Epping Forest Leisure Centre Management Row

The District Council's Liberal Democrats, supported by Labour and Loughton Resident members, mounted a strong challenge to the Tory Cabinet portfolio holder's attempt to persuade the Council to continue negotiations with Sport and Leisure Management, a commercial company, to take over the management of the council's leisure centres.

At the previous Cabinet meeting he had failed to answer the opinion of a long-standing working group that the financial risks of a contract with this company were too high to ensure that the centres would cost less to run in future.

This working group had thoroughly investigated and inspected nine organisations in the last twenty-two months and had eliminated all except SLM which was now seeking variations to its deal to shield it from the risk of future cost rises.

Liberal Democrat Derek Jacobs proposed an amendment to investigate the establishment of an in-house charitable trust which would have considerable tax advantages to enable it to provide an economical service.

He said, "There is no reason why an in-house trust cannot provide the same advantages as an outside operator. We are not proposing any budget change or offering the proposed trust any advantage".

Michael Heavens, Liberal Democrat Leader said, "Leisure Centre management needs to given more independence and the ability to make commercial decisions. The trust would have to operate within agreed expenditure parameters and have an agreed level of capital provision based on a thoroughly researched business plan to achieve a flat or tapering level of annual net expenditure".

After a series of tied votes, in which the Tories were supported by the Independent Leader of Council, John Knapman, a British National Party member and the Independent Council Chairman, Richard Morgan, the question was referred back to the Cabinet.

Michael Heavens said, "The Conservatives do not have a mandate to force this shaky deal through. Their assertion that leisure centres can be made self-financing is nonsense. Almost every council subsidises sport and leisure because of their contribution to health and quality of life for those who could not otherwise afford it. We must get a sustainable package for the good of the residents of Epping Forest District."