The meeting is scheduled to include a presentation on the Council's proposed approach to providing leisure services, and the adoption of a strategy for reducing the Council's greenhouse gas emissions from its housing stock.

Leisure Framework

The most significant topic scheduled to be discussed is a new Leisure Framework. The proposed framework will replace the existing 2014 Leisure Resources Strategy and provide a uniquely agile approach to providing leisure services in Cornwall over the next ten years. The framework identifies a range of challenges facing leisure providers in Cornwall, including the fact that:

These ageing facilities cost more to maintain, rely on inefficient plant and equipment and contribute significantly to the Council’s carbon emissions.

It highlights the fact that there is no legal requirement for Councils to provide leisure services. The framework also describes how leisure services can support the delivery of the Council's strategic objectives, and the need to align its approach with both Sport England's 'Uniting the Movement' strategy and the Council's Local Plan. The framework also highlights the need to ensure the continued provision of school swimming, given the statutory requirement for all children to learn to swim 25 meters by the end of Key Stage 2 and the fact that

a staggering 31% of children in Cornwall are unable to swim 25m unaided when they leave primary school.

The proposed framework will establish a set of criteria for assessing the need for leisure services in a particular place. Those criteria will be weighted according to how they relate to the Council's strategic priorities and will be used to assess where to invest in leisure facilities. The proposed weighting has been reviewed following a public consultation on a draft of the framework that received 1224 responses. The Council has also assessed all of the public leisure facilities in Cornwall, and reviewed playing pitch provision. A new Cornwall Leisure Partnership Forum has also been formed and is meeting regularly to discuss issues related to leisure provision in Cornwall.

The report notes how the withdrawal of services by Greenwich Leisure Limited from Wadebridge, Launceston, and Falmouth has led to Wadebridge and Launceston Leisure Centres being successfully operated by local community groups. The freehold of Ships and Castles Leisure Centre was transferred to Falmouth Town Council and is now operating as a community hub.

Housing Decarbonisation Strategy

The meeting is also scheduled to include a discussion about the Council's Housing Decarbonisation Strategy. The strategy sets out a number of steps that the Council could take to meet its commitment to being carbon neutral by 2030. It describes how residential buildings in Cornwall account for around 20% of the Council's total carbon emissions, making them a key priority in achieving the Council's objectives.

The report outlines a number of benefits to residents that could be achieved by the strategy, including a reduction in fuel poverty and a positive impact on health and well-being. It describes how the Cornwall Good Growth Plan identifies the need to retrofit the Council's existing housing stock as a key priority.