City's leisure centres to get £8m revamp

The city council approved capital investment for GL1 Leisure Centre and Oxstalls Sports Park

Up to £8m will be spent on them Gloucester's leisure facilities after councillors backed revamp plans.

The city council approved capital investment for GL1 Leisure Centre and Oxstalls Sports Park.

Civic leaders were keen for the capital investment to be approved to avoid the risk of the services closing after the trust that ran GL1 stopped operating last autumn.

Conservative councillor Andy Lewis said his previous administration offered Aspire Trust more money but it was turned down.

In March, council leaders agreed to procure and award a contract for the longer term provision of leisure services from 2 January next year.

Under the deal, a single operator will work across Gloucester's leisure services.

Bidders were asked to demonstrate how they would deliver programmes to reduce health inequalities and improve wellbeing.

Council leader Jeremy Hilton said the policy of the Liberal Democrat administration was to finish off what had been started under their predecessors.

"The capital investment will generate a greater income to cover the capital investment," he said.

"It will benefit in increased usage and we really need to make sure it is really used.

"What we don't need to do is mess around with the process we've already got to."

'Sticking point'

Labour group leader Terry Pullen said there had been "far too much uncertainty" about leisure services in Gloucester.

He said his group would have preferred to bring the services back in-house but would strongly support the recommendation to ensure certainty in the city's leisure facilities.

Mr Lewis, the former culture and leisure cabinet member, said he was the only councillor present for all the Aspire meetings.

"We offered them everything they asked for and they still pulled the plug," he said.

"The one sticking point was the capital controls... we wanted to know where they were spending the money."