said their motivation is often “career progression”.
Volunteer driver scheme
A volunteer driver scheme is also being set up said Mr Thomas: “It is to help individuals with access issues, who’ve no car or who are not on the bus route, with volunteers able to provide transport.”
Mr Rolfe said Halo, which also operates leisure centres for Bridgend and Merthyr Tydfil councils, has 142 volunteers across the organisation and said: “That’s 142 who’ve worked some hours in the last 30 days not just registered an interest.
“We tend to see a split between young people potentially looking at career opportunities or Duke of Edinburgh (award) hours and older adults.”
He said older adults often volunteer with a programme it runs to support people with dementia and it also has a programme, at a cycle track, to support those who’ve suffered head injuries.
On redundancies Mr Rolfe didn’t provide any figures but said it had “managed to avoid any compulsory redundancies” when it took over from the former Torfaen Leisure Trust as a “much larger organisation”. Some staff were lost through a voluntary scheme.
Some were also relocated to central positions as Halo took on the back office functions of the former Torfaen trust and he said it had consulted with staff and trade unions as well as the council.
Cllr Gauden had also acknowledged staff turnover at the Torfaen centres had reduced and Mr Thomas said there were no current vacancies but said it does struggle to recruit swimming teachers which he said is an industry wide problem.