Centre’s finances ‘close to frightening’
FINANCIAL concerns facing a leisure centre in Newtownards have been described as “serious bordering on frightening”.
The head of leisure at Ards and North Down Borough Council warned councillors that the popular Ards Blair Mayne Wellbeing and Leisure Complex would haemorrhage upwards of £500,000 per year if issues of under-staffing were not addressed.
Ian O’Neill, head of service for leisure and amenities, told the council’s North Down Community and Wellbeing Committee: “If we get the staffing we can hit our budgets, if we don’t get the staffing I have asked the managers to see what the impact would be.”
He warned that staff were currently under “unacceptable levels of stress and strain”, and would leave due to dropped standards if numbers did not increase.
Mr O’Neill said: “We would need to cancel 40 classes a week that are being delivered by agency staff at this time.
“We estimate that over 800 members would then leave. That would be £280,000 of lost income.”
He added 300 extra lessons covered by two casual swimming coaches would also have to be cancelled, with an impact of £150,000 a year.
“We would have to let go managers who are casual or temporary, and we would no longer be able to operate the centre on the current hours,” he said.
“The least impact would be to the early morning openings — opening at 9am instead of 6am.”
The total impact would cost the council an estimated £600,000 per year, the leisure chief explained.
A budgetary control report showed that the Blair Mayne complex had gone over its total budget for the year so far by £263,900, with almost all of that coming from payroll over-expenditure.
Mr O’Neill added: “Some 19% of our children are overweight, and 8% of our children are currently obese. The leisure centre is there to address those types of problems.
“The more we limit the services we provide, the less likely it is we meet our community plan, the steps to well-being or any thing every council member wants to achieve.”
Councillors also heard the new Blacklight Adventure Zone in the centre had not attracted the public in sufficient numbers, going £157,000 over budget in 2019/20 so far.
Mr O’Neill told councillors: “It’s probably the most successful leisure centre in Northern Ireland.
“Somehow we don’t have that message getting across.”
Councillor for Ards Peninsula Joe Boyle told the officer he appreciated all directors in the council were attempting to get their maximum budget at this time of year, but said this case was “serious, nearly bordering on frightening”.