In May 2011 when the Liberal Democrats took control of the Council from the Conservatives we inherited a run down leisure provision with no real money in the budget.
Over the next 4 years we invested across the area in upgrading the leisure and sporting provision – most notably at Odd Down. But also the new skate park at the RVP.
We also retendered the contract and appointed GLL and put into the budget real money to refurbish the sports centre at Bath and to look at either a refurb or a brand new facility in Keynsham.
We are please that the new Conservative administration that took over from us in May last year has kept to our renewal commitment and has also kept in the budget the money set aside for a new skate facility at Alice Park.

However the devil is in the detail and as plans come forward there is clearly going to be debate about new facilities and reduced or deleted facilities.

At present the controversy seems to be entered on squash and bowls. Please feel free to get back to me with any thoughts as to priorities as we watch and see how the new administration and the new operator spend the money set aside in the budget by us.

Please see below a link to the Cabinet report from last September which sets out the full approval for Bath and para 3.2 details that the costs of the borrowing will be covered by the income from GLL over the life of the contract
https://democracy.bathnes.gov.uk/documents/s37525/E2782%20Leisure%20Capital%20budget.pdf

along with the February budget report from 2016
http://moderngov/documents/s40363/Appendix%202%20Annex%203%20Capital%20Programme.pdf
which sets out the provisional approvals for Keynsham on page 119.