Ripon councillors are calling on North Yorkshire County Council not to sanction spending £3.5 million on remediation works at the city’s leisure centre.

The city council believes that other options should be fully investigated, including building a new centre at a different location where there are stable ground conditions.

The ground floor of the leisure centre has stayed closed due to safety concerns and Harrogate Borough Council (HBC) is to install a temporary gym on the site.

The call from city councillors comes after a report by engineering firm Stantec into the ground stability issues affecting the existing centre’s foundations.

The report, supplied following a Freedom of Information Request made to HBC, ruled out a new location for the centre, but Independent city council leader Andrew Williams, who was elected to NYCC in May, said:

“They (HBC) are blindly and belligerently pouring money into propping up a centre that is nearly 30 years old and there is no guarantee that more funding won’t be needed after remediation works begin.”

He added:

“These works would take the total spending on this project to £18 million – some £8 million above the original budget – and they can’t continue ploughing money into this site, with its known history of ground stability issues, including a sinkhole that opened up on the leisure centre car park in 2018.

“Instead of throwing good money after bad, we need to call on North Yorkshire Council, who will take over responsibility from April, to put an end to this additional spending and look for a suitable location for a new leisure centre to be built on sound land.”

As part of the devolution process, any major financial decisions by HBC will need to be approved by NYCC’s executive. Permission needs to be given for capital projects costing £1 million and above.

A report to a meeting of HBC’s cabinet in August said the authority had made “every effort to provide an accurate estimate” of the costs of the remediation works but added these could rise further once the ground stability works begin.

Response from Harrogate Borough Council

A spokesperson for Harrogate Borough Council, said:

“Building a new leisure centre at another site in Ripon would cost a significant amount of money and would result in two separate facilities to maintain, two sets of running and staffing costs, for example.

“It would also involve purchasing land in a suitable location that we don’t currently have, going through the planning application process and disposing of the existing building safely, all of which would take time and a considerable amount of money. And there is no guarantee that a different site wouldn’t have similar ground conditions.

“Co-location of both wet and dry leisure facilities is also important for increasing and sustaining participation in exercise, as well as optimising revenue and cost recovery.

“The new gym combined with the pool on one site is proving to be extremely popular, and will be further complimented by two new activity studios, sports hall, a spin studio as well as meeting facilities.”

The spokesperson, added:

“Our consulting engineer has advised that a do-nothing approach is not advised. And although there is no immediate change in the geological risk profile to the building – that was originally built in 1995 and has provided sport and leisure services for more than 25 years – it is recommended that ground stabilisation works are undertaken to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come.”

The older half of Ripon Leisure Centre would have to permanently close unless newly-approved groundworks costing £3.5 million are carried out, a council official has said.

Trevor Watson, director of economy, environment and housing at Harrogate Borough Council, made the statement at a cabinet meeting last night when councillors agreed to the remedial works on underground voids found at the site.

Mr Watson also stressed that the leisure centre’s new swimming pool – which opened in March – is unaffected by what is planned and will remain open throughout. He said:

“We really do need to seek to address the ground conditions.

“If we chose not to do the work, then the reality is we wouldn’t be reopening the leisure centre.”

Mr Watson added the underground voids are believed to have been present for several years and were not caused by building works for the new pool.

The discovery during the pool construction in 2020 prompted an investigation by an engineering firm which this month revealed the extent of the ground stability issues at the site.

Read more:

• Expert urges council to stop ‘pouring money’ into Ripon leisure centre
• Report reveals extent of ground issues at Ripon Leisure Centre

Stantec found “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre built in 1995 and also warned that not carrying out groundworks would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”.

The works due to start in December mean more costs and delays for the venue’s new pool and refurbishment project which is believed to have cost in excess of £18 million so far.

The original contract awarded to construction company Willmott Dixon was worth £10.2 million for the scheme originally due for completion in May 2021.

The project was approved in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

Cllr Swift speaking at last night’s meeting.

Speaking at Wednesday’s meeting, councillor Graham Swift, deputy leader of the council, said it was “good fortune” that the underground voids were discovered before a more serious collapse could have occurred.

He said:

“As a result of the fact that technologies have improved over the last 25 years, we have learnt a lot more about what is under the leisure facility.

“This is actually good fortune as it is good to know now. If we hadn’t had the swimming pool, we wouldn’t have discovered this until a genuine incident.”

Cllr Swift also said it was “very exciting” that a temporary gym is planned for the leisure centre car park during the groundworks which will close parts of the venue for at least 10 months from November.

The temporary gym will cost an additional £300,000, while the pool will remain open.

The leisure centre is reported to now have more than 14,000 members since the pool opened, generating around £34,000 a month which the council said will help offset some of the groundwork costs.

After these works are carried out, the refurbishment is scheduled for completion in spring 2024.

A leading authority on Ripon sinkholes has called on Harrogate Borough Council to ‘get a reality check’ and abandon plans to spend yet more money on the city’s leisure centre.

The council said this month it plans to carry out further ground stability measures at the site, which could take a year.

A report to be considered by HBC’s cabinet on Wednesday, says the work will cost £3.5 million. If approved, this will take the running total on the project to more than £18 million.

The original contract awarded in November 2019 to construction company Willmott Dixon, had a price tag of £10.2 million for delivery of the scheme. The completion date was originally scheduled for May 2021.

Chartered geologist and town planner Dr Alan Thompson, who was the principal author of a major report on the city’s subsidence issues, has said the site will always carry a “significant residual risk” of problems.

Dr Thompson added that by not considering relocating to a new site, the council was “ploughing more and more money into a scheme which is destined to fail”.

He has sent a letter by email to council chief executive Wallace Sampson and all cabinet members expressing his concerns.

But the council’s cabinet looks set to vote in favour of further expenditure on remediation works at the site, after issuing a statement a week ago, in which it said:

“Harrogate Borough Council is set to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come by carrying out ground stabilisation works underneath the original leisure centre.”

The statement added:

“Since the leisure centre was first built in 1995, there has been a monumental improvement in engineering technology to assess ground conditions. The contractor has used this technology to produce a comprehensive report and programme of work, which will be provided to the cabinet.

“If approved by the cabinet on 17 August, the investment project is due to start in the autumn. Once the stabilisation works are complete – anticipated to be the following autumn – the first floor of the original leisure centre will reopen.”

The council’s view is considerably at odds with Dr Thompson’s opinion on the situation.

Stantec report finally revealed

The chartered geologist and town planner, whose comprehensive 1996 Ripon gypsum report was funded jointly by central government and Harrogate Borough Council, has spoken out, after studying detailed reports completed in June by consultants Stantec into ground and structural conditions at the leisure centre site.

Ripon Leisure Centre

The reports, which were obtained following a Freedom of Information request to the council by Ripon resident and chartered engineer Stanley Mackintosh, were supplied to Dr Thompson, who said the documents:

“Have confirmed in great detail what was already known: that the leisure centre was built on very unstable land.

“They have also brought into sharp focus just how unstable it is, with the piled foundations deteriorating at an alarming rate, as a direct consequence of the ongoing nature of the subsidence processes.

“These findings have substantial implications in terms of the costs of further investigation and remediation, adding to those which have already been incurred.

“Disturbingly, however, the remediation which is being proposed — similar to that which has already been implemented beneath the new pool — cannot resolve the underlying cause of the problem: that of ongoing gypsum dissolution at depths of around 40 metres beneath the site.

“However much money is poured into this site, there will always be a significant ‘residual risk’ because of the unresolved problem of dissolution.”

Dr Thompson added:

“Astonishingly, the option of relocation has been excluded from consideration, for the stated reason that it is “not considered by Harrogate Borough Council to offer a more cost-effective approach”.

“By not allowing that option to even be considered, Harrogate Borough Council has blatantly tilted the balance in favour of ploughing more and more money into a scheme which is destined to fail. “

‘Outrageous failure’

In a direct appeal to Mr Sampson, Dr Thompson added:

“I would therefore urge you – and the council – to get a ‘reality check’ on what is going on here – in particular, the council’s outrageous failure to benchmark the escalating costs against the option of relocation.

“At the very least, proper, professional and independent consideration needs to be given to the concept of relocating the leisure centre and the new pool to an alternative site which is not affected by gypsum-related subsidence.

“Only by doing that, and by factoring the residual risk of staying at Camp Close into the equation, can the true cost-effectiveness of the options be properly compared.”

Read more:

• Ground remediation under Ripon Leisure Centre to cost £3.5 million
• Plan to open temporary gym at Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre
• Ripon leisure scheme, overdue and over budget

The Stray Ferret put Dr Thompson’s concerns to Harrogate Borough Council.

In response, a council spokesperson said: 

“Our consulting engineer has previously stated that in their professional opinion a do-nothing approach is not advised. And although there is no immediate change in the geological risk profile to the building – that was originally built in 1995 and has provided sport and leisure services for more than 25 years – it is recommended that ground stabilisation works are undertaken.

“Therefore, in order to ensure people in Ripon can keep fit and active for years to come, we plan on carrying out these necessary ground stabilisation works in the coming months.

“We’d also like to reaffirm these works are underneath the original leisure centre and not underneath the new six-lane 25metre swimming, which has had the necessary foundations in place.”

A report has revealed the extent of ground stability issues at Ripon Leisure Centre, which are set to cost £3.5 million to repair.

The findings from engineering firm Stantec spell out more bad news for the venue’s new swimming pool and refurbishment project, which is already over budget and more than a year overdue.

The new pool opened this year, but plans for a larger gym and exercise studios have been delayed after an underground void was discovered at the site.

This prompted an investigation by Stantec which has now revealed evidence of multiple voids and “significantly weak” areas of ground beneath the older half of the leisure centre, which was built in 1995.

It has warned that not carrying out remedial repairs would be “unacceptable from a public safety perspective”. The report said:

“These investigations have revealed that disturbed and brecciated bedrock is not isolated to the north western corner of the building.

“It is envisaged that structural strengthening would likely require remedial works on not only the ground floor of the building, but also in areas of the already renovated top floor of the building.”

The existing leisure centre adjoins the new pool

Ripon is susceptible to sinkholes because it lies on a layer of water-soluble rock called gypsum.

In 2018, a sinkhole opened up outside the leisure centre before Harrogate Borough Council approved the new pool plans a year later despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground stability issues.

The council has continually insisted that professional advice has made it clear that the site is “safe to use”.

However, the repairs required are now proving costly and causing long delays for the refurbishment project.

Read more:

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Stantec’s report said foundations were not driven deep enough into the ground when the leisure centre was built 27 years ago and that it remains unclear why this happened as “many critical records” are missing.

It added that if the foundations were to fail because of this, it was unlikely to be “catastrophic”.

The voids are believed to be part of a “network” of underground holes beneath the leisure centre – some of which were “successfully” repaired during the construction of the new swimming pool.

Grouting – where material is pumped into the ground – is likely to be used again during the repairs, although Stantec added more assessments and monitoring will be required on top of this.

The report said:

“A further programme of structural assessment of the existing building is recommended to understand how the building might be best retrofitted to accommodate the risks of ground collapse.

“Strengthening alone is unlikely to mitigate risks to acceptable levels and would likely need to be adopted in combination with other strategies and require long-term monitoring as the building continues in usage.”

If approved by senior councillors next week, the remedial works would start in December with refurbishment set for completion in spring 2024.

The works would mean the leisure centre would have to partially close for at least 10 months from November.

A temporary gym in the venue’s car park has been proposed and will cost an additional £300,000, while the new pool would remain open throughout.

Ground stability work at Ripon Leisure Centre is set to cost £3.5 million and cause further delays for a refurbishment project which is already over budget and more than a year overdue.

The costs have been revealed in a Harrogate Borough Council report, which said the project now won’t be completed until spring 2024.

The centre’s new swimming pool opened this year, but plans for a larger gym and exercise studios have been delayed after underground voids were discovered beneath the older half of the site which was built in 1995.

Engineering firm Stantec carried out ground investigations over winter and has now proposed remedial works, which will cost the council £3.5 million and mean parts of the centre are closed for at least 10 months from November.

A temporary gym in the venue’s car park has also been proposed and will cost an additional £300,000, while the new swimming pool will remain open throughout.

A report to a meeting of the council’s cabinet next week said the authority had made “every effort to provide an accurate estimate” of the costs, but added these could rise further once the ground stability works begin.

The report also said:

“It is appropriate and timely to undertake the remedial works now.

“The consulting engineer has previously stated that in their professional opinion a do-nothing approach is unacceptable from a public safety perspective.

“By undertaking the works, which also include installing post works monitoring equipment, the council will ensure that it has put into place adequate mitigation to address the risks.”

‘Deep concerns’ before building began

A decision to build the new swimming pool next to the existing leisure centre was made in 2019 despite some councillors raising “deep concerns” over ground stability issues at the site where a sinkhole opened up the previous year.

The council continually insisted that professional advice made it clear that the site is “safe to use” before it awarded a £10 million contract for the project to construction firm Wilmott Dixon in 2020.

Since then, a further £4.5 million has been set aside by the council after the discovery of the underground voids and other issues which delayed the opening of the new swimming pool.

This extra money does not include the ground stability works or temporary gym costs revealed this week.

If approved by cabinet members, the ground stability works will start in December and end next summer before checks are carried out and a monitoring system is installed.

The refurbishment works would then start after this, with completion in spring 2024.

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• Ripon families join in FunFest activities at Hell Wath

Two youth charities aiming to engage Ripon’s young people in positive activities believe they are being hindered by restricted access to recreational facilities.

Fencing installed at the Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre has made the skate and bike park at Camp Close a no-go area for Inspire Youth’s support vehicle and the outreach sessions delivered from it.

The skate park adjacent to the leisure centre has, in previous years, provided a focal point for meeting with so-called ‘hard to reach’ children.

Jess Ward, founder and chief executive of Inspire Youth, told the Stray Ferret:

“Because we no longer have access to the site with our vehicle, we can’t hold our sessions there.

“That is a blow, because the kids see this as one of few places in Ripon where they can meet with us and talk about their issues, fears and concerns in a confidential way and one in which they will receive a sympathetic hearing.”

Jess Ward, CEO of Inspire Youth (right) is pictured at the Hell Wath football coaching session with Chloe Hickson of Harrogate Town FC (centre) and, from the left, Inspire’s Jodie Edwards, Marie Anderson and Lizzy Wickens

Ms Ward added:

“We are engaging with and supporting young people, some of whom feel they have been marginalised and unfairly blamed for the city’s problems of anti-social behaviour.

“It’s very much a case of giving a dog a bad name, but we are determined that we will not turn our backs on children who need help and encouragement, instead of constant criticism.

“They are our future and need to know that they are members of the community with a valuable contribution to make.”

Jayne Shackleton, Ripon YMCA’s community and development manager, said that young people had told the charity that they miss Inspire Youth’s outreach sessions and want to see them back at the skate park.

She added:

“We will continue to monitor the area and consult with young people and work alongside partners in the hope that the skate park will become and remain a safe, accessible space for young people and meet their needs”.

The original £10.2 million contract for the leisure scheme was to provide a new six-lane swimming pool, a fully refurbished leisure centre, children’s playground, a car park with charging points, in addition to restoration of the football pitch and landscaping of the site.

No ball games this summer at the Camp Close site

More than 14 months after the scheme was initially scheduled for completion, the project is almost £5 million over budget and further, as yet, undisclosed monies are to be committed by Harrogate Borough Council for ground stabilisation work under the leisure centre and provision of a temporary gym on site, while that work is carried out.

In the meantime, the playing fields donated in perpetuity by Alderman Wade for ‘the benefit of the children of Ripon’ will remain fenced off.

Last week, however,  with the support of Ripon Panthers Junior Football Club and Harrogate Town FC coach Chloe Hickson, Inspire Youth organised coaching sessions at Hell Wath and other locations are being sought.

What did the council have to say?

A Harrogate Borough Council spokesperson said that Inspire Youth and the YMCA have not been denied access to the site.

They added:

“The skate park and basketball court are available for everyone to use and can be accessed via Knaresborough Road.

“Our community safety team work proactively with partners in Ripon around engagement with young people. And we encourage both of these organisations to continue do their outreach work in the area.”

In response to the Stray Ferret’s question about when children will be able to play football once more at Camp Close, the spokesperson, said:

“The football pitches will remain fenced off, while we carry out ground stabilisation works at the original Ripon Leisure Centre, to ensure people are kept safe while construction vehicles are moving round the site. This will be restored towards the end of the project.”

The council spokesperson, added:

“The plaque to recognise Alderman Wade will also be reinstated on completion of this multi-million pound investment for the people of Ripon.”

Read more:

• Ripon’s children pay the price for  ‘incompetent handling’
• Plan to open temporary gym at Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre
• Ripon leisure scheme, overdue and over budget

Harrogate Borough Council has submitted a planning application to install a temporary gym at  Ripon Leisure Centre.

It comes after an investigation into ground conditions beneath the older half of the leisure centre after an underground void was discovered in 2020.

The first floor of the leisure centre is currently open but the ground floor remains closed because of concerns over safety.

The council said the void is understood to have been “present for a number of years and was only discovered when the reinforced concrete slab, which provides the foundation for the new swimming pool, was cast.”

The temporary gym – which will be situated in the car park next to the main entrance – is due to open in the autumn whilst ground stabilisation works take place.

Read More:

• Why more construction challenges lie ahead for Ripon leisure centre
• Council presses ahead with plans to open Ripon leisure centre despite safety fears

Councillor Stanley Lumley, Harrogate Borough Council’s cabinet member for culture, tourism and sport, and chair of the board of directors at Brimhams Active, said:

“We remain committed to enabling people to enjoy physical activity. By providing a temporary gym, while the ground stabilisation works take place, we can minimise the disruption to current and potential customers and ensure they can continue to maintain their health and wellbeing goals.”

The children of Ripon are paying the price for Harrogate Borough Council’s ‘incompetent handling’ of the multi-million pound leisure centre project.

That’s the view of Ripon City Council, which backed a call from Independent leader Andrew Williams for immediate action to make the overgrown playing fields at the Camp Close site useable in time for the summer holidays.

Councillors also called for barriers, restricting access to the bike and skate park on site, to be removed so that proper access is restored. Some fencing has been forced down by young people wanting to use the facility (pictured above).

The centre opened behind schedule and over budget in March.

The council also agreed on Monday evening, to make a Freedom of Information (FOI) request to HBC for a key report to be made public to discover the financial liability that council tax payers face for remedial work to leisure centre foundations.

The report, which was prepared by engineering consultancy Stantec,  was received by HBC more than two months ago, prior to the local elections in May, but has yet to be presented to the council’s cabinet.

Overgrown and yet to be landscaped, the playing fields.

Cllr Williams, who was elected to represent Ripon at parish and North Yorkshire level, claimed:

“There is a clear attempt to suppress this report and literally kick it into the leisure centre’s long grass.

“But the public has a right to know the full financial consequences, before the successor authority has to deal with the mess of HBC’s incompetent handling of the project from the outset, starting with their decision to build on a site with a known history of ground instability.”

What was promised and what has been delivered?

The £10.2 million contract signed with construction company Willmott Dixon in November 2019, was for delivery of the new pool, a refurbished leisure centre, creation of a children’s playground, landscaping of the site, reinstatement of a football pitch, provision of parking for vehicles and bicycles and installation of electric car charging points.

To date, the pool, children’s playground, parking facilities and charging points, have been delivered, but only the gym on the upper floor of the leisure centre is open, with activities, such as spin classes relocated to the Hugh Ripley Hall.

The agreed completion date for the contract was May 2021, but delays caused by ground instability meant extensive grouting (injection of concrete) had to take place which held up the opening of the pool until March of this year.

Reluctance to release the Stantec report

Following an initial inspection by Stantec of a ‘void’ near the entrance to the leisure centre, discovered during construction work in September 2020, the consultancy was appointed to carry out a detailed investigation of the foundations.

In April, chartered engineer and Ripon resident Stanley Mackintosh, submitted an FOI request to HBC, seeking release of the Stantec report, but despite repeated attempts to obtain a copy, he still awaits their decision on whether or not the report will be released to him.

Escalating costs

Mr Mackintosh, pointed out:

“The known running total for the project as of September 2021, was standing at £14,590,665 and In my opinion, considerable additional monies will be needed to carry out the extremely complex  works.

“This is because the foundations will need to be thickened from 200mm to 750mm, and superstructure modifications will be required to improve the structural stiffness of the building.

“It’s a very costly exercise to carry out under an existing building and even then, long-term sustainability cannot be guaranteed, because of the on-going underground gypsum dissolution that will continue to occur.”

He pointed out:

“Ground instability will be a constant feature in this area of Ripon, as evidenced by the opening up of a sinkhole in February 2018 on the leisure centre car park and the discovery of a further sinkhole close to the centre’s entrance in September 2020.

Chartered civil engineer Stanley Mackintosh, pictured outside the site before the swimming pool opened

“The actual remediation costs will only be known when the findings of the Stantec report are released and I have been attempting, under FOI legislation, to obtain a copy of that report, but the council appears reluctant to let me have it.”

“This stonewalling is a classic case of kicking the can down the road, because the council knows that there will be significant financial implications for council tax payers, long after HBC’s affairs have been taken over by the new North Yorkshire Council next April.”

What does Harrogate Borough Council have to say?

HBC has confirmed that the Stantec report has not been presented to its cabinet members.

A spokesperson, said in a statement:

“The report, and recommendations, will be presented to the meeting of the cabinet in due course.”

The spokesperson also confirmed that the council considers that remedial works that will need to be carried out under the centre are a financially viable proposition.

Asked when the landscaping works and restoration of the football pitch will be carried out, so that children can use the area for recreation once more, the spokesperson didn’t give any specific dates, but said:

“This work will be completed towards the end of the investment project at the leisure and wellbeing centre.”

Read more:

• Ripon pool opening delayed again
• Sinkhole experts urge councillors to consider new site for Ripon pool
• Thumbs up for new Dallamires playground in Ripon

The play area at Quarry Moor Park, which was closed in September because of rat infestation, could reopen in time for the Easter holidays.

The Ripon City Council-owned and operated playground shut after discarded food items attracted rodents.

Since then the council has tried to eradicate the rats. It has also removed a waste bin and put up a sign at the entrance to the adjacent Quarry Moor Nature Reserve, and park, asking visitors to take rubbish home.

City council leader Andrew Williams told the Stray Ferret:

“Earlier this week, we appointed contractors to carry out the necessary refurbishment work and cleaning ahead of reopening.

“It is our hope that this can be achieved in time for the Easter holiday, but that will be reliant upon all equipment passing rigorous hygiene and safety checks, as the wellbeing of children playing there is of paramount importance.”

This sign was put in place after rat infestation caused the closure of the playground.

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Longer-term plans for the playground include replacement of the play equipment and erection of new fencing.

A total of £70,000 from the Ripon parish precept has been set aside for this work and the city council is seeking additional sources of funding, before it proceeds with the refurbishment programme.

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Read more:

• Thumbs up for Ripon’s Dallamires playground
• Ripon Together is planning free summer activities for children

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Quarry Moor Park

The park, just off the A61 on the southern approach to Ripon, was created on land donated to the city by Alderman Thomas Fowler Spence in 1945.

He served as the mayor of Ripon between 1927 and 1929 and was managing director of varnish manufacturer T and R Williamson — a prominent employer in the city since the 18th century.

Alderman Spence donated the 24-acre site on the understanding that it would “be kept for Ripon children for all time”.

It has been held in trust ever since, becoming one of the city’s most valued attractions.

In recognition of its unique geology and rare species-rich magnesian limestone grassland, Quarry Moor was designated as a Site of Special Scientific Interest in 1986 and is now managed for both nature conservation and recreation.

 

Public leisure centres in the Harrogate district are experiencing their greatest investment ever.

Harrogate Borough Council is spending more than £40m on new pools in Ripon and Knaresborough and on a major refurbishment of The Hydro in Harrogate.

Mark Tweedie, managing director of Brimhams Active, oversees 250 staff responsible for delivering services at these sites as well as several others.

Brimhams is the council-owned company set up last year to promote health and wellbeing in the district.

It operates swimming pools in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough, Pateley Bridge and Starbeck. All of these sites, except the magnificent old Starbeck Baths and the soon-to-be-rebuilt Knaresborough Pool, also have leisure or fitness centres.

Mark Tweedie with Jack Laugher at the opening of Ripon’s new facility.

Brimhams also oversees Fairfax Wellbeing and Community Hub in Harrogate, Jennyfield Styan Community Centre, a children’s nursery and the Harrogate Turkish Baths.

Mr Tweedie, 54, a former PE teacher with considerable experience of the leisure sector, was hired by the council in November 2020 to support the creation of Brimhams before transferring to his current role in July last year.

He says he was attracted by the council’s vision of using leisure to improve the health and wellbeing of people in the district, backed by its willingness to invest serious money to make it happen.

Difficult start

It hasn’t been an easy ride. There have been costly delays at the new Jack Laugher Leisure and Wellness Centre in Ripon due to sinkhole issues that long pre-date Mr Tweedie. A report due imminently will determine how much more work needs to be done before the site can fully open. He says:

“I’m absolutely confident it will be resolved. Yes, it’s been frustrating. I know customers have been desperate to come back since Spa Baths closed.”

There has been some discontent about the consultation and need for a new leisure centre in Knaresborough, where work is due to begin next month on a 65-week building programme due to finish in July next year.

How Knaresborough’s new pool will look.

Mr Tweedie says the transition from old to new site will be “seamless”, with the current facility operating until the new one opens — something that didn’t happen in Ripon, where the Spa Baths closed four months before the new pool opened due to delays.

Now there is the looming nine-month closure of The Hydro, which will leave Harrogate without a council-run pool.

Staffing has also been difficult — Brimhams has been consistently operating with 20 to 30 vacancies. Opening hours have been affected. Mr Tweedie says:

“It’s been a significant challenge, and it’s shared across the sector nationally.”

Read more:

• Ripon leisure centre named after local Olympic hero Jack Laugher
• £28m contracts for new Knaresborough pool and Harrogate Hydro upgrades approved
• Harrogate Hydro set to close for nine months

But there is little doubt that when all the projects are completed, the district’s facilities will be significantly better than they were pre-Brimhams. He says:

“We are through the worst and back on track and people in the Harrogate district and our staff have got a lot to look forward to.”

Aim to nearly double membership 

The aim is to increase total membership at the sites in Harrogate, Ripon and Knaresborough to 5,000 within six months of the new facilities opening. Membership totalled about 3,000 at its pre-covid peak so it would be a considerable achievement but Mr Tweedie is “very confident” of achieving it. He says 400 people joined the Ripon centre in the fortnight after it opened.

How the refurbished Hydro will look.

Brimhams’s current monthly rate is £38.95. Customers at The Hydro are being offered a reduced rate of £32 to use the other sites while it is being refurbished. They will also be able to take part in group exercise sessions at the nearby Jennyfield Styan Community Centre.

Large private gym chains such as Pure Gym and Coach Gyms, which offer membership at about £20 a month, have extended their tentacles into the district, which can’t make life easy for council-run alternatives, but Mr Tweedie insists they are serving different markets.

“The private sector is dealing with the 15% that want to join a gym. The question is, what happens to the other 85%? How do we use public facilities to reach out to them?”

He talks about Brimhams taking “a more holistic approach” that leads to a “deeper and more purposeful relationship” with customers. People won’t come just to use the pool or gym, he says, but also to access a wider range of service that are being developed, such as mental health support, nutritional advice and mindfulness. It’s no coincidence that two Brimhams Active sites now include ‘wellbeing’ in their names — it’s clearly the way ahead.

A new software system, due to go live at the end of the month, will enable online booking and a “better digital relationship with customers”, as well as capturing footfall data that Brimhams can use to improve services.

Will it consider 24-hour opening, as many private gyms are? Mr Tweedie says:

“We have no plans for 24/7. We feel we can deal with our customer base between the hours of 6.30am and 10pm.”

Starbeck Baths

The scale of the council’s investment in leisure leads Mr Tweedie to say confidently there are no plans to reduce services or close Starbeck Baths, which is a constant threat to such an ageing facility. He adds:

“What the commercial approach is not about is reducing wages and staff and providing the bare bones of a service.”

All change next year

But his reassurances are tempered by the fact that Harrogate Borough Council will be abolished next year and control of Brimhams will transfer to the new North Yorkshire Council.

Brimhams staff will have a new employer from April 1 and, in time, a new strategy run by different managers.

Mr Tweedie, who lives in Morpeth and divides his time working from home and in the Harrogate district, says it could take at least a couple of years to implement whatever model the new council introduces so his role could exist for some time yet. He says:

“I want to deliver our three-year strategic plan and I am already working with other district leisure service leaders and North Yorkshire colleagues to manage the transition to the unitary authority.”

The important thing, he adds, is that customers don’t notice any sudden changes next year and that frontline staff, such as lifeguards and receptionists, are looked after. He says:

“It’s business as usual for us. We have a vision. We have a strategy. We have a plan we will deliver on that with a high level of tenacity.

Nidderdale Pool and Leisure Centre in Pateley Bridge.