Leisure centres could be saved by communities
BRINGING LEISURE CENTRES UNDER COMMUNITY CONTROL COULD AVOID MASS CLOSURES, SAYS LECTURER
LEISURE centres may need to be handed back to the community to avoid a large number closing down as a result of the coronavirus, a Northumbria University lecturer has claimed.
Swimming pools, gyms and leisure centres have been closed since March 23 when the lockdown kicked in.
But despite the Government relaxing a number of measures allowing pubs, restaurants and non-essential shops to reopen, leisure facilities have to wait until July 25 to welcome back customers.
The coronavirus has hit the industry hard with Community Leisure UK - the members’ association for leisure trusts - suggesting that up to 35% of all public leisure facilities will be unable to reopen and that 48% face closure by the end of the year.
Dr Lindsay Findlay-King, principal lecturer in sport management at Northumbria University, says it may be impossible for many public leisure services to reopen at all due to their financial difficulties.
In an article for The Conversation, she said: “Most UK leisure services are operated by charitable trusts. Last month, Vivacity - a charitable trust running libraries, pools and gyms in Peterborough - gave notice that it would need to return all its facilities to its local authority. Other trusts have received bailouts from local councils, but an urgent need for government support remains.
“But with such support not forthcoming, an alternative could be for public leisure services to be passed into the hands of the community. This has happened before in times of austerity particularly in 2011, when local authorities sought to offload leisure assets that they couldn’t afford to operate. The more marketable assets were taken on by trusts, while communities stepped in to save others.”
Public leisure centres, swimming pools and sports halls are funded by local authorities, although often run by trusts or third-party providers.
However unlike other services such as libraries, waste collection and roadworks, councils are not legally obliged to provide them.
Some facilities are run by local community groups with arrangements developing as a result of campaigns to save local centres threatened with closure.
Dr Findlay-King says community-led leisure centres can be more responsive to what people want.
She said: “We’ve explored the transport of sports facilities to volunteer-led community groups over the past 10 years, and our findings have shown many benefits.
“The small size of these community groups means they are able to closely monitor expenses, such as energy and other utilities and services, and shop around for the best prices.
“Having volunteers who help with day-to-day tasks and staff with interchangeable job roles can also keep staffing costs down.
“We also found that activities running in centres are often reassessed so that space use is maximised. If a gym class fails to attract customers, it’s swapped out of the programme straight away to save money.“
However, interviewees also spoke of the many challenges facing volunteer-led sports facilities. Participants need to devote significant time into making the venture work while some ventures have failed due to a lack of social capital, community stability or interest in facilities.
Dr Findlay-King said despite some evidence showing effective local authority support given to community groups, many felt the backing provided was insufficient.