THE financial rug is to be pulled out from under two leisure centres from next April, which will see some residents without access to sporting facilities while one centre is being rebuilt.

District bosses have now decided the fates of Gillingham and Sturminster Newton leisure centres and the pair will lose their council subsidies and be removed from council control from April.

The cash-strapped district council says it had no choice but to offload the leisure centres and has only done so following assurances that the county council and community partnerships will take up the slack and provide the facilities.

"The cabinet of North Dorset District Council has decided to cease subsidising both leisure centres from the end of March 2008," said a civic spokesman.

"They did this to make sure that the council meets its medium term financial plan.

"Dorset County Council has agreed to take on the running of Sturminster Newton Leisure Centre and the Three Rivers Partnership - a community partnership in Gillingham - will lead the campaign to build and run a new leisure centre in Gillingham, helped with financial backing from North Dorset District Council."

The changes have come about because the council says it cannot continue to subsidise many discretionary services after district council tax was capped. Approximately £2m has to be removed from the council's base budget to contain expenditure over the next five years and achieve a council tax increase of five per cent or less each year.

The ageing leisure centre in Gillingham will be demolished and rebuilt, but work on the new building will not start until 2009.

Although £4m has been set aside for its construction, the Three Rivers Partnership says it has no interest in keeping the old centre going until the new one is completed.

Sturminster Newton's is being taken under the control of County Hall because without community use, the council would be in breach of the lease of the land from the Pitt-Rivers Estate. The town's high school uses the centre for all its indoor sports lessons.