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03
Dec 2023
Harrogate braced for second leisure services shake-up in three years
Just three years since its last overhaul, Harrogate’s leisure services look set for another restructure.
With the formation of Brimhams Active, a council-owned company, Harrogate Borough Council officials promised a new dawn for facilities in the district.
This came in the shape of multi-million pound investments in Harrogate and Knaresborough leisure centres - the latter of which is set to open on December 11.
Now, three years on, North Yorkshire Council looks set to carry out another overhaul of its leisure operation.
Bringing services in-house
The council’s plan, which is detailed in a report due before councillors on Monday, would see the entirety of its operators brought in-house over the next four years.
Currently, the county is served by five separate leisure providers - including Brimhams Active in Harrogate - which cover 19 leisure centres, 16 pools and three well-being hubs.
A private company called Everyone Active provides services in Ryedale and Scarborough; Richmond Leisure Trust runs facilities in Richmond and a charity called Inspiring Healthy Lifestyles oversees sites in Selby. Services in Craven and Hambleton are ran in-house.
The Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.
The council has argued in its report that the current management of leisure is “complex” and bringing it in-house would represent a “bespoke model for the unique circumstances of North Yorkshire”.
It has also promised a “renewed focus on physical and mental health and wider well being”.
The overhaul is expected to cost in the region of £135,000.
In a press release issued on Tuesday, Cllr Simon Myers, executive councillor for culture, arts and housing at North Yorkshire Council, said:
Brimhams' facilities 'envy of North Yorkshire'
It comes at a time when North Yorkshire Council is shaping its services, such as licensing, planning and housing, following devolution.
However, it also represents yet another service overhaul for the Harrogate district’s leisure services.
In 2020, the Stray Ferret reported extensively on the borough council’s review of its leisure facilities which culminated in the creation of Brimhams Active in August 2021 to run centres across the district.
The company, which is now owned by North Yorkshire Council, recently embarked on £46 million worth of projects at Harrogate Leisure and Wellness Centre and Knaresborough Leisure and Wellness Centre.
Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active.
In an interview with the Stray Ferret in September, Mark Tweedie, managing director at the company, described the facilities as the “envy of North Yorkshire”.
Centres in Ripon, Harrogate and Knaresborough also feature Brimhams branding, which could be removed not long after they were put up.
In its report, the council acknowledges that the company’s model is “particularly advanced” and could be scaled up.
However, despite the advanced nature of Brimhams’ operation, the council still plans to streamline its operators and bring them in-house.
The report adds:
'Devil in the detail'
Brimhams currently employs 160 staff and has a turnover of £8.4 million.
At the time of its creation, unions raised concern over the transfer of staff to Brimhams and sought reassures over terms and conditions for leisure workers.
In the end, staff transferred to the company under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, better known as TUPE, on August 1, 2021.
Read more:
- Ripon leisure centre halts price increase due to ongoing work
- Harrogate Hydro delay will see no change in £13.5m project budget, says council
- ‘Our leisure centres will be the envy of North Yorkshire’
Speaking on the fresh proposals, Dave Houlgate, secretary of the Unison Harrogate Local Government branch, said he supports facilities being brought in-house.
However, he added that the “devil will be in the detail”.
He said:
The proposal appears to represent the council embarking on a transformation of its services in its image for North Yorkshire following devolution.
However, it also raised questions over how the Harrogate district’s leisure facilities will look and function in the future.
North Yorkshire Council’s transition overview and scrutiny committee will consider the leisure review proposal at a meeting on Monday (December 4).
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