Looking forward to improvements in leisure services: blog
Shropshire Council is in final negotiations with major national leisure services provider, Serco, to manage five of its leisure centres.
In this blog, Cabinet member for leisure, Steve Charmley, says the deal will be good news for council tax payers, sports fans and local communities alike…
- Councillor Steve Charmley is pictured with Wenlock the Olympic mascot at a recent event at Much Wenlock.
It seemed apt that we confirmed Serco as our Preferred Bidder on 18 April 2012 – which marked 100 days until the Olympics got under way in London. Sport and leisure is high in the nation’s consciousness, and that brings its own opportunities and challenges for councils.
Leisure centres have been run by local authorities for decades, but the world has changed massively over the past few years and it’s been a debate whether councils are the right organisations to do that. We’ve had lots of discussions here in Shropshire and decided that, actually, it would be better for customers and council tax payers if leisure centres were taken on by an external company which has the experience and resources to really drive our leisure centres forward.
We will of course still keep a close involvement with the performance of these leisure centres and any changes, such as opening hours or prices, will have to be agreed through rigorous monitoring arrangements.
The proposed contract with the new operator is for an initial 10 years, which is fantastic news because it effectively guarantees these leisure services for the next decade, which in the current climate is difficult to say about some other services.
All in all, this new approach will be a really positive step forward for sports and leisure in Shropshire. Similar plans have worked extremely well elsewhere in the country, and I am confident this agreement will secure the excellent leisure provision we have in Shropshire and improve the value for money for tax payers.
Follow this link for more news about the leisure centre plans.
