Sheffield City Council – Leisure Services Transformation

“SLC has worked shoulder to shoulder with Sheffield City Council to support the transformation of its leisure services since 2019. Their collaborative approach, sector-leading expertise and ability to understand and respond to a dynamic environment of local government has proved invaluable. They have worked with us as critical friend, technical expert and strategic thinker. They brought an intuitive ability to focus on the details and ensure that we stayed on track with a challenging transformation programme. Their management of one of the largest and most complex procurements of sport and leisure services, linked to £100m investment was exemplary. It has enabled us to achieve an outstanding outcome for the City’s residents and a partnership that will make a significant impact on the quality of life for our residents. I cannot recommend them highly enough.”

Gloucester City Council – Leisure Procurement

“SLC have skilfully supported us through the last few years, in which securing the long-term future of our leisure services has been a key corporate priority for Gloucester City Council. From the initial options appraisal, to helping us secure an interim provider through emergency procurement rules in such a short timescale, and finally supporting our main leisure services procurement process, they have been brilliant to work with, exceptionally clear, patient and knowledgeable in their field. In particular, the way in which they combined the complex requirements of all three commissioning partners into one set of tender documentation has produced a result for the city we are delighted with: that of a single operator working across the city, with the benefits of efficiency, collaboration and ease of use for residents now all to be realised as we embark on this new partnership with our selected provider.”

Brentwood Borough Council and Rochford District Council – Leisure Procurement

“SLC’s professional expertise and experience provided the joint officer team and the two sets of elected members with high quality support throughout the development of the joint leisure procurement strategy through to the award of a joint leisure contract. The extremely knowledgeable team of Toby, Anna and Chetan understood the complex requirements of the two sovereign councils. They provided support by producing key documents, facilitating regular briefings with key stakeholders and developing a base bid option as well as investment bid options for consideration. This enabled the whole process to deliver the best outcomes for both Brentwood and Rochford residents. I would not hesitate to recommend them.”

Horsham District Council – Diagnostic Review

“SLC delivered a high quality, focussed and comprehensive diagnostic review of our leisure
strategies, facilities and offer that has provided a clear way forward as we build towards the
procurement of our leisure contract over the next few years.”

Stoke-on-Trent City Council – Diagnostic Review

“From inception to completion, I can’t speak highly enough of the whole team at SLC. At every stage of the process, I was offered balanced and sound advice, tailored specifically to the needs of my individual report, rather than an “off-the shelf” piece of work. The level of support and turnaround time was exceptional, and the quality of the final report was first-class. The team’s deep understanding of the industry and best practices was evident in their professionalism and the advice they provided. They demonstrated an excellent grasp of the journey that not only Stoke-on-Trent Leisure and Wellbeing services need to undertake but also the broader industry’s challenges and opportunities. In addition to their expertise, the team at SLC was friendly and welcoming, making the entire experience a pleasure to work with them.”

Stevenage Borough Council – Leisure Procurement

“We have worked with SLC for a number of years on a range of different projects which was highly beneficial as it ultimately led to a successful procurement process. SLC bring market intelligence and unrivalled insight into the cutting edge of leisure services delivery and the procurement process, which is far more complex than we expected. SLC helped enormously with supporting Members and senior officers through the process. The outcome for us is magnificent, more than we expected, and has ensured that Stevenage has future-proofed our leisure offer with the ability to flex and change as our customer demand changes and as the town develops in the future. We could not have achieved this without the support of Toby and the wider team at SLC.”

GM Moving – Pivot to Active Wellbeing Programme

“SLC have been an integral part of the GM ‘pivot’ work to date. Their workstreams were important components of a wider programme of work catalysing long term transformative change in public sector leisure. The team went above and beyond, bringing added value and expertise to the project as it evolved. Their passion, knowledge and attention to detail have been valued. As a whole project team, we learnt together; exploring approaches to the complex challenges in the sector, so that it can play its full role in improving population health and address inequalities across Greater Manchester.”

Wigan Borough Council – Masterplanning

“The team have been excellent to work with and have expert knowledge of the sector. A recent commission to develop masterplan solutions for Howe Bridge and Robin Park Leisure Centres generated proposals that were comprehensively resolved and demonstrated a detailed understanding of our requirements. The proposals optimise our existing leisure centre buildings and bring much needed rationalisation of spaces to allow for cohabiting facilities and an expanded health and wellbeing approach. The work has provided a great platform for the future development of the assets.”

Active Stirling – Business Model Review

“There was a complicated history to the review we commissioned and SLC took time to understand that history. They accommodated it where it was relevant and challenged us when we needed to let go of ideas or notions that didn’t provide the best outcomes for our communities. It was a refreshing experience and one that effectively took officers, our partners and our elected members on a journey to make more informed decision-making.”

Northumberland County Council – Leisure Procurement

“SLC’s experience, guidance and support, throughout the leisure transformation programme, has been invaluable. David, Anna and Chetan were integral to the Council’s team, supporting both senior officers and Members in a friendly, yet professional manner. The sharing of their expert knowledge of the industry ensured we achieved the best outcome for the leisure services for our residents.”

North Yorkshire Council – Strategic Leisure Review

“SLC were great to work with, they spent time working with us to understand the brief and delivered quality outcomes in a timely manner. All of the team were easy to work with. We enjoyed the collaborative approach and appropriate challenge and this alongside extensive skills and expertise really added value to the final outcome. I would not hesitate to recommend.”

North Herts Council – Leisure Procurement

“Working with SLC on our procurement has been a positive experience from start to finish. Their professional expertise and market knowledge has been invaluable in ensuring we went out to tender with a high-quality specification and followed a robust procurement process. The complexity of procuring a leisure contract should not be underestimated and using SLC was a very wise investment, as we are all delighted with the end result.”

Westminster City Council – The Future of Leisure in Westminster Review

“SLC showed great professionalism, expertise and energy right from the start – engaging with members, senior management and officers and gaining knowledge on the Council’s corporate objectives and strategies as well the service. SLC regularly updated key stakeholders on their work and showed great adaptability and flexibility throughout.”

Malvern Hills District Council – Community Hub Feasibility Study

“The Council considers SLC as our ‘go to’ consultant. SLC are always at the forefront and driving change and progression across the sector. Their friendly but professional approach, knowledge, expertise, connections and reputation is second to none, and they maintain a blue sky thinking and outside of the box approach to the delivery of bespoke projects and pieces of work that are tailored and place based. We look forward to working with Duncan, Toby and the team again soon.”