Agenda item - Review of the Catering Service

To consider the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure seeking approval for a number of recommendations that will ensure that the Council is providing modern, cost effective and attractive catering services moving forward.

RESOLVED:

1. Approval be granted to cease operating the catering facility at the Council’s Herbert Warehouse, but to note that alternative arrangements are being investigated to provide a snack option for staff at no cost to the Council;

2. Authority be delegated to the Corporate Director (Transformation) to undertake an outsourcing exercise in order to seek expressions of interest by 30th September 2016, to operate the Museum of Gloucester Café in a partnership manner and on a shared commercial basis to be set out in the exercise documentation.

3. If expressions of interest are not received or are deemed unsuccessful by 30th September 2016 and the Museum of Gloucester Café continues to operate at deficit, approval be granted to cease operating the café but to note that alternative arrangements will be implemented to provide a snack option for visitors at no cost to the Council

4. Further investigation into opportunities to develop a shared café space with the City Library be endorsed; and

5. Plans outlined within the report in respect of the catering facilities at The Arbor at Gloucester Crematorium, Gloucester Guildhall, Gloucester Life Museum and Blackfriars Priory, which will enhance the level of service provided at these facilities be endorsed.

Cabinet considered the report of the Cabinet Member for Culture and Leisure (Councillor Noakes) seeking approval for a number of recommendations to ensure that the Council was providing modern, cost effective and attractive catering services moving forward.

Councillor Noakes reported that the Herbert Warehouse staff kitchen was not considered a viable option as it continued to make losses. She commented that staff had access to kitchen pods throughout the Docks offices and work was underway to investigate the option for alternative snack facilities at this location.

Councillor Noakes acknowledged the successes at The Arbor and Tea Room following the implementation of a partnership arrangement, reporting that the need to extend the current facilities to maximise opportunities had been identified and were currently being explored.

Referring to the Museum of Gloucester Café, she acknowledged that poor footfall was a significant contributing factor to the losses incurred at the site, noting that an improvement in the overall visitor experience would be required to allow the Café to generate profit. She welcomed the 83 public consultation responses to the proposals, commenting that a majority of these were received from staff and existing users of the service.

In response to the suggestions of Overview and Scrutiny Committee at its meeting held on the 13th June 2016, she reported that an amendment to the proposed recommendations had been agreed. She advised that the closure of the Museum Café would be delayed until 30^th September 2016 to allow time for expressions of interest from private sector organisation or individual businesses to be received. She concluded by informing Members that Officers were also investigating opportunities to develop a shared café service with the neighbouring library, managed by Gloucestershire County Council.

Cabinet Members welcomed the implementation of suggestions put forward by the Overview and Scrutiny Committee, acknowledging that modernising the visitor experience and fully embracing partnership arrangements with similar programmes and cultural centres would be the only way to significantly increase the Museums’ exposure and footfall. They praised Officers for their work in redeveloping the catering service at the Crematorium, noting that it was ranked very highly across the entire Country.