Contacts: Helen Wheeler Ext: 5444 [email protected]

Stuart Dorward Ext: 6110 [email protected]

1. Introduction

1.1 At the Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage Decision Day in December 2002 recommendations were approved for an overall policy framework for setting charges for Recreation and Heritage services. It was agreed that recommendations on charges for statutory services would continue to be put to the Executive Member for specific approval. All other charges would be set by service managers within specific guidelines that would require consideration of budget and business plan targets, market factors, legal constraints (e.g. Library Charges regulations), general principles of equity and fairness and member approved policies on concessions.

1.2 In setting this overall policy framework Members expressed a desire to look at achieving greater consistency in policies on concessions and discounts across the Recreation and Heritage services and requested that specific recommendations be prepared for approval by the Executive Member. This report outlines relevant policy considerations and reviews current practice in the Recreation and Heritage services. It goes on to make specific recommendations for changes in the policy on concessions that are designed to achieve greater consistency and to help achieve increased use of and wider access to the Recreation and Heritage services.

1.3 The recommendations contained in the report therefore contribute directly to Aims 1 and 5 of the Corporate Strategy (Maximising Life Opportunities and Improving Services). They also support the aims of the Cultural Strategy on access, inclusion and participation.

1 Policy Considerations

1.1 It is a generally accepted principle that access to the services provided by Hampshire County Council should be on an equitable basis, with nobody disadvantaged by personal circumstances or geography. Where charges are made for services, this implies that they should be uniform in their effect across the County and across all users. Applying this principle in Recreation and Heritage raises the issue of whether charges made for services should be reduced or waived entirely for particular individuals or groups.

1.2 The principles and practice of charging should also be considered in the context of the overall Recreation and Heritage policy objective of increasing and broadening access to services, particularly for those who experience exclusion as a result of economic, social or personal circumstances. Charges can be a strong deterrent to the use of services by some groups and individuals. The level of fees and charges and the availability of concessions and discounts must therefore be set and reviewed in the context of an overall audience development strategy.

1.3 Against these factors must be set the need to operate within existing financial constraints. The revenue earned through the fees and charges for Recreation and Heritage services is an important element of the financial support of the Department's activities. The strategic aims of expanding the user base and achieving wider access to Recreation and Heritage services for all residents in Hampshire has to be balanced against the need to maintain and increase income to meet budget targets.

1.4 There are potential benefits for the marketing of the Recreation and Heritage services from the operation of a consistent policy on concessions and discounts. It would further enhance the Recreation and Heritage identity and a unified approach may provide better opportunities for cross marketing and linked promotions. The adoption of a coherent and consistent policy on concessions also provides an opportunity to advertise and promote the Recreation and Heritage services from an equal access perspective, enhances the Recreation and Heritage brand and further encourages take-up and participation by more people.

1.5 While the application of a consistent policy on concessions and discounts across Recreation and Heritage services may be desirable, it will also be important to consider:

· the practicalities of making the policy operational at minimal cost

· how information is best communicated to those groups who may benefit from the policy

· the possible impact on income and the budget of any change in policy

· the need to establish sound qualification criteria that may be easily interpreted and applied at a local level, and

· the operational implications of new policy guidelines (e.g. staff training, system modifications).

1.6 An assessment of the likely impact of any policy changes must also ensure that the proposals do not discriminate against or have an adverse impact on any persons on the grounds of age, race, gender or disability.

2 Current Charging Regime

2.1 Charges for Recreation and Heritage services fall into the following main categories:

· Charges made for statutory services i.e. library fines and reservation fees, charges for replacement borrower ticket and charges made in relation to the creation, diversion and closure of public rights of way

· Admission charges for entry to a site or facility, such as those for entry to museums and certain country parks, including season tickets

· Charges for ticketed events, which will include events at arts centres and other venues and the charges made for occasional and special events provided by other services

· Charges for core services, such as those made by Outdoor Activities Centres and the education programmes for schools provided by Museums and Archives

· Charges made for ancillary services, such as photocopying and research fees

· Trading activities, including shops and catering

· Car parking charges

2.2 It is suggested that the following charges should be generally exempted from any Departmental policy on concessions and discounts:

· Charges for activities provided by the Outdoor Activity Centres, charges for education programmes for schools and tickets for events targeted at particular groups, on the basis that these are set at an appropriate level for the target audience

· Statutory charges for public rights of way orders, where the County Council has no discretion to make differential charges

· Charges for ancillary services and trading operations, where use is voluntary and there is full knowledge that a charge will be made.

2.3 The charges that would be subject to a Departmental policy on concessions and discounts are:

· Library service - full range of charges

· Museums - admission charges (except where the level of charge and operation of any concessions policy is determined by a Joint Management Committee)

· Country Parks - admission charges, parking charges and season tickets

· Arts Centres - ticket prices

· Events held at Recreation and Heritage venues - ticket prices.

2.4 Mapping current practice across the Recreation and Heritage services shows that a variety of concessions are offered to children, students, older people and to disabled people, but that practice is not entirely consistent between services e.g. no concessions are currently given to older people on library fines and charges apart from the recent introduction of free spoken word loans for older people. However, reduced rates are available for admission to certain museums and countryside sites for older people.

2.5 A comparison of the types of concessions currently offered within the Recreation and Heritage services with those offered for similar local authority services or independent leisure and recreation attractions suggests the following groups and categories that could be considered in a Departmental policy on concessions and discounts:

i) Age related concessions for pre-school children (Under 5's), child/teenage (5-16 age group) and older people

ii) Status related concessions for disabled people and their carers, the unwaged and financially disadvantaged groups - students, unemployed people, those on low income receiving benefits

iii) Family group, season tickets, frequent use/return visit discounts, membership/friends schemes, group bookings, advance purchase, special events, peak/off-peak and high/low season rates

iv) Hampshire residents, Hampshire County Council staff or Recreation and Heritage staff.

3 Specific issues in the Library and Information Service

3.1 Library fines and the charge made for the replacement of lost and damaged items are made to influence a pattern of behaviour by users of the service. Library fines seek to encourage the return of library items so that maximum use and availability of items to other customers is achieved. It is a "voluntary" charge and adequate provision is made to allow all customers the opportunity to renew items through a variety of methods and avoid the payment of fines. However, fines are recognised as a barrier to the use of libraries by children and an extension of the age of exemption from library fines to include all children in compulsory full-time education to the age of 16 is proposed (see para 5.7).

3.2 Charges for the loan of audio-visual items (spoken word, CDs, Videos, DVDs, CD Rom, and Play Station) are set at competitive and variable levels appropriate to the market and customer demand. Managers retain discretion to set some of these charges at a local level within the current guidelines in order to achieve the objective of maximising useage and income. Any concessions or exemptions operated in response to special circumstances should continue to be managed at a local level. However, a further concession to allow exemption from audio-visual loan charges for disabled children unable to access print based materials is proposed (see para 6.4).

4 Age-related concessions

4.1 Pre-School children, that is children under the age of five years, are already benefiting from free access to Recreation and Heritage services in many instances. Library fines have already been waived for this age group and some museums and country parks do not make an admission charge for the under 5's. The research carried out as part of the mapping exercise shows that it is a commonly accepted policy at many independent tourist attractions in Hampshire to waive entry fees for the Under 5's.

4.2 The engagement and participation of the Under 5's in all Recreation and Heritage services offers both educational and social benefits for the individual as well as long-term benefits to the development of the user base for all the Recreation and Heritage services. The waiving of charges for the under 5's will remove a financial barrier to the use of the services by families with young children, improve access and attract more people to visit Recreation and Heritage facilities. It is recommended therefore that a consistent policy of free access to all Recreation and Heritage services for the Under 5's is adopted.

4.3 Manor Farm and Staunton Country Park are the two sites directly affected by this proposal as only the under 3's are allowed free admission under the present charging policy. Increased opportunities for secondary spend by a larger volume of visitors to these sites should compensate for the loss of income from admission charges.

4.4 Children and young people aged between 5 and 16 are in compulsory full-time education and therefore not financially independent. Charges for access represent a significant barrier to their participation in Recreation and Heritage services. It is recommended therefore that this age group should continue to be entitled to concessionary rates on admission charges in order to encourage their engagement and participation in Recreation and Heritage services and that the individual services retain the discretion to extend concessions beyond the defined upper age of 16 in order to increase access and to meet individual service objectives.

4.5 The `family friendly' scheme established by Arts Marketing Hampshire in 2002 suggests that free admission for the Under 5's and concessionary rates for 5-16 years old should be regarded as good practice for any organisation wishing to take part in the scheme. The recommendations in this report applying to standard admission charges are consistent with the suggested policy of the `family friendly' scheme.

4.6 Many of the events organised for the under 16's at museums and libraries are free. However workshops, performances and other events at the arts centres and country parks targeted at this age group are charged for and priced appropriately to cover the costs of providing this programme of activities. It is recommended that tickets for events targeted specifically at those aged up to 16 years, including the Under 5's, taking place at any Recreation and Heritage venue should continue to be priced appropriately and not subject to the general policy on concessions.

4.7 Library fines for under 5's were removed in April 2002 and it is recommended that this policy is now extended to include all children in full-time compulsory education to the age of 16. The removal of fines for Under 5s has had a very positive impact in the community with parents and carers and enables promotion of the service to communities who are not traditional library users. Library fines are seen as a significant barrier to use by children and their carers and act as a deterrent to increased use. By removing fines for this age group the library service will be free at the point of use and, through a more socially inclusive policy, will encourage more children from a wider variety of backgrounds to use the service.

4.8 Older people are already offered concessions for many Recreation and Heritage services and other local leisure attractions. Although some in this age group in Hampshire have relatively high disposable incomes there are also many on low incomes. While not all those over the age of 60 may be considered financially disadvantaged or are `unwaged', it is generally accepted and an expectation that charges for cultural activities are offered at concessionary rates to this age group. It is recommended therefore that concessions on admission charges should be available to those aged 60 and over irrespective of working status. The onus would be with the customer to claim the concession. The adoption of the age of 60 addresses any issues of gender discrimination relating to pensionable age which does not become 65 for men and women until 2010.

5 Status related concessions

5.1 Students form a group of users, the majority of whom may also be defined as not being financially independent. Many of this group derive valuable educational benefit from the use of Recreation and Heritage services and may be more likely to view charges as a deterrent to their use. Those over the age of 16 who are no longer entitled to age-related concessions are a critical group whose engagement and participation is a priority for many services. Concessions on admission charges are recommended for all students offering documentary evidence of entitlement (e.g. student card). Those under 18 will also continue to benefit from lower level library fines and free reservations.

5.2 Concessionary charges or free access for disabled people are presently offered by a number of the Recreation and Heritage services. Greater consistency could be achieved through a clearer definition of the types of disability qualifying for concessionary charges, the proof requirements that may be requested and the etiquette of doing so, the application of compound concessions (e.g. for disabled children) and the entitlement of essential carers to concessionary charges. Further consultation with the Hampshire Coalition of Disabled People is required on this aspect of the policy and in relation to the specific recommendations set out below.

5.3 A disabled person may, for reasons related to their disability or due to physical access barriers, be prevented from gaining full and equal access to a service or building or from fully participating in an event. Where this is the case it is recommended that a concessionary rate on admission fees should be available to disabled people and to essential carers.

5.4 Where a child with learning or physical disabilities is unable to access print based materials in a library it is proposed that charges for the hire of all audio-visual materials are removed. This will ensure equality of access to library materials and support the aim to provide the opportunities to enable every child to reach their full potential.

5.5 The visually impaired already benefit from a range of concessions on library reservation fees and hire fees for some audio-visual items. It is recommended that this now be extended to include free reservations for all large print books. A limited range of titles are published in large print restricting the access for the visually impaired to the full breadth of literature available to other library customers.

5.6 The blue badge car parking scheme encompasses a principle of entitlement to proximity parking for disabled people for ease of access but not a right to free parking. However the current policy allowing free parking to blue badge holders at Countryside Service sites in addition to the provision of marked parking bays close to facilities has been the most practical policy to operate in the small number of sites affected. It is recommended that the present policy of free parking for blue badge holders at countryside sites continues. It is also recommended that the principle of supporting the provision of proximity parking for disabled people at all Recreation and Heritage sites be endorsed. In conjunction with other concessions this would form a comprehensive policy contributing to greatly improved access to our services for disabled people and is consistent with the principles embodied in the Disability Discrimination Act requirements for the removal of barriers to access to services.

5.7 Those who are unemployed, unwaged and in receipt of benefits, or on a low income and in receipt of benefits are not presently offered concessions on a consistent basis by the Recreation and Heritage services. Equality of access to services for financially disadvantaged people should be the guiding principle for any policy on concessions and discounts to which they may be entitled. It is suggested therefore that it would be appropriate to offer concessions on standard admission fees to these groups. The onus is with the customer to claim the concession and to provide documentary evidence of their entitlement.

6 Marketing discounts and concessions

6.1 The concessions and discounts offered within category iii) and iv) of para 3.5 should be considered as elements of marketing strategies and, as such, should be set largely with regard to income targets and market factors relating to local competition. The general principle of service managers setting charges within an agreed framework will retain the necessary flexibility to respond to market conditions and local factors.

6.2 Marketing concessions and discounts should continue to be rigorously and fully utilised with the principle aims of achieving income targets and increasing use and participation by all sectors of the community in Recreation and Heritage services. The guaranteed income and repeated use that season tickets, membership schemes, friends schemes and other such schemes provide is a key factor that enables concessionary rates on standard admission charges and ticket prices to be offered without a general increase in charges. Therefore it is recommended that these schemes should not be subject to the general policy on concessions at the present time.

6.3 Whilst the use of discounts and targeted concessions for marketing reasons should continue to be determined locally, it may be helpful to establish a consistent definition of the `family group' to be applied across the Recreation and Heritage services. It is suggested that, for concessions on family admissions or family tickets at countryside sites, museums, arts centres and large-scale ticketed events, that a `family group' should be 2 adults and 2 paying children (i.e. 2 children between the ages of 5 and 16).

6.4 A varied programme of ticketed events including workshops, performances, shows and classes form an essential element of the work of the Arts Centres. The museums, countryside sites, libraries and the Hampshire Record Office are also expanding their programme of events, courses, group visits and educational or school visits. Additionally more large-scale ticketed events are being organised by the Department and held at Recreation and Heritage sites. Although some of the smaller events are provided free of charge where little additional cost is incurred, it is not economically feasible to expand these activities unless there is some element of cost recovery through charging for tickets.

6.5 Where this is the case, it is recommended that ticket prices for such events are set at competitive rates with regard to market forces and that prices for events targeted at a particular age group are set at an appropriate level. When the scale of the event allows, concessionary rates should be offered in line with the recommendations on admission charges for age and status and for a family ticket.

6.6 The services of the Recreation and Heritage Department are provided on a countywide basis primarily for the benefit of and use by Hampshire residents. Any concessions offered within the proposed guidelines for age, status and other discounts will benefit Hampshire people and therefore it is recommended that no further concessions should be offered on the basis of local residence.

6.7 However, a possible area for development would be the `leisure card' approach offered by many other local authorities. This would provide a basis for more effective administration of concession entitlement and offer new marketing opportunities. This is probably best pursued in partnership with District Councils in the context of the County Council's e-government strategy. Discovery Centres may also offer a unique opportunity to develop a broader access leisure card incorporating entitlements to concessions.

6.8 Offering discounted admission or free tickets to Hampshire County Council employees may be considered a taxable benefit under some circumstances. If no fee paying members of the public are being displaced by the issuing of free or discounted admission then there is considered to be no taxable benefit. The occasional promotional offers of reduced admission fees or free tickets to arts events when capacity is unlikely to be reached are therefore permissible. It is not proposed to extend concessions to staff beyond those already in existence within the Recreation and Heritage services

7 Financial Implications

7.1 The financial implications for the Department of the proposed changes to existing policies on concessions have been considered and are estimated to be negligible in regard to most of the recommendations. It has been calculated that the removal of library fines for children aged between 5 and 16 (para 5.7) will reduce the library fines income by £20,000. This will be met from existing budgets and may be mitigated in part by increased spend through loan fees for audio-visual items and Library Shop sales from increased visitor numbers.

8 Summary

8.1 If a departmental policy on concessions and discounts is to be successfully implemented, it must be seen to be in the best interests of the users, based on sound principles that can be easily understood and applied by frontline staff, not costly to apply and should not have a perverse impact by forcing an increase in the standard charges for other groups of users.

8.2 In summary the recommendations for implementing a consistent policy on concessions and discounts across the Recreation and Heritage services are that:

1. Under 5's be entitled to free access to all Recreation and Heritage services (para 5.2).

2. Children and young people aged 5-16 be offered concessionary rates on admission charges (para 5.4).

3. Discretion to charge for events targeted at these age groups be retained (para 5.6).

4. Children and young people aged 5-16 are exempted from library fines and that lower rates of library fines and free reservations will continue to apply to those aged up to and including17 years (paras 5.7 and 6.1).

5. All people over the age of 60 be offered concessionary rates on admission charges (para 5.8).

6. Students able to provide documentary evidence of their student status be offered concessionary rates on admission charges (para 6.1).

7. People with disabilities and essential carers should be offered concessionary rates on admission charges (para 6.3).

8. Children with learning or physical disabilities be exempt from hire charges for library audio-visual items (para 6.4).

9. Visually impaired people should be offered free reservations for large print library books (para 6.5).

10. Parking for blue-badge holders be free at countryside sites and that the principle of provision of proximity parking for disabled people be endorsed (para 6.6).

11. Concessionary rates be offered to unemployed and low income benefit claimants on admission charges (para 6.7).

12. Concessionary rates on season tickets and membership schemes should not form part of a general policy at the present time (para 7.2)

13. A family group be defined as 2 adults and 2 paying children (i.e. 2 children between the ages of 5 and 16) (para 7.3).

14. Tickets for events targeted at a particular age group or sector are priced at an appropriate level (para 7.5).

15. Age and status related concessions and a family concession are offered on tickets for events where the scale of the event allows (para 7.5).

16. No concessions should be offered on the basis of local residence (para 7.6).

17. That all other decisions on charges for services continue to be taken by service managers within the approved policy guidelines.

8.3 The Appendix sets out in tabular form how the policy would operate across Recreation and Heritage services.

Recommendations

To the Policy Review Committee:

That the recommendations for implementing a consistent policy on concessions and discounts across the Recreation and Heritage services as summarised in paragraph 9.2 of the report be supported and submitted to the Executive Member - Recreation and Heritage for approval.

To the Executive Member

That the recommendations for implementing a consistent policy on concessions and discounts across the Recreation and Heritage services as summarised in paragraph 9.2 of the report be approved.

Section 100 D - Local Government Act 1972 - background papers

The following documents disclose facts or matters on which this report, or an important part of it, is based and has been relied upon to a material extent in the preparation of this report.

NB the list excludes:

1. Published works

2. Documents which disclose exempt or confidential information as defined in the Act.

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