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Published on: 06/02/2017 11:00 AMReported by: roving-eye
£2m is to be invested in Preston’s two leisure centres as part of a major overhaul of the city’s leisure services.
In transferring ownership of both Fulwood and West View leisure centres to the UK’s leading leisure providers social enterprise GLL, the City Council aims to boost leisure services in Preston.
Facing an uncertain future under continued council ownership, Councillors have taken the initiative to guarantee future leisure provision in the city – a move welcomed by Councillor Peter Rankin, Leader of Preston City Council, who said:
“Without doubt this is one of the most important decisions taken by the City Council in recent times. It means a bright new future for the whole of Preston’s leisure service with new investment and fresh approach.
“The funding the Council now receives from Central Government is over £8m per annum less than it received in 2012. One of the impacts of the funding reduction is that the Council is simply no longer able to afford to keep the leisure centres running. In 2015/16 the leisure service cost the Council approximately £1m. Therefore we’ve had to look at alternative options – and I am delighted at this deal with GLL.
“The recent experience with handing over ownership of Preston Guild Hall fills us with confidence in proceeding with this deal. It is an opportunity for investment to be made in Preston’s leisure service.”
Councillor Peter Kelly, Cabinet member for leisure and culture, added:
“This is a landmark deal for Preston as it ensures the future for our popular and well used leisure centres. It means over £2m of new investment will be made into Fulwood and West View to both improve and expand the leisure facilities there.
“And in GLL, we have secured one of the best leisure providers in the UK. With more than 46 million visitors to over 250 facilities across the country, Greenwich Leisure has a track record of running highly successful and profitable leisure services.
“Yet as a worker owned social enterprise GLL put people first and run their company in a way that benefits all. This is fantastic news for the staff who will transfer to GLL, as well as the thousands of people who use Fulwood and West View every day.”
Mark Sesnan, Managing Director of GLL, said:
“Preston is key to the expansion of GLL’s health and wellbeing offer in the north of England.
“Our social enterprise goes from strength to strength with more people getting more active more often. We look forward to welcoming leisure staff into the GLL family and greeting many new and existing customers at Preston’s leisure centres, which will be operated under our successful Better brand.
“We are thrilled at the prospect and opportunity in the city. Preston has a fantastic reputation in the leisure industry and we aim to build on this and really take the leisure service forward from day one.”
Background information
This is subject to contract and final negotiations.
In 2015/16 the total visitor numbers to Fulwood Leisure Centre was 458,242 and West View 434,451. This makes a total of 892,693 visitors across the year.
The current cost of running both Fulwood and West View Leisure Centres to Preston City Council is circa £1million for 2016/17.
This deal includes 87 permanent, 193 casual, 8 fixed term contract staff. The permanent staff will be transferred to GLL on their existing Terms and Conditions.
The transfer has a target date of 1 April 2017
Nature of the deal – full transfer of the leisure service
About GLL/Better
Established in 1993, GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited) is the largest UK-based charitable social enterprise delivering leisure, health and community services. GLL operates more than 300 public facilities, including 250 leisure centres and 88 libraries, under the consumer facing brand Better, and in partnership with more than 30 local councils, public agencies and sporting organisations. GLL’s Better leisure facilities enjoy over 40 million visitors a year and have more than 650,000 members.
GLL’s mission is to make community services affordable and accessible for everyone. In practice, that means investing all surpluses back into providing quality leisure and fitness facilities for the good of the communities where GLL operates. Alongside the organisation’s core leisure and library divisions, GLL runs sport and legacy development, health intervention and education, as well as offering the GLL Sports Foundation, one of the largest independent support programmes for talented young athletes in the UK.
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