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CHURCHILL SPORTS CENTRE TO CLOSE FOREVER
It's with a heavy heart that North Somerset Council has made the difficult decision not to reopen Churchill Sports Centre. The centre – which includes a swimming pool, gym, and studio – closed in March 2020 at the onset of the coronavirus pandemic and remained closed as funding could not be sourced to sustain its operation.
Despite three years of consultation and investigation into all possible funding options, it hasn't been possible to secure a viable future for this extensive leisure service. On the bright side, Churchill Academy will still operate sports pitches and sports hall for community use.
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A decision paper published on (Monday 30 January), states that the leisure service at Churchill Sports Centre, the only sports centre to require council subsidy, cost over £100,000 a year in management fees and running costs. The subsidy would be considerably higher now due to inflationary increases, the rise in energy prices and the slow recovery of the gym market post-pandemic.
Councillor Mike Solomon, North Somerset Council’s executive member for neighbourhoods and community services, said: “Churchill Sports Centre has been subject to prolonged and extensive engagement with our executive, local ward members, parish councils in the area and local stakeholders. I’d like to take this opportunity to thank Churchill Sports Centre Working Group, ward members and council officers who have worked hard to explore all options.
“Despite all this hard work, no-one has been able to find the money necessary to reinstate services and to keep the centre running. Regrettably, we’ve now been left with no alternative but to confirm that it will not reopen.”
No redundancies are associated with the decision and there is no operator contract to negotiate.
The decision notice can be found on the council’s website at www.n-somerset. gov.uk/januarydecisions.
A list of leisure centres in North Somerset, ways to get involved in sports and physical activities, and the council’s Sport and Leisure Facilities Strategy 2020-2036 can be found at www.n-somerset.gov.uk/leisure.
