Hunt for new operator to run Adur’s leisure centres

Lancing Manor, Southwick Leisure and Wadurs pool have not reopened after lockdown due to Adur Community Leisure - which was an arm of Impulse Leisure - going into insolvency.

This week Adur District Council agreed to allocated more than £350,000 to speed up the search for a new operator to run its leisure facilities.

The plan is to explore the option of finding an existing provider on a short-term basis.

The funding will ensure any new operator can reopen the centres as quickly as possible by keeping buildings operational and purchasing vital equipment from ACL.

Neil Parkin, leader of the council, said: “We know the frustration and hurt that has been caused with the collapse of the previous operator.

“That’s why, with lockdown restrictions now lifted, our focus is on working with the insolvency agents to make sure these vital resources reopen to the public as soon as possible.”

Plans were signed off at a meeting on Tuesday night (September 8).

Officers explained that full procurement for a long-term operator would take between 18 months and two years.

Therefore they wanted to find an established operator ‘with a good track record’ for the short term so facilities could reopen as soon as possible.

Ideally the council would be seeking one provider with financial firepower and management capabilities to operate all three facilities.

The council is in dialogue with the insolvency practitioner, who has agreed not to remove or sell any of ACL’s assets, such as equipment, whilst working is ongoing to source an alternative provider.

Officers also felt a short-term emergency contact would give the council time to ‘fully assess the type of leisure service that it would like to support in the future, and to review its facilities with the aim of developing a leisure investment strategy’.

However they also warned that a suitable operator may not be found.

Their report said: “It is noted however that given the current climate and the future unknowns, there may not be many, if any, sufficiently viable parties interested in running Adur leisure services.”

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