Leisure and Culture Dundee Review

RECOMMENDATIONS from a council-commissioned strategic review of Leisure and Culture and Dundee (LACD), sets out options for significant changes and operational improvements.

If councillors back the move at a meeting next week, the first step would the creation of a joint council and LACD action plan focussing on areas including financial sustainability and meeting Council Plan objectives.

Mark Flynn, convener of Dundee City Council’s city governance committee, said: “With growing financial pressure on all public services, we commissioned this report as part of a process to ensure that LACD meets the current and future needs of our communities, aligns with best practice, is financially sustainable and provides value for money.

“It is also critical that when council money is being spent that it contributes to achieving one or more of our aims of reducing child poverty and inequalities in incomes, education and health; tackling climate change and building resilient and empowered communities.”

The six-month long review by EKOS, an independent consultancy specialising in economic and social research, considered the full cost of delivering leisure and cultural services, including those borne by Dundee City Council over and above its core management fee.

According to the review the cost of delivering leisure and culture services in the city has increased 9.7% in five years to £24.87 million in 2023/24, while income has gone down 4.1% over the same period.

That financial performance is reflected in LACD’s usage, which in 2023/24 showed a mixed recovery from the challenges posed by COVID-19, with visitor numbers in sport and leisure growing while libraries and culture have yet to return to pre-pandemic levels. 

The city governance committee meets to consider the report on Monday (September 22).