Two-month delay over Cannock leisure services switch

The handover of all leisure centres, museums and theatres in Cannock from council control to a charitable trust has been delayed, it emerged today.

Cannock Chase Council was due to transfer those facilities to Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust from February.

But problems with paperwork were today blamed for the hold-up, with the contract now expected to start on April 1.

More than £2 million of extra investment will be ploughed into facilities over the next decade after the trust takes control.

It will be responsible for running the new-look Cannock Chase Leisure Centre, which is undergoing a £6.3m modernisation project.

It will also take on Cannock Park Golf Course, Rugeley Leisure Centre, The Prince of Wales Centre, The Museum of Cannock Chase and sports, arts and play development services.

Council bosses have agreed for Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust to run the services following almost a year of talks.

They say the move will save the authority hundreds of thousands of pounds each year.

The contract is for an initial period of 10 years, with the option to extend by between two and five-year periods.

Workers will transfer over to the trust when the moves are introduced.

Cannock Chase Council corporate director Tony McGovern said today: "We are clearly both committed to this new partnership and this delay is very much a case of going through the finer points of the contract to ensure that it is 100 per cent right from the start.

That should ultimately benefit everyone involved."

The deal was announced in November, less than three months before the target handover date.

Wigan Leisure and Culture Trust chief executive Stuart Murray said today: "This has been a massive undertaking in a very small space of time.

"Staff at both the trust and Cannock Chase have worked extremely hard to ensure we hit what was a very tight deadline for the handover.

"We are confident that this delay in processing the legal documentation will only be a matter of weeks and both parties are very much looking forward to working in partnership together."

By Mark Mudie