Leisure centre price hikes ‘regrettable but necessary’
PRICE hikes at leisure centres across Solihull were ‘regrettable’ but necessary for the centres to remain open, councillors have said.
The fee increases were announced last month as the council reveals it is paying over £800,000 a year in additional utility bills.
Solihull’s two leisure centres Tudor Grange and North Solihull Sports Centre - are where the new fees will apply. The council claim leisure centres are some of the facilities being hit the hardest by rising utility costs.
Most increases were made at the maximum rate of inflation (RPI), which was 12.3 per cent in August 2022. However, some fees including a peak adult
swimming admission at Tudor Grange Leisure Centre are set to increase above that level, going from £5.25 to £6 in 2023.
Cabinet member for communities and leisure Cllr Diane Howell (Con, Meriden) said at a meeting last week: “This has been a really, really difficult decision.
“I want to make it very clear that I am committed to keeping both our leisure centres open.
“It’s really regrettable that some prices will have to increase because of the unprecedented levels of inflation that we are seeing at the moment. But I am committed to keeping the leisure centres as accessible to as many groups of people as possible. Our free membership will continue for groups aged over 75s, looked after children, Ukrainian refugees - there’s a whole list here.”
Cllr Howell continued: “Concession membership rates will also continue at their current rate. People who will benefit from that include residents claiming universal credit and other benefits, people employed by the NHS, the emergency services, people who receive carers allowance, and students in fulltime education.
“Regrettably, we’ve had to strike a balance between keeping our leisure centres viable so they can both remain open and serve our communities, and keeping our services accessible to all. I hope that’s what we’ve achieved with this.”
Cllr Ade Adeyemo (Lib Dems, Lyndon) said: “I think we are doing the right thing in keeping the facilities open. Closure would be disastrous for our communities.
“My concern is where the charges are going up more than the RPI. These rises will disproportionately affect people who are either at the lower end of the wealth scale or people who are already struggling.” Cllr Adeyemo called for the council to roll out a hardship concession scheme in Solihull. Officers said they pushing very hard for this.