2
Introduction from the
Chief Executive
The Trust went live on July 2, 2015. This was the culmination of a huge legal
and technical exercise, but it was also only the end of the beginning: it
marked the start of the next phase in the organisation’s development.
400 staff transferred to the new organisation, under new leadership. In creating
the Trust we also had to establish new management and governance
arrangements. These included the formation of new sub-committees, and new
scrutiny, reporting and approvals procedures for Finance, Audit, Risk, Health
and Safety, HR, Appeals, and the trading subsidiary of the Trust.
We also set out new and carefully defined interfaces with the Council and other partners, that
recognise the Trust’s status as a charity with new and different obligations and responsibilities. A
full suite of new policies and procedures has been developed by the Trust Management Team
in partnership with Council colleagues. In addition, 19 Service Level Agreements have been
created, to manage the services between the Council and the Trust.
As well as the technical changes, a key part of the cultural and organisational change was defining
a new Vision, Mission and Values, which were developed through all-staff sessions. These in turn
informed the Trust’s new Business Plan, approved by the Board and recommended to Council for
agreement in February of 2016. The Trust agreed 5 strategic aims in our first Business Plan:1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
a financially sustainable business model
an understanding of our customers and audiences, and an offer that attracts them
a strong, diverse, resilient and committed workforce
vibrant communities
resilient, dynamic and productive partnerships that are developed and nurtured
These aims support our charitable objectives and our plans for ongoing organisational
development and reflect our ambition to grow our services. They reflect our commitment to
ongoing service improvement. In addition, they support our principal partner ERC, in meeting
its commitments as outlined in the Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) for East Renfrewshire.
40% of ERCL’s turnover is through earned income, principally through the larger sports
and leisure venues of Barrhead Foundry and Eastwood Park. Work has begun to identify
the constraints on growing that income, and the best options for realising both increased
commercial income whilst delivering savings to the tax payers of East Renfrewshire, and
maintaining and improving the range, distribution and quality of services. For example,
we will build on the 75.7% of our customers who rate our gyms as good or excellent. In our
first year ambitious targets have been set, and plans developed for both growth, and for
delivering efficiencies and savings. These include:
a new pricing structure for gyms and fitness, implemented in April 2016
a new website, social media strategy, communications policies and associated training
new online bookings processes and software to facilitate a programme of ‘sales
channel shift’ begun in 2015
a redesign of the library service, implemented 2016
a new strategy for Eastwood Park Theatre, (2016 - 2021)
a new PR strategy, implemented 2015
a Business Support review, undertaken late 2015 and being implemented throughout 2016