Audit report published on Council management of Sencio

Published: Wednesday, 22nd May 2024

Sevenoaks District Council has published the outcome of an audit carried out by the joint Dartford and Sevenoaks Audit Partnership

The report was commissioned last year by Councillors following the collapse of the independent leisure operator Sencio, which at the time ran the Sevenoaks and Edenbridge leisure centres, as well as Lullingstone Park Golf Club.

Leader of Sevenoaks District Council, Cllr Roddy Hogarth, says: “The report highlights the Council ultimately did everything it could within the contractual agreements to manage Sencio’s poor performance. This included giving a final warning that the Council could declare Sencio insolvent and replace it with an alternative provider.

“Thanks to forward strategic planning, the District Council was able to ensure that the leisure centres were opened in record time with a new operator, to minimise the impact on residents and community groups.”

The report gives two ‘medium priority’ recommendations on lessons to be learnt, which includes maintaining a risk register relating to the leisure centre contract, and more regular reporting to Council.

These learnings have been incorporated into the management of Everyone Active, the new leisure operator. Everyone Active now report to Councillors twice per year on its financial and operational performance, and a risk register is used to monitor the contractual requirements.