Partnership set to transform Oxford's Leisure Centres

11.14.22am GMT Sun 11th Jan 2009

Cllrs Alan Armitage (left) and John Goddard visit a successful leisure partnership in Droitwich

Within months, Oxford's eight leisure centres are set to be managed by a social enterprise partnership with specialist skills and a new focus on providing high quality, affordable and varied services. Oxford's Lib Dems have been advocating such a transformation for several years, and want the Council to press ahead quickly following a lengthy "market testing" exercise, recently concluded.

Said Lib Dem spokesman Cllr Alan Armitage: "Some of our leisure services are very good, as, for example, a recent QUEST quality assessment of the Barton Pool has demonstrated. But overall, we have been failing to provide people in Oxford with a good range of facilities at reasonable cost. In fact, we are probably paying more for our leisure than any other district council in England. This has got to change."

Many other councils have set up partnerships with not-for-profit leisure enterprises, and have found that the responsiveness and attractiveness of the services have improved beyond all expectation. Since a review in 2002, initiated by the Lib Dem-led administration in the city, it has been clear that such a change was exactly what Oxford needed.

Cllr Armitage explained: "People in successful leisure operations don't need the bureaucratic trappings of local government, or the inflexible contracts, or the financial uncertainties. Our employees will find the change liberating, allowing them to get on with what they do best, and giving them much better job prospects and rewards. And our users will find the centres much more welcoming and better run. This is win-win all round."