Leisure centres set to be run by new trust
Two Staffordshire leisure centres are set to be taken over by a trust - with bosses hoping the move will lead to a fitness boost in the county.
Lichfield District Council's cabinet have agreed to outsource the management of Burntwood Leisure Centre and Friary Grange Leisure Centre to Freedom Leisure after a tendering process.
All staff at the two sites are expected to be retained and simply move on to the books of Freedom Leisure, which runs a number of sites nationwide.
The final details of the agreement are set to be agreed over the coming weeks.
Councillor Iain Eadie, cabinet member for leisure at Lichfield District Council, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Freedom Leisure as our preferred bidder and hope that the contract negotiations go smoothly.
“Freedom Leisure manage a large suite of leisure centres nationwide and are committed to improving leisure facilities locally, boosting usage and offering great staff development schemes.
“We’ve decided to outsource the management of two of our leisure centres, as we must use our resources as effectively as possible, while encouraging more people to be active more often.
“Where outsourcing has happened in other parts of the country, such as Cannock and Rugeley, participation levels have gone up and people have benefited from enhanced leisure services, so we’re confident it will offer our residents the best access to our leisure facilities.”
Freedom Leisure is a not-for-profit leisure trust which has invested millions of pounds into improving facilities, equipment and services for local communities across the country.
Ivan Horsfall-Turner, managing director for Freedom Leisure, said: “We are delighted to have been selected as Lichfield District Council’s preferred bidder and very much look forward to working with the existing workforce and supporting them to build upon the current high quality services and facilities.
“We hope that our operational expertise, coupled with this local approach, will mean that the services will go from strength-to-strength in support of the objectives we share with the council.”
The handover target date will be confirmed once the contract has been awarded.
