City’s plans to privatise entire leisure services cancelled at last
A CITY’s controversial plans to privatise all council sport and leisure services have been surprisingly dropped at the last minute.
Stirling had been expected to push through a £25 million deal with private contractor, Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) to take over the running of all its swimming pools, gyms, sports clubs and fitness classes until 2042.
But at a meeting of the full council last night, the Tory-Labour run administration accepted an amendment calling for the deal to be cancelled.
Stirling will now look to set up a charitable trust similar to those operated in Glasgow, Edinburgh and other Scots councils to run sport and leisure facilities.
Leader, Labour councillor Johanna Boyd, agreed to the joint motion with SNP group leader Scott Farmer.
Councillor Farmer said he was in no doubt the plans were scrapped due to pressure from his colleagues, the public and unions.
He said: “I am delighted the Labour/Tory administration have buckled under the pressure and that privatisation of our services is now firmly off the agenda.”
A council statement said: “Stirling Council has voted to look at setting up a dedicated Stirlingbased charitable trust to run its sports and leisure services.
“The current contract with an external operator has been in place since 2006, and has been subject to several extensions. In December 2015, the council took the decision to tender and undertook an open, transparent and competitive procurement process.
“Whilst the procurement process was robust, the council decided neither of the two bids submitted met its wider ethos of being community-led.
“At a meeting of the full council, all parties voted unanimously instead to temporarily extend the current contract up until the end of November this year, while work is ongoing to establish a Stirling-based not-for-profit trust to deliver sports and leisure across the area.
“The focus throughout this process has been to ensure the provision of the best possible sports, physical activity and wellbeing service and opportunities.”