SOME Dorset leisure centres could be transferred out of council control – as the cost of maintaining ageing buildings increase.

A discussion document suggests that a preferred option is to have all of the key centres managed by the same external contractor to produce a consistent quality of service – as well as save the council money.

A tender process to do that could start this summer – with a contract start date of April 2022, although nothing has been agreed at the moment.

The process may not involve all of the centres, some of which are already being managed by third parties, such as Redlands at Weymouth and the Bridport Leisure Centre.

Until a final decision is agreed for all of the centres the operation of the Blandford Leisure Centre is being brought back in house to be council run until at least April 2022. Extension are also expected to be approved on the contracts to run both Ferndown Leisure Centre and Dorchester Sports Centre to harmonise all of the existing contracts.

Dorset Council says that the suggestions to extend contracts and bring Blandford back in-house , all yet to be finalised, are a ‘holding operation’ while the long-term future of all the county’s leisure centres are considered, along with other buildings owned by the authority.

A report to councillors says: “the continuation of funding maintenance and refurbishment works at some of the leisure centres may not be the most viable option and that the preferred  approach would ‘buy the council time’, and enable opportunities around the development of community hubs to be explored in detail.”

Specialists leisure consultants have been advising Dorset Council about possible models which might be adopted for the future delivery of leisure services. The details of those findings are not being made public although the panel which considered the options is reported to have ‘strong reservations’ about continuing to fund repairs on buildings that may not be fit for purpose in the medium to long term.

One of the options is to contract out to a third-party operator as is already the case which the Dorchester Sports Centre, managed by Somerset-based 1610.

In the medium term a similar arrangement is likely to be considered for the Blandford leisure centre although bringing its operation back in house immediately will cost council taxpayers an additional £19,154 a year – together with an, undisclosed, one off cost of transfer.

The report, to the council’s place scrutiny committee on Tuesday 10th, says that many of the leisure centres are expensive to run with high energy costs and that the future of some may partially depend on the ability of the buildings to be converted to use low carbon technologies such as LED lighting, efficient swimming pool ventilation, solar panels, biomass or air/ground source heat pumps.

The future of some may also be linked to the ability to offer other services to the community, beyond sport and fitness, to make wider use of the buildings. Verwood hub and Redlands hub are seen as examples of this.

Centres recognised as ‘primary’ and thought likely to be kept include Blandford, Dorchester, Ferndown, the Purbeck Centre at Wareham, the Queen Elizabeth Centre at Wimborne and Verwood Hub.

Those listed as ‘secondary’ which will also be reviewed, but may not form part of the council’s core service in the future are – Potterne Park, Verwood; Emmanuel Sports hall, Verwood; Redlands, Weymouth which is already leased to Weymouth College; and the Bridport Leisure Centre which the council gives an annual grant to but which is owned and operated by the Bridport and West Dorset Sports Trust.

Over the next five years alone the council estimates that it may need to find £5million for works at eight of its leisure centres, £3m of it at the Queen Elizabeth centre and Ferndown. Blandford Leisure Centre could need £1.4m of work in 2024/25 with Dorchester needing an estimated £1.1m in 2026/27.

The report, to the council’s place scrutiny committee on Tuesday 10th, says that many of the leisure centres are expensive to run with high energy costs and that the future of some may partially depend on the ability of the buildings to be converted to use low carbon technologies such as LED lighting, efficient swimming pool ventilation, solar panels, biomass or air/ground source heat pumps.

The future of some may also be linked to the ability to offer other services to the community, beyond sport and fitness, to make wider use of the buildings. Verwood hub and Redlands hub are seen as examples of this.

Centres recognised as ‘primary’ and thought likely to be kept include Blandford, Dorchester, Ferndown, the Purbeck Centre at Wareham, the Queen Elizabeth Centre at Wimborne and Verwood Hub.

Those listed as ‘secondary’ which will also be reviewed, but may not form part of the council’s core service in the future are – Potterne Park, Verwood; Emmanuel Sports hall, Verwood; Redlands, Weymouth which is already leased to Weymouth College; and the Bridport Leisure Centre which the council gives an annual grant to but which is owned and operated by the Bridport and West Dorset Sports Trust.

Over the next five years alone the council estimates that it may need to find £5million for works at eight of its leisure centres, £3m of it at the Queen Elizabeth centre and Ferndown. Blandford Leisure Centre could need £1.4m of work in 2024/25 with Dorchester needing an estimated £1.1m in 2026/27.