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a)The Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public
Realm agrees the strategy set out in this report for addressing the
boiler failure at Clacton Leisure Centre, following an action set
out for delivery in the Council’s Sport and Activity
Strategy;
b)on behalf of the Cabinet and using the special urgency powers, in
accordance with Parts 3.X and 5.8, the Leader of the Council and
Portfolio Holder for Finance and Governance, in consultation with
the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Public Realm agree for the
Council to accept Salix Funding to the value of £1,204,481
and enter into the Funding Agreement, as set out in Appendix A, for
the purpose of purchasing and installing a new Boiler and
associated plant for Clacton Leisure Centre; and
c) subject to (a) and (b), the Portfolio Holder for Economic
Growth, Tourism and Regeneration together with the Portfolio Holder
for Leisure and Public Realm agree to allocate £164,248 from
the Community Regeneration Partnership Funding, as the
Council’s contribution to the purchase of a new boiler at
Clacton Leisure;
d)subject to (a) and (b) above, that the installation of a new
boiler system for Clacton Leisure Centre is added to the Capital
Programme in 2025/26 with a total budget of £1,368,730.
e)that the Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Finance
and Governance agrees to carry forward £45,000 from the
former Joint Use Sports Centre budget from the 2024/25 financial
year into 2025/26, and allocates this towards a budget which can
fund a temporary oil-fired boiler system for Clacton Leisure Centre
at short notice, as an interim measure, in the event of a failure
of the remaining boiler prior to the project being completed;
f)subject to (d) above, that the Leader of the Council and
Portfolio Holder for Finance and Governance agrees an exemption to
procurement is agreed to allow the Council to appoint its term
contractor, Lindsey Group, to provide the temporary boiler,
associated plant and labour;
g)following (f) it is noted that the Assistant Director Sport,
Leisure and Health will develop the procurement strategy for the
commissioning of the contractors required to deliver the
installation of a new boiler system within the milestones, as
required by the Funding Agreement.
h)It is understood that the decisions above are made in the context
that the Council is bound by the Salix Funding agreement from the
grant start date until 3 years after the project is
completed.

Reasons for the decision

To ensure that the Clacton Leisure Centre
Swimming Pool can maintain its operation and customer service, in
the event of a boiler failure. Furthermore, to install a carbon
efficient replacement boiler to contribute towards the
Council’s Climate Change Strategy and subsequent carbon
reduction plan. This project will also future proof Clacton Leisure
Centre and replace an old oil-fired boiler at the end of its
lifespan, with a modern carbon efficient replacement.
Following adoption of the Council’s Sport and Activity
Strategy, of the two boilers which serve the Clacton Leisure Centre
swimming pool and associated changing rooms, one has failed.
Following assessment from the Council’s appointed mechanical
contractor, confirmation has been received that the boiler is
beyond economical repair. In addition, given the age of the
remaining boiler, there is a significant risk that the this may
fail in a similar manner.
Although the second boiler is currently providing sufficient heat
for the pool and changing facilities, if this fails there would be
no back up in place to prevent water temperature decreasing and a
closure of the facility might be imminent. As such, in order to
prevent an interruption to the service it is essential that
decisions are taken to agree the plan for an appropriate
replacement to ensure the most efficient boiler is sourced, which
takes into account future plans for Clacton Leisure Centre and
relevant financial implications.
In order to explore options for the longer-term replacement of the
boiler and meet the Council’s strategic aspirations, a
decision was published on 14 November 2024 to commit £5,000
towards the ‘exploration of external funding
opportunities’ to replace the existing oil-fired boiler at
Clacton Leisure Centre with a modern carbon efficient alternative.
Professional services were subsequently engaged to complete a
funding bid to ‘Salix Finance’ on behalf of the Council
and on 14 March 2025, the Council received confirmation that the
funding application was successful and received an award offer of
£1,204,481 towards a total project cost of
£1,368,729.
The Funding Agreement (as attached at Appendix A), is required to
be signed by 25 April 2025, in order to secure the award. The
decision to accept this grant and sign the Agreement, is to be made
using special urgency powers delegated to the Leader of the
Council, as set out in Part 3, Schedule 3 of the constitution, in
consultation with the Section 151 and Monitoring Officers. All
other decisions set out in the recommendations are taken outside of
any urgency frameworks.

Alternative options considered

1). Making a decision not to accept the
funding and finance the replacement boiler directly. This is likely
to cost significantly more than achieving this through securing
Salix Funding.
2). To not replace the boiler. This will result in a significant
risk of closure and a loss of a vital customer service and
accompanying loss of income.
3). Not planning a contingency arrangement for a potential boiler
failure – as Clacton Leisure Centre is currently heating the
swimming pool and changing facilities on one boiler, it is
considered inappropriate not to have a back up in place. Failure to
do so might result in a closure of the swimming pool before the
wider project is complete and its resulting impact on customers.
Furthermore, there would be a financial implication and loss of
income as a result of any closure.