AN EMERGENCY motion calling for the cabinet to commission a business case to establish whether Bromsgrove District Council could take over the Ryland Centre’s management was rejected on Wednesday night.
Sandwell Leisure Trust currently operates the Ryland centre but last year gave notice to Worcestershire County Council, which owns the site, that it would cease its contract on the delivery of services.
Council leader Coun Karen May said this would happen on March 31 and the county council would need a new provider to start delivery of services and ownership of the site on April 1.
She added Worcestershire County Council had a potential buyer which has said it understood the site and would deliver the required work.
The motion, proposed by Coun Siobhan Robinson, asked the cabinet to ‘urgently explore opportunities for keeping the Ryland Centre in public ownership.’
However, the motion was lost with 13 councillors voting against a business case commission as opposed to 10 votes for it.
Coun Robinson said she was purely looking for a business case rather than a commitment from the district council to take on the centre and was ‘hugely disappointed’ in the decision.
“We need to think about making sure this asset is protected and within the public domain and not taken on by someone who might take that away from us.
“It’s the only place in the district which has a running track, something myself and the community value.”
Coun May said there was a covenant on the leisure centre saying there had to be access for sports and youth provision for the community.
“Sport England part-funded the track and this along with the above point means if the site were to be used for any other reason, an equivalent sports centre would need to be built as a replacement.
“Following conversations with the county council as far back as November we found there are significant works required.
“Our estimate for the purchase price plus the short-term fix of the issues is £1.5million and those works would need to be done very quickly.
“Given the requirement for the energy efficiency of council buildings to be in the top three ratings by 2026, there is also potential works to be undertaken here as well.”
Coun Robinson said she was worried the covenant might be ‘differently interpreted’ by a private company taking on the centre.
Coun Janet King said the Ryland understood the needs of its community including Bromsgrove’s poorer families and was less expensive than the area’s other centres.
She added this had to be considered when the county council looked to sell it off to a profit-making company that may be less responsive to the community.
