To consider the funding for Lady Hawkins’ Community Leisure Centre and Wigmore Leisure Centre.

THAT:

(a)          authority be delegated to the Director for Economy, Communities and Corporate, in consultation with the Chief Finance Officer, to pursue negotiations to implement the asset transfer of the Lady Hawkins Community Leisure Centre by September 2014; and

(b)          the funding for Wigmore Leisure Centre be reduced to £15,000 pa from 2014-15.

To make budget savings to support the corporate financial strategy and enable council resources to be focused on priority services.

1.         An alternative option would be for both leisure centres to close to the public.

2.         In the instance of Lady Hawkins’ Community Leisure Centre the facility could be handed to Lady Hawkins’ School to run and which could include some public access.

3.         An alternative option would be to continue support at existing funding levels. This would require commensurate savings to be made in other budget areas and not be consistent with other changes to council funding of leisure provision within the county.