As senior Harrogate councillors decide on setting up a new leisure company to run services across the district, the responses from the public have not all been positive.
Nearly half of the 433 respondents to the council’s consultation on the future of leisure and sport said they either strongly disagreed or disagreed with the plan to set up an arms length company.
The authority is to vote tonight on whether or not to set up the company owned by the council, called Brimham’s Active, to run services such as the Harrogate Hydro and Ripon Leisure Centre.
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Within the consultation document there are a number of reasons why people don’t agree with the proposal.
One person said they were concerned that the move was the first step toward higher prices.
“Although it will be a Local Authority Controlled Company, I see this as the first step to handing over the company to a private company for profit and this would lead to higher charges in the long run.”
Another said the authority should retain control of the service.
“Given the anticipated savings are not proportionally huge, I would rather the council stayed in full control.”
Others said it should serve the interest of the wider public.
Giving over control of our wonderful leisure services to a private company (even a LACC), whose primary aim will be to generate a profit rather than serve the best interests of the society, seems a very bad idea.
Around 27% neither agreed or disagreed with the proposal, 19% agreed and 8% strongly agreed.
If given the go-ahead, the company would run services in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.
The council said the company and future investment would help to save money on leisure services which currently operate at a £3.5 million loss.
But the plans have been met by opposition from both residents in Starbeck, where the local baths future would be considered by the council, and unions which expressed concern at the consultation process.
