The New Forest’s council-owned leisure centres could have been forced to close if NFDC had not partnered with an external operator, Cllr Jeremy Heron warned

THE New Forest’s council-owned leisure centres could have been forced to close if NFDC had not partnered with an external operator, a leading councillor warned.

Cllr Jeremy Heron, NFDC cabinet member for finance and corporate, made the warning at this week’s full council meeting as he defended a second bailout of Freedom Leisure, which took over running the five centres in 2021.

Last year rising energy bills and the cost-of-living crisis saw a shortfall at the centres and NFDC handing Freedom Leisure an extra £270,000. A second request in November this year for £348,000 was approved at the meeting, with members voting 26 to 17 in favour.

Cllr Heron said had the 2021 deal not been struck, the council would be facing 100% of the costs: “Had we not entered this partnership, these rising costs would be in front of us and we’d be seriously considering whether we could maintain all of the leisure centres, or whether we would be making the difficult decision of shutting one or two of them.

“The Freedom Leisure partnership has done a great service to the residents and this area.”

However, Cllr Malcolm Wade, of the Lib Dem opposition, said residents had faced “ice cold” swimming pools, a reduction in services such as the temporary closure of sauna and steam rooms and “outrageous” treatment of local swimming clubs.

Freedom Leisure was recently forced to make a U-turn after a public backlash when it told Applemore and Waterside Swimming Club, Lymington Swimming Club, and Romsey and Totton Swimming Club they had to leave their respective centres at the end of the year as lessons they ran were competition for its swim academies.

But this change of heart came too late for Lymington Swimming Club, which has folded after providing lessons for more than 130 years. After discussions with Freedom Leisure, Applemore and Waterside Swimming Club confirmed it will face no changes.

Cllr Caroline Rackham asked for a guarantee that all clubs which use the centres would be protected from further changes by Freedom Leisure.

Cllr Dan Poole, the cabinet member for community, safety and wellbeing, told the meeting he believed Freedom Leisure had learnt from the “poor handling” of the swimming club changes.

He added: “Even when NFDC ran the centres, there was never guaranteed usage to any particular club.

“To reiterate, 100% of the [financial] burden would be on NFDC taxpayers if Freedom Leisure were not in partnership with us.”