There is ‘no realistic prospect’ of Mid Sussex leisure centres opening this summer, the leader of the district council has announced.
The news was shared by Jonathan Ash-Edwards at a meeting of the full council where he said negotiations with operator Places Leisure were ‘proving very difficult’.
Mr Ash-Edwards said:
“In common with most councils which have contracts with Places Leisure, it will not be possible for our leisure centres to reopen on Saturday when legal restrictions are lifted by the government.
“I need to make clear that this is not because the leisure centres cannot be operated safely but because of the severe financial impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the leisure centre contract and the need to carefully consider how taxpayers’ money is used given the very substantial sums that will be involved.”
The council has been losing £600k-£700k each month since the start of the lockdown, with the lack of income from The Dolphin, in Haywards Heath, the Kings Centre, in East Grinstead, and The Triangle, in Burgess Hill, representing a huge chunk of that money.
Closing the centres cost the council £270k per month – the loss of the £117k management fee usually paid by Places Leisure, and £156k each month to underwrite the costs of the closure, even after the company accessed the furlough scheme.
Mr Ash-Edwards said officers had not been able to reach an acceptable agreement with Places Leisure, but more meetings were scheduled for next week.
He told members that simply opening the leisure centres and writing a blank cheque to cover the costs was not the way forward – especially as those costs could end up running to hundreds of thousands of pounds each month.
He added:
“We need to think carefully about what the council can actually afford and what level of taxpayer subsidy can be justified given the low participation rates which are inevitable from social distancing.”
Even if an agreement was reached next week, it would take several weeks to get the leisure centres up and running again, making summer a bust.
Mr Ash-Edwards said:
“That means that, unfortunately, there is no realistic prospect of leisure centres being open during August.
“I am sorry that this is the case, but it is a sad consequence of the global pandemic which has so impacted all of our lives.
“I know that many residents are keen to get back into leisure centres for fitness, wellbeing and sport and that this issue will also be unsettling for staff at the leisure centres.
“We are working hard to find a way forward which will allow at least a partial reopening of leisure centres and I urge Places Leisure to work constructively with us to that end.”
Places Leisure has been approached for comment.
By Karen Dunn, Local Democracy Reporter.
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