Mendip District Council’s Cabinet met on Monday 24th November to decide who would take over the Council’s leisure centres in June 2015, and agreed that the best bid was from Fusion Lifestyle, a charity.

Please see MDC’s announcement after the meeting, a link to Mendip’s Questions and Answers, and the Frome Standard article on this. The report to the Cabinet meeting is here.

MDC states “Communities across Mendip are set to benefit from millions of pounds of investment in local leisure centres following the council’s decision to grant leases for its leisure facilities to a not-for-profit organisation. At a joint meeting of the council’s Cabinet and Scrutiny Board… Cabinet took the decision to appoint Fusion Lifestyle as its preferred bidder to take leases of and operate Frome Leisure Centre, Wells Leisure Centre, Strode Swimming Pool and Fitness Centre, Tor Sports and Leisure Centre and Shepton Mallet Lido. It is expected that a legal agreement will be signed before Christmas which will allow Fusion Lifestyle to take on 50-year leases of the facilities from June 2015, when the council’s existing leisure contract with Western Community Leisure comes to an end. Fusion has pledged to invest in and improve the facilities over the term of its lease, ensuring up-to-date and popular leisure activities can be provided across the district for many years to come. As well as investing in the buildings, Fusion is required to take over all the associated running costs and risks, reducing costs to the council which can then be reinvested in other frontline services. … … The council will now publish a formal notice of its intention to enter into the legal agreement with Fusion, which will give other companies 10 days to object if they think the tendering process has been unfair. In the meantime, the council will also complete a range of standard background checks. Subject to these formalities being cleared, the agreement will be signed before Christmas. Staff from the council’s current leisure providers will move across to Fusion in line with TUPE regulations. Fusion will shortly begin to consult with users of the leisure facilities about what activities and services they would like to see provided in the long term.”

I and other councillors on Mendip’s Leisure Strategy Group met on 15th November to discuss and agree the preferred bidder.  I was pleased that the concerns I had previously raised about risks to the leisure facilities in Frome and elsewhere being sold off or closed, had been addressed, and I am also pleased to see the level of investment promised by Fusion to repair and improve facilities, including £2 million for Frome Leisure Centre, in the next few years.

I had also asked for public consultation on the future of leisure. Mendip has agreed with Fusion Lifestyle to consult users and the general public over the next few months, to see what people want to improve or stay the same in future, and this will inform the preparation of firm plans and an official consultation once Fusion take over leisure centres in June 2015.

So, if what we have been told is adhered to, so as far as I can see, this is very good news.

The hard work of Avalon Leisure and the Western Community Leisure Trust in managing the leisure centres so well for so long also has to be acknowledged.

I hope to remain on the Mendip Leisure Strategy Group to keep an eye on how things progress every month and raise any ideas or concerns anyone has.

Update mid-December 2014

Mendip District Council and Fusion Lifestyle have now signed the legal agreements to confirm that Fusion Lifestyle will take on 50-year leases of the Council’s leisure centre facilities from June 2015, when the council’s existing leisure contract with Western Community Leisure (and Avalon) comes to an end.  Fusion has pledged to invest £2 million pounds into Frome Leisure Centre, so that it is fitted with up-to-date facilities and hosts popular leisure activities. Fusion will over the next few months begin to consult with users of the leisure facilities about what activities and services they would like to see provided in the long term. See here and here for more info.  I will be meeting again with MDC officers and councillors on the Leisure Steering Group, and with Fusion, in the New Year.

 

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