A new operator has been appointed to run many of Southampton’s leisure facilities, including Bitterne Leisure Centre and The Quays.
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The city council announced that registered charity and social enterprise BH Live will take over the management of:
- The Quays Swimming and Diving Complex
- Bitterne Leisure Centre
- Chamberlayne Leisure Centre
- Outdoor Sports Centre
- Bookings of council’s sports pitches
Various Southampton leisure facilities. Photos/composite: SCC
The announcement comes after negotiations to agree an extension with previous operator Places Leisure broke down.
The council said BH Live, whose head office is in Bournemouth, is “on a mission to improve health and wellbeing in the communities they serve”.
“They bring extensive experience in delivering leisure and health facilities supporting fitness, swimming, community programmes, and wellness services to residents of all ages and abilities,” the authority added.
BH Live already runs various leisure services in and around Bournemouth, Portsmouth and Croydon.
Plans for the handover of city facilities will be announced “over the coming months,” the council said.
“This is a positive step forward for the city, and we are confident BH Live will help us realise our long-term ambitions for physical activity, wellbeing and community engagement,” said Cllr Toqeer Kataria, cabinet member for compliance and leisure.
The new arrangement does not include Woodmill Activity Centre or Southampton Water Activities Centre (SWAC). The council has said this is because they are “specialist sites”, better “in the hands of specialist organisations rather than a generic leisure operator”.
A process to find an operator for Woodmill and SWAC is ongoing, with more news expected in July. More in our previous report here.
As also reported, the council has recently approved not-for-profit Testlands to run St Mary’s Leisure Centre.