THE future of leisure centres in the new Dorset council area is being considered as part of the local government reorganisation process.

Permission is being sought by members of the Dorset council shadow executive committee to begin drawing-up business plans to determine what the new council will do with the facilities.

More than £1.5m is spent by the existing councils on subsidising leisure centres’ running costs and a report to councillors says that council officers are “optimistic” about the potential for savings to be made as part of the process.

From its formation in April, Dorset council will take over at least partial responsibility for nine facilities across the county.

As part of the recommendations put forward, committee members are also being asked to give short-term extensions to the contracts for the running of Blandford and Ferndown leisure centres, with current deals due to expire in 2019 and 2020 respectively.

Council officers have proposed an extension to into 2022 to allow time for long-term plans for their future to be put in place.

Members of the Dorset council shadow executive are being asked to give the go-ahead for work on creating a business case and a condition survey as well as to approve the contract extensions.

A report to the committee says: “The management arrangements for each of the sports and leisure facilities across the new Dorset council area varies at the current time and whilst some are due for retendering soon, others continue to be managed internally.

“It will be more efficient to treat all facilities the same and, if putting them out to be managed by a private contractor is the preferred option, then all facilities should be tendered at the same time in order to obtain economies of scale and best value.

“In order to realise savings as soon as is realistic to the new Dorset council, a specialist company needs to be appointed to commence as soon as possible to prepare an options appraisal and undertake a building condition survey of the existing assets prior to making a business case for the best way forward.”

The issue will be considered by the committee at its meeting on Monday (November 12).

Any further decision on its operation of leisure centres will be made by the new council following the completion of business cases next year.