DORSET Council has proposed to withdraw its management from the Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre, despite overwhelming support to keep the current arrangement.

Council officials said it could not justify spending “so much public money” on a centre it did not own, but would work with Queen Elizabeth’s School (QE) to find a sustainable alternative.

This will involve helping the school find alternative funding opportunities, making the current facilities more widely available and providing support and guidance for any users who may need to make alternative arrangements for their activities if necessary.

The Council is also proposing that one-off funding of up to £150,000 is made available as a contribution towards the replacement of the all-weather pitch at the site.

Dorset Council manages the leisure centre despite not owning it. This raised the question as to whether it provided value for money.

It costs the half a million pounds a year to manage and subsidise the site, far higher than any of the eight leisure centres it owns who share what’s left of the £1.7m budget.

A consultation was launched last year for residents to express what should happen with the site. 1,799 responses were received and there was overwhelming support to keep the current arrangements.

More than 80 per cent of respondents said they travel by car to the leisure centre, to which Dorset Council said there is a “good level of alternative provision in the local area”.

Other respondents commented that the potential closure is inconsistent with the Council’s commitment to health and wellbeing. The Council said it operates three other leisure facilities in the East Dorset area, as well as two country parks, so it felt there was clear evidence that Dorset Council is supporting the community to be physically active.

The proposal will be discussed at Cabinet on March 1. If agreed, Dorset Council will withdraw from the dual use management agreement on March 31, 2024.

Councillor Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for customer and community services, said: “I respect the strength of feeling from the local community, but Dorset Council simply cannot justify spending so much public money managing a centre that we do not own, in an area that has so much comparable leisure provision close by.

“Making these recommendations has been difficult, but the school has a considerable amount of time to explore options for QELC’s future and I remain hopeful we can help them find a solution to their funding concerns.

“Ultimately, the future of QELC rests with the school but we will do all we can to support them in the meantime, including helping get the all-weather pitch updated and looking at ways of making the facilities more accessible to the general public.”