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02
Aug 2021
200 Harrogate council leisure staff set to transfer to new company
Union bosses have said they have received assurances there are “no plans” to change conditions for council staff after this week's overhaul of leisure services in the Harrogate district.
Some 200 Harrogate Borough Council employees transferred to a new local authority controlled company called Brimham’s Active at the start of August.
Brimham's Active will run the council's 11 leisure venues, including The Hydro in Harrogate, Knaresborough Pool, Ripon Leisure Centre and Nidderdale Pool.
The move has raised employment concerns among those staff affected but Unison said all workers will maintain their current terms and conditions.
David Houlgate, secretary of Unison Harrogate local government branch, said the union will continue to monitor the situation after the company becomes active.
He said:
A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council said all leisure staff would transfer to Brimham’s Active under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations, better known as TUPE, on August 1.
New leisure company
The council voted last year to create a new local authority controlled company to take over the running of its leisure facilities.
At the time, council officials said the move would save £400,000 a year and that the authority would have a majority of representatives on the new company's board.
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The company has since been incorporated and appointed seven directors. They include local councillors, council officers and Mark Tweedie, who has been appointed managing director of Brimham's Active.
According to Companies House, Zoe Appleton-Metcalfe, Wallace Sampson, Samuel Gibbs, Stan Lumley, Trevor Watson and Pat Marsh have been appointed directors.
The council has also announced a £26 million investment in the Harrogate Hydro and a new leisure centre at Knaresborough, which was expected to be financed by borrowing from the government.
In June last year, Cllr Stan Lumley, cabinet member for tourism and sport, said the new company and investment plan “came hand in hand” and would help the authority save money.
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