Leisure services takeover undecided by council

Council budget plans have earmarked £554,000 to replace the roof on Stourbridge’s Crystal

Plans to outsource Dudley leisure centre services in an attempt save money remain undecided.

Dudley Borough Council is offering a 10-year deal worth £60m to take over the services in July 2025, after previously announcing spending would be frozen for two years.

Bidders had been asked to include costs for maintenance programmes to "satisfy" the local authority that "the centres will remain in the best possible condition for users."

The council said it had been "very open" with potential bidders about the state of repair of some leisure centres, with the replacement of Stourbridge’s Crystal Centre roof projected to cost £554,000.

Councillor Phil Atkins said: “We wanted to be transparent and make sure all the relevant information was available to allow people to make an informed decision on whether to bid."

He added "several applications" had been submitted in the run up to the 1 August deadline for initial bids.

The council has deferred spending the cash has been deferred until 2027/28.

Speaking in July, Dudley Council’s leader, Councillor Patrick Harley, said: “We know the important role our leisure service has in our community, but the council needs to make financial savings so is exploring options to reduce the amount of money currently used to subsidise the service.

“The centres will continue to offer the vast range of services and facilities throughout the process and beyond.”

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.