Future of leisure centres questioned

FOUR of Cornwall’s leisure centres could face closure unless new funding can be provided for them, writes Local Democracy Reporter, Richard Whitehouse.

Centres in Falmouth, Wadebridge, Launceston and Saltash are all under threat under proposals being considered by Cornwall Council, according to reports. Several Cornwall councillors have expressed concerns about the plans and said on Facebook that they were expecting to get details next week.

The future of the leisure centres is said to be the subject of highlevel meetings of the council’s Cabinet as it considers its budget plans for the coming year. Last week the councillor in charge of finance warned “there is no money”.

All four leisure centres are currently run by not-for-profit London company GLL – under the name of ‘Better’ – as part of a major outsourcing contract agreed by the council to reduce the cost of leisure services.

But with leisure centre incomes hit hard by their forced closure during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic it has been increasingly difficult to balance their budgets.

GLL was provided with £4m from the council to help cover its costs and ensure that leisure centres in Cornwall could reopen when restrictions were eased. That money was said to be a loan which would have to be repaid.

Cornwall Council has said that public consultation about the future of leisure services would start next week. One solution could be to merge some leisure services.