Agenda item
Leisure Contract - Freedom Leisure
Purpose
Freedom Leisure will be present to respond to Members questions and to give a general update on their leisure centres in the district.
Freedom Leisure Representative: Lee Thomas and Nick Charlton
Minutes:
The Chair welcomed the representatives from Freedom Leisure to the meeting.
Nick Charlton -Area Manager - Cotswold District and Gloucester.
Lee Thomas – Regional Manager - Wales and West region.
Jeremy Rowe – Operations Director - England and Wales.
Councillor Paul Hodgkinson, Cabinet Member for Health, Culture and Visitor Experience, introduced Freedom Leisure who assumed responsibility on 1 August 2023 for the three leisure centres at Cirencester, Bourton on the Water and Chipping Campden, as well as the Corinium Museum. He recorded his thanks to Freedom Leisure for their work since taking on the contract, noting that the transition had been challenging due to the condition of services inherited from the previous provider.
The following points were made:
- Freedom Leisure reported strong participation growth since the start of the contract.
- Year one recorded just over 395,000 visits, increasing to 570,000 in year two, a 46% rise (183,000 additional visits).
- Growth was attributed to increased membership, expansion of the Learn to Swim programme, improved session programming, and responding to customer feedback.
- Memberships increased from 3,065 in October 2023 to 4,633 by August of the following year, which represented a 51% growth.
- “Meet the Team” sessions were held, resulting in an increase in compliments and a decrease in complaints.
- Conducted case studies and community outreach.
- Provided staff development and training opportunities.
The Area Manager answered submitted questions from Members:
The reflection on lessons learned included introducing “Meet the Manager” sessions earlier in the partnership to engage customers from the start, particularly during service transitions. The same approach applied to staff teams, ensuring early involvement and smoother adaptation to changes.
Parking at the Cirencester leisure centre could be challenging at times but Freedom Leisure acknowledged that the car park was managed by the Council, and any resolution or improvements would be addressed through meetings.
The Area Manager noted that managerial support for younger team members was in place. Freedom Leisure confirmed that duty managers and general managers provided regular one-to-one meetings and appraisals, ensuring development and support were consistently available across all team members. Internal procedures were followed to address any specific issues that arose.
The small teaching pool was maintained at a higher temperature than the main pool (29?°C) in accordance with the contractual arrangement with the Council.
Freedom Leisure employed their own cleaning staff and had increased the number of cleaners since taking over operations. They reviewed customer feedback internally, adjusting rotas or adding hours where trends indicated a need.
Councillor Hall-Wilson responded to the representatives by asking whether the number of people paying to use the smaller teaching pool could be better controlled by reception staff to prevent overcrowding and long waits leading to babies and toddlers getting cold. Freedom Leisure confirmed that they would try to improve the booking system to control the foot flow.
Freedom Leisure delivered outreach classes in Northleach and Weston-Sub-Edge, for those who may not attend leisure centres. They also collaborated with the NHS on health referral programs.
In questioning and discussion, the following points were noted:
- Difficulties were identified with the Chipping Campden site, as it was owned and maintained by the school. From a maintenance perspective, challenges at the school were noted, with some issues not being rectified, possibly due to the school’s financial constraints.
- At the Chipping Campden site, Sunday mornings remained difficult, as two qualified lifeguards were required to open the pool, and last-minute absences caused delays.
- Freedom Leisure were unaware that St James Place car park was available for weekend use and agreed to investigate its availability at the Cirencester Centre.
- Members raised issues around the cleanliness, lack of good customer service and a lack of building repairs at the Cirencester site. Freedom Leisure reported increased cleaning in the gym and greater training in all staff members. The Leisure and Culture Manager explained that routine smaller maintenance items were the responsibility of Freedom Leisure, while larger-scale repairs and maintenance issues were considered by the Council.
- David Stanley, Deputy Chief Finance Officer, explained that when Freedom Leisure took over the contract, the Council invested £1.2 million into the leisure centres. £360,000 had been spent on new equipment around three to four years ago with planned capital investment of £500,000 in 2026–27 and £550,000 in 2029–30.
- The Cabinet Member noted that expanding the service in Moreton-in-Marsh would be extremely challenging at the present time. Significant additional funding would be required, potentially from Section 106 contributions or housing, but such a decision would rest with the future unitary council.
- The Deputy Chief Finance Officer explained that discussions were taking place with the school regarding the funding of energy-efficiency initiatives.
- Opportunities had been offered at both Bourton and Chipping Campden Schools to complete NPQL lifeguard qualifications. Students were supported to gain lifeguard and swim teacher qualifications, and many progressed into employment at the leisure centres.
- The replacement jacuzzi at Bourton-on-the-Water is on site but installation had been delayed due to underlying pipework and balance tank issues, including leaks. Contractors were currently addressing these problems.
- Freedom Leisure stated that they would feed back to the Museum Manager the Committee’s interest in developing wider Cotswold-linked displays to reflect the wider history of the Cotswolds rather than just the Roman period.