MEMBERS of Bridgend Council have agreed that a contract to provide leisure services across the county borough will be extended for an additional five years.
The current service, which has been managed by Halo Leisure on behalf of Bridgend County Borough Council, has seen the registered charity run the area’s eight leisure centres and swimming pools since 2012.
However with the council’s contract with the provider set to end in March of 2027, members heard how a decision must now be made on what the future of the service will look like.
Speaking at a council cabinet meeting on October 22, 2024, officers outlined how the services had been given excellent ratings in previous years, with a recommendation to extend what had been described as a “highly successful partnership” with the organisation.
The decision had also been supported by a council scrutiny committee held earlier in the month, with the cost of extending the service thought to be a minimum of £4.4 million cheaper over the same five-year period than it would be to bring them back in-house under the council’s control.
The report read: “The current partnership agreement term is due to end in March, 2027. The council will, in the interim, need to determine the future model for delivery of Healthy Living Services, the facilities in scope, targeted outcomes and indeed the affordability of services in the highly challenging budget context facing public services.
“It may be in the coming years that the council needs to formulate its longer-term position and a short-term extension may be helpful in that context. Any extension would need to retain the flexibility that might be needed for further changes in requirements and also be more cost effective than alternatives.”
Council Leader John Spanswick added: “I’ve got to say it is a win win to date with this contract and partnership with Halo, where costs are reduced and the facilities have improved and the range of services have increased and improved across the board.”
The five-year extension of the contract was later approved unanimously by members and will now see Halo take control of leisure services in Bridgend until 2032.
