leisure services news

A proposed change to the way councils organise the operation of their leisure facilities – including gyms and health clubs – could see not-for-profit leisure trusts ... More

Councils in the UK will benefit from hundreds of thousands of pounds of extra revenue due to a change in VAT legislation. Prior to March ... More

The government’s energy relief for swimming pools, leisure centres and gyms is scheduled to end on 31 March leaving thousands set for closure or service ... More

A report issued by the UK Parliament’s Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has accused Sport England of losing track of how £1.05bn in grants have been ... More

Sport England has released the Future of Public Sector Leisure report which looks at how to evolve the sector from a traditional leisure service into ... More

Mark Braithwaite is to join Sandwell Metropolitan Borough Council as chief operating officer. Braithwaite, formerly CEO of leisure management contracting firm 1Life, will start with ... More

Mark Sesnan, CEO of GLL, has pushed back on Tower Hamlet Council’s decision to take the operation of its leisure services back in-house when GLL’s ... More

New research by Barclays Corporate Banking reveals that the leisure, fitness, spa and hospitality industries are bouncing back and look likely to contribute £3.5b (€4bn, ... More

Harrogate Borough Council has launched a community health and wellbeing company to manage its portfolio of leisure centres, swimming pools and gyms. Called Brimhams Active, ... More

There is a "clear case" to evolve the purpose and role played by the UK's public leisure facilities. In a joint statement issued this morning ... More

One in three councils in England are expecting to close at least one of their leisure centres permanently during 2021. What more, up to 117 ... More

Wigan Council in the UK will take back the management of all its leisure centres and wellbeing services from 1 April 2021, following a 'mutual ... More

A significant proportion of leisure facilities in England have not reopened since lockdown measures were eased, according to data from industry body, Community Leisure UK ... More

The UK's industry's leading trade associations have united to call for a major review of taxation and regulation to help operators rebound from the lockdown. ... More

The physical activity sector has been left in shock by news that Steve Franks, the long-serving chief executive of Water Babies, has died following a ... More

Falkirk Community Trust has launched an immersive indoor cycling studio as part of a £1.2m redevelopment of the Mariner Leisure Centre in the town. The ... More

Nearly three in four (71 per cent) local authority chiefs expect the UK's exit from the European Union to have a ‘negative’ or ‘very negative’ ... More

Construction work is finally set to begin on the Chiltern Lifestyle Centre in Amersham, Buckinghamshire. The centre was first put to public consultation in 2016 ... More

A £20m leisure hub, designed to bring a number of services under one roof, has opened in Dunstable, Bedfordshire. Owned by Central Bedfordshire Council, the ... More

Construction work on a new £20m leisure centre in Berwick, Northumberland, is set to begin by the end of the year. The centre will be ... More

There is nothing new in facility operators reconfiguring underused sports courts as gyms and exercise studios in order to cater to changing demands. Monmouthshire County ... More

Procurement practices are driving a race to the bottom in the delivery of public leisure services, according to Community Leisure UK CEO Cate Atwater. Her ... More

A new £15m (US$19.5m, €17.3m) waterpark has opened its doors to the public in Rhyl, Wales, with three flumes for thrillseekers to enjoy. SC2, which ... More

Social enterprise Mytime Active has signed a 40-year deal to run 12 leisure facilities in London on behalf of Bromley Council. The deal will include ... More

Leisure operators Fusion Lifestyle and Active Life have committed to investing £11.5m in improving facilities in Kent, following the signing of a long-term lease deal ... More