SPORTS CENTRES

An indoor velodrome and a 50-metre swimming pool could be built in Derby as part of a major overhaul of the city's sport and leisure facilities. The new swimming complex would replace Derby's ageing Queen Street baths and the velodrome could also be used as a concert venue with a capacity of up to 3,000 people.

Almost £50m could be spent on the facilities. The proposals will be put to the city council's cabinet in 2010. The proposals are the result of work by the council and specialist consultants.

The announcement comes as a Sport England survey placed Derby in the bottom quarter for customer satisfaction in its leisure facilities. Derby City Council's director of environmental services, Paul Robinson, said, "People are saying that the current facilities are not suitable, they're not acceptable in terms of the modern state they expect, that they don't meet their aspirations." No sites for the venue have yet been put forward and the cost of the new developments are likely to be met through long-term borrowing and external funding.

The Lib Dem cabinet has backed the plans, saying it would put £50m into the council's budget for them. The money would come from long-term loans, paid back by taxpayers' money and grants from sporting organisations. Councillor Joe Naitta, cabinet member for leisure and culture, said, "The costs are significant but our existing centres are nearing the end of their lives and cost a lot to maintain and refurbish. This is about looking forward and getting something for the city's future." (Source: BBC News, Dec/09)

Derby City Council is considering privatising five sports centres to improve facilities and raise cash for building repairs. The council estimates it needs to spend a minimum of £3.8m updating the five venues - Moorways Sports Complex, Queen's Leisure Centre, Springwood Leisure Centre, Shaftesbury Sports Centre and Lancaster Sports Centre.

It paid £37,000 to Manchester-based consultancy firm Strategic Leisure Ltd to come up with recommendations for its review of its sport and leisure service. Under the privatisation option, the council would seek to bring in a private leisure management company to run the centres, perhaps by November 2005.

It is not yet known how such a move would affect charges for users, but the council's opposition Labour group fears that the public would lose out. Paul West, cabinet member for leisure and cultural services, said, "The leisure facilities need investment. That's no secret. What we're looking at is the best way to realise that." He insisted no preferred option had been agreed.

Other options among the review's 27 recommendations include setting up a not-for-profit trust to manage the sports centres, and retaining an in-house management structure. The council previously considered closing one of its five sports centres, but this idea has been shelved.

Martin Repton, Labour's former cabinet member for recreation, said, "The idea of privatisation fills me with fear. Private organisations won't be coming in for philanthropic reasons, they'll be coming in to make money." Mr Repton said a firm might "cherrypick" the most profitable elements of sporting provision and neglect the others, and added that paying out thousands of pounds in consultancy fees was "a scandalous waste of public money". (Source: Derby Evening Telegraph)