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25
Sept 2024
Turkish Baths Harrogate generated £98,000 less than expected in first quarter
Turkish Baths Harrogate generated £98,000 less income than expected in the first financial quarter of the year.
A financial report on the facility says “admissions and treatment income” were “significantly below budget”.
It adds “additional marketing is being provided for the Turkish Baths to try to mitigate the income shortfalls at the venue”.
The baths, however, continue to make money for North Yorkshire Council, which owns it.
They generated £1.94 million income in 2023/24 against expenditure of £1.23 million.
They were budgeted to make £2.29 million and cost £1.38 million to run in 2024/25. But those figures have been revised down to £1.9 million and £1.33 million respectively after the worse than expected start to the financial year.
The figures are contained in a report to the council’s shareholder committee on the financial performance of the Brierley Group, which is the council’s trading arm.
The group was set-up in 2017 to generate income for frontline council services. It consists of 11 companies, including Brimhams Active, which operates leisure services in the Harrogate district.
Eight of the 11 companies performed above expectations in the first quarter of the financial year. Brimhams Active, which is one of three that didn’t, is now forecast to return a deficit of £323,000 for the year as a whole.
Besides lower than expected income at the Turkish Baths, learn to swim income is also cited as an under-performing area in quarter one.
Nic Harne, the council’s corporate director of community development, said:
The Turkish Baths are a valuable and popular attraction, providing a much-loved experience for both visitors and local residents. They are well managed and generate significant levels of income. The income forecasts for 2024/25 (based on the performance in the first quarter of this financial year) are very similar to the levels achieved last year, so there has been no significant actual drop in income.
We had experienced some issues with a shortage of therapists which reduced growth potential, although this position is now improving. We continue to look at ways to increase the profile and marketing of this attraction and prices are reviewed annually as part of our annual budget setting process.
Regarding the overall quarter one performance of the Brierley Group, the report says:
The performance across the Brierley Group shows strong performance in most areas, with most organisations forecasting the achievement of budgeted pre-tax profits. Overall, the 2024/25 group outturn forecasts a pre-tax profit of £3.287m against a budget of £2.875m.
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