Morpeth's new £21m leisure centre will be social hub, trust says

Council leader Glen Sanderson cut the ribbon for Morpeth's new leisure centre earlier

A new £21m leisure centre, swimming pool and cafe will become a "social hub", its operators have said.

Active Northumberland, which will run the complex on Gas House Lane in Morpeth on behalf of Northumberland County Council, said it provided everything "under one roof".

The centre makes up part of a £65m programme to upgrade leisure facilities across the county.

Council leader Glen Sanderson said he was "very proud" of the new complex.

The site, which includes a spa and a four-court sports hall in its leisure offer, also houses the town's library and the council's customer service centre.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said it also had a floor dedicated to helping local residents upskill for employment

The leisure centre, which was opened earlier by Mr Sanderson, will be run by Active Northumberland, a charitable trust set up to the manage county's leisure sites.

The trust's chairman David Hall said it had everything "under one roof".

"We have the chance to make a real positive impact on the community," he said.

"It's cheek to jowl to the town centre, it's got everything going for it".

The Conservative-led council approved the plans for the leisure centre in June 2020, which at the time was described as "eagerly awaited".

Mr Sanderson said he hoped people would "enjoy this for years to come".

"It's very important to us to tackle health inequalities, and there is no better way of doing that then with a quality leisure centre," he added.