Cabinet, at it’s meeting on 18 March 2026 will consider a report to update Cabinet on the highlights of the second year of the new leisure contract and approve the Annual Service Plan 2026-27, which is an annual requirement of the operator, aiming to align outcomes to the Council’s priorities and to address health inequalities.

Councillor Chewe Munknge, Cabinet Member for a Healthy Oxford, Hagan Lewisman, Active Commuities Manager and James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager have been invited to present the report and take part in discussions.

The Committee is asked to consider the report and agree any recommendations.

Cabinet, at its meeting on 18 March 2026 will consider a report to update Cabinet on the highlights of the second year of the new leisure contract and approve the Annual Service Plan 2026-27, which is an annual requirement of the operator, aiming to align outcomes to the Council’s priorities and to address health inequalities. 

Councillor Chewe Munkonge, Cabinet Member for a Healthy Oxford, Hagan Lewisman, Active Communities Manager, James Baughan, Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager, and Rob Jennings, SERCO Contract Manager, were present to respond to questions. 

Councillor Munkonge provided a comprehensive summary of the report, noting that it provided an annual opportunity for a review of performance and the business plan for the next year. The Committee heard that overall, performance had exceeded expectation; specific details were provided.  

Councillor Qayyum and Councillor Corais joined the meeting.  

The Active Communities Manager emphasised the positive ongoing partnership work with Serco and the delivery of a youth hub in the past year, both of which have contributed towards public health and wellbeing goals.   

The Chair invited questions from the Committee. 

 
Councillor Jarvis requested clarity on whether all the targets had been exceeded, as mentioned, with reference to specific data within the report. Secondly, more detail on the number of recorded visits was requested in order to provide a comparison with the previous year.  

Councillor Miles requested disaggregated data in relation to the participation rates of women, girls, and young people in sport via membership numbers. Councillor Miles also asked how youth age groups are using the leisure centres in the evenings across different locations; references to existing positive examples were provided. 

Noting the loss of space at Blackbird Leys Leisure Centre, Councillor Ottino asked if there is confidence that people have been able to find alternative venues for some sports, and whether new sports, such as padel, have been considered as part of a broader programme of activities. 

In response to Councillor Jarvis, the Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager explained that it is accurate to say that the 3% targets have been met or exceeded overall; any noted in the report that did not reach this number were not specifically targeted, such as swimming lessons. Therefore, the statement is true for targets which were set. An explanation of how data gaps from the previous year have been backfilled was also provided. 

In response to Councillor Miles, the Active Communities Manager acknowledged that different interventions are required in relation to the youth hub to specifically target involvement of women and girls; examples of recent successes were noted, including the recent relaunch of girls’ sessions at the East Oxford Community Centre. The Committee understood that feedback is sought from attendees to ensure plans are targeted and informed in the future.  

The Active Communities Manager committed to checking the data relating to women and girls' attendance at the East Oxford Community Centre sessions.  

The SERCO Contract Manager committed to sourcing disaggregated data on women and girls’ attendance but explained that this relies on the self-reporting of members and customers.  

In response to Councillor Ottino, the Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager explained that half of the sports hall space had been converted as it was underutilised; this is now an active zone (consisting of soft play, tag arena and climbing wall). The Committee also heard that the timetable has been reorganised to ensure that most activities are still facilitated.  

The Active Communities Manager outlined ongoing partnership working with community groups which is encouraging people to become more active. Furthermore, details of consultations with younger groups and efforts to find funding for padel were detailed.  

The Chair invited further questions.  

Councillor Ottino expressed concern that young people do not have access to outdoor football and asked what could be done to provide another pitch.  

Councillor Miles queried what other geographical areas of the city could be focused on to ensure young people have access to leisure services.  

The Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager, in response to Councillor Ottino, confirmed that youth groups do have access to a regular weekly booking on the 3G pitch via the Youth Ambition scheme, however, it was noted that if feedback suggests this is not sufficient, there is an in-kind community fund that can be applied to in order to run other sessions. In response to Councillor Miles, the free under 17s city-wide swimming offer in Oxford was emphasised.  

The SERCO Contract Manager also emphasised a 69% rise in under 18s activities across Oxford’s leisure facilities which marked significant growth. The Committee heard of family inclusive sessions which are available and the SERCO Contract Manager invited any suggestions for future opportunities.  

Councillor Munkonge also summarised the open weekends which take place across Oxford that offer activities to families for free; this particularly supports those who cannot afford to pay for leisure activities.  

The Chair invited the Committee to consider possible recommendations. 

The Committee resolved to recommend to Cabinet: 

1. That future reports provide More Leisure KPI outcomes broken down by gender, as well as youth participation by geographic venue, acknowledging that demographic in certain geographic areas differ. This is to identify if there are any interventions required to address any gaps or segments that are underrepresented. 

2. That, as part of the service plan, Council and More Leisure set out what could be done to expand into non-traditional sports that are not currently offered in the leisure centres. 

Councillor Powell joined the meeting during the discussion of recommendations.  

The Chair thanked Councillor Munkonge, the Active Communities Manager, the Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager, and the SERCO Contract Manager.  

Councillor Munkonge, the Active Communities Manager, the Leisure and Active Wellbeing Manager, and the SERCO Contract Manager left the meeting and did not return.