Blending In (an example)Eastbourne Borough Council plans to hand over the reins of the leisure centres to a private company.
Adverts were placed in the press in October 2002 and the eight
interested companies have now been whittled down to one.
Last year, the council said it would insist that the new company would have
to spend £2 million on doing up the Sovereign Centre as part of any deal.
It says it has been forced to privatise the centres as it has not got enough
money to maintain them.
Despite months of delay, the council
says it is now in a position to decide whether to approve the final plan.
'The procurement team has met with the preferred contractor to clarify statements
made in the tender and to negotiate contract and lease issues,' states the report
to cabinet. 'The team is working to report a proposed contract and lease start
date to this meeting of the cabinet.' The council hopes to hand over the lease
and contract for the Sovereign Centre and Motcombe Pool for a 15-year period.
The contractor will have to 'repair, maintain and enhance the
facilities and adhere to all Disability Discrimination Act requirements'.
All permanent staff currently employed at both sites will carry on working there
and 'a varied and extensive programme of activities will be provided for young
people including additional learn to swim sessions and sports development opportunities'.
There are fears that privatising the centres will lead to higher prices for
users.
The officers' report states that the pricing structure for the
first year will 'maintain the current resident card benefits'. 'The transfer
of the financial risk and the repair responsibility, plus the proposed improvements
and the continued service levels, will be advantageous to both the public and
the council,' adds the report.
The council tried to privatise its catering services but could not find the right company to do it. It wasted thousands of pounds of taxpayers' money on the process.
Eastbourne Borough Council's director of tourism and leisure Ron
Cussons said, 'This is good news since it will bring considerable investment
to the Sovereign Centre and help ensure that Motcombe Pool is maintained in
keeping with the conservation area.
'It will mean that the future of these community facilities will be assured,
enhanced and maintained to meet the needs of future generations of residents
and visitors alike. 'All staff will be offered the opportunity to transfer to
the new contractor under the same terms and conditions of employment.'
Blending In (an example)
