Newark and Sherwood District Council hold discussions to bring management of Southwell Leisure Centre under its control
Early discussions have taken place to bring the management of Southwell Leisure Centre under the control of Newark and Sherwood District Council.
The district council is considering funding £1m of upgrades to the facilities on Nottingham Road, including to the fitness suite.
At present, the centre is run by Southwell Leisure Centre Trust, with financial and management support from the council, and managed by Active4Today, the council’s leisure services company.
Mr Roger Jackson, chairman of the council’s leisure and environment committee, said he thought it was time the centre came under the council’s management.
He said it will benefit the people of Southwell and the wider areas to have a professional and well-run leisure service.
“There’s a point where the centre needs to come under the management of the district council,” he said.
“The problem with Southwell is that the facilities are quite old, and the centre needs the new extension on the gym as it is used by university students who want newer facilities, and the pool will need replacing soon as it was built in the 1960s.
“I think it’s time for a professional organisation to run the centre now. We know we can make savings in costs and make a success of it, like we have at Newark, Blidworth and the Dukeries leisure centres.
“The trust will still be the landlords and will have an oversight on what is going on, and we are hoping we can come to an agreement with the trust to let us take over the lease so we can get on and build the new gym and improve the leisure centre’s facilities.”
Leisure and environment committee member Peter Harris, who represents Southwell, previously expressed concern about the possibility the council would wrestle control of the centre from the trust.
Paul Handley, chairman of the Southwell Leisure Centre Trust, said he believed the leisure centre had been a victim of its own success, and that people pay a lot less to come to the centre than they do at other private clubs.
He said: “It’s been so successful and well run, and we have a very professional management team with Active4Today.
“We are looking at the most efficient way to run the organisation and looking at how we can run it in the most beneficial way.
“The decision on the centre’s management is up to the trustees.
“The trust will always be there to operate for the benefit of the people, whatever management arrangements are put in place.
“We have got a growing population and trying to get people to live a healthy lifestyle, and the centre is such a fantastic asset for the town.”
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