Harrogate Borough Council is set to upgrade its 20-year-old booking system as part of an overhaul of leisure facilities in the district.
The authority is set to award a contract for its leisure management system (LMS), which is used for booking lessons, memberships and operating the tills at facilities.
It would be used by the the council’s new company, Brimhams Active, which was set up as part of an overhaul of leisure in the district.
Brimhams Active is set to take over the running of Harrogate Hydro, Knaresborough Leisure Centre and other facilities in August.
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According to a report due before Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, on Thursday, the current system used by the council is outdated and ageing.
It said:
“The council’s current LMS has been in use for almost 20 years.
“Its age means that it lacks functionality which would be regarded as “standard” for operators in today’s market, leaving HBC at a competitive disadvantage.”
The council is recommended to hand the contract to an unnamed company after a competitive tender process.
The value of the contract was not revealed in the report.
If approved, the contract would last for two years with an option to extend for two further periods of 12 months.
The borough council overhauled the district’s leisure facilities last year and decided to hand them over to an arms-length company owned by the authority.
The council also announced a £26 million investment in the Harrogate Hydro and the new leisure centre at Knaresborough, which was expected to be borrowed from the government.
At the time, Cllr Lumley said the two “came hand in hand” and would help the authority save money.
The company has since been incorporated and appointed seven directors, which includes local councillors, council officers and Mark Tweedie, who has been appointed managing director of Brimhams Active.
According to Companies House, Zoe Appleton-Metcalfe, Wallace Sampson, Samuel Gibbs, Stan Lumley, Trevor Watson and Pat Marsh have been appointed directors.
