Company sought to operate council leisure centres for next 10 years

Oswestry Leisure Centre Photo by Alex Wilkinson Photography and Videography,

Shropshire Council is seeking a company to operate its leisure centres for the next decade.

The contract to operate Shropshire Council-owned leisure centres runs out at the end of July 2027 and companies are being invited to submit bids to operate the council’s leisure facilities from then.

A procurement process is now underway with the aim to appoint the next operator in early 2027.  This will allow plenty of time to put changes in place before August 2027 and ensure a smooth transition.

The tender notice can be found here.

James Owen, Cabinet member for housing and leisure, said:

“This is an exciting opportunity for businesses to operate our popular leisure facilities across the county for the next ten years.

“Most of our centres are currently operated by Shropshire Community Leisure Trust who in turn employ Serco to manage them. The existing contact was set up in 2013 and has served us well, but now is the time to go back to the market .

“As part of the procurement process, we have reviewed and updated the specification to ensure Shropshire Council gets the best possible value for money.”

The new contract will include some additional facilities.

Cleobury Mortimer Sports and Fitness Centre, which had recently been under threat of closure, will now be included in the new contract. An interim arrangement has been agreed with Teme Leisure, Cleobury Mortimer Town Council and the local community which will keep the centre open until the new contract is up and running.

Ludlow Leisure Centre has been included to become part of the contract from when its current lease expires in 2029, so that all options available to Shropshire Council can be considered before any final decisions are made.