Kettering Leisure Village future 'up to contractor' - council

Kettering Leisure Village, known as KLV, was set to shut its doors last July, but most facilities have stayed open

It would be up to a contractor to decide how to run a leisure centre that was saved from closure, a council said.

Kettering Leisure Village (KLV) was on the brink of shutting last year, but a firm that sublet the site took over the day-to-day operations to keep it open.

North Northamptonshire Council, which contracted Phoenix Leisure Management to run KLV, said it would have no input other than being a "critical friend".

It said recent investment at the site left it optimistic for the future.

What would happen to KLV, which included a sports centre, theatre and conference centre, was in doubt last year when its previous operator, Compass, pulled out.

Fierce campaigning from residents and people who used it saw Phoenix, which sublet the site to Compass, step in to run it directly - but without the conference centre.

Campaigners attended a North Northamptonshire Council meeting last year to urge it to save the complex

The council said it was unlikely it could run the centre in-house if the current operators relinquished control, or if the need arose.

In a complicated setup, KLV is leased from the landowner by the unitary authority, which has then contracted Phoenix to run it.

The Conservative portfolio holder for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, Helen Howell, said: "Phoenix have been working extremely hard to rebuild the business from a low base last year, and whilst the conference and soft play facilities remain closed and the theatre is still rebuilding, indications from Phoenix are that they are committed to the site and to growing the business to make it sustainable.

Helen Howell, of North Northamptonshire Council, said the council would be a "critical friend"

"I can assure everybody that our officers are working extremely hard with Phoenix Leisure Management, assisting them in any way they possibly can to keep the facility open. The outlook is really positive, I would say, at the moment."

Recently, £100,000 was spent on repairs. The council provides an annual grant to support the site, totalling £357,000.

Ms Howell said KLV should be "absolutely viable" from Phoenix's perspective.

Authority leader Jason Smithers said KLV had been at "the heart of the community" for many years and paid tribute to Phoenix for taking on the facility.