I was therefore pleased to be asked to attend a meeting yesterday with other users of the centre who are considering submitting a bid to GCC to take over the site and operate it for the benefit of the community.  The group, currently known as the Lake 12 Partnership, comprises a canoe club, the Naval Training Corps, two sailing groups for disabled people, a sub-aqua club and ourselves.  Together we hope to put together a business plan that will convince the Council that they can achieve the savings they need to make without losing this facility to a private owner.

Obviously it is early days yet and we have not been able to establish the costs involved in operating the centre or decide the extent to which each partner will have to contribute to the charitable trust that will be formed to run it.  Those issues will have to be fully analysed and a decision taken ultimately by our County Executive Committee whose decision I am not in any way pre-empting.  All I have said to the partners is that I personally support the objective in principle and am prepared to help work up the details for consideration by Gloucestershire Scouts.

I have been struck how committed the other partners are to making this bid successful and exerting the maximum pressure on the County Council to take it very seriously.  You may well see coverage in the press concerning this proposal and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.  I would be particularly interested to know how many Scouts have used the facilities at South Cerney over the last two years and if you have not, why not.   Your feedback on this one would be particularly helpful.