Worcester leisure centres facing huge funding gap

Councillor Owen Cleary says the pandemic has left leisure centres struggling to keep the lights on

Measures costing almost £900,000 are to be discussed by councillors in Worcester to protect leisure centres.

Freedom Leisure, the trust which manages the sites, has also asked for permission to charge customers more and change opening hours, in a bid to raise £230,000 a year.

It comes as rising energy bills have left the not-for-profit trust facing a £585,000 funding gap, the council said.

The trust runs the Perdiswell, St John's and Nunnery Wood centres.

Freedom Leisure manages more than 100 facilities in the UK, and operates the three Worcester sites on behalf of the local authority.

Amid a struggle with energy costs, the firm announced a "small reduction" in pool temperatures in Malvern in October, and shut facilities across the UK among a number of operational changes to save money.

Worcester City Council's communities committee will be asked to support a payment of £315,000 to the trust to help tackle the rising costs faced by the county's leisure centres.

A proposal for a one-off investment of £550,000 in energy efficiency measures in the council-owned buildings, will be brought before the committee at a meeting scheduled for 25 January.

"Leisure centres across the country have been struggling since the pandemic to keep the doors open and the lights on," said councillor Owen Cleary, vice chairman of the communities committee.

"With customer numbers down across the board and energy prices spiralling upwards, a number of councils have had to take the tough decision to close one or more of their centres."

Opening hours

The proposed energy-saving measures include solar panels, more efficient lighting and new chemical controls at the Perdiswell swimming pool.

Customers could see prices rise by 8.8% under the plans as well as a change in opening hours at the Perdiswell and Nunnery Wood centres, in a bid to save £40,000 a year.

If all these measures are supported by the committee, they will go forward for inclusion in the city council's 2023-24 budget.

These proposals are on top of an agreement by the council in September 2022 to provide £255,000 to Freedom Leisure in the current financial year, to help it meet the large increase in energy costs.

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