FIVE Taunton Deane facilities could come under new management next year.

Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) operates leisure facilities under its Better brand.

They include swimming pools in Taunton and Wellington and the golf course and high ropes course at Vivary Park, Taunton.

The contract to operate these facilities comes to an end in July 2019, with five separate bidders in line to operate the sites until at least 2031.

Taunton Deane Borough Council is undergoing a  procurement process with these bidders, with the contract holder expected to be announced early next year.

It is not currently clear if GLL is among the bidders.

GLL currently operates the following sites on the council’s behalf:

  • The Blackbrook Leisure Centre and Spa on Blackbrook Road, Taunton
  • Taunton Swimming Pool on Station Road, Taunton
  • Vivary Park golf course and high ropes course at Vivary Park, Taunton
  • Wellsprings Leisure Centre on Cheddon Road, Taunton
  • Wellington Sports Centre on Corams Road, Wellington

These facilities are leased to GLL by the council,  with the exception of the high ropes course in Vivary Park, which is owned by the operator outright.

Councillor Vivienne Stock–Williams, portfolio holder for sports, parks and  leisure, stated in a report on September that a new agreement could bring the facility back into the council’s hands.

She said: “This asset remains in GLL ownership pending the completion of the current lease and management fee agreements in July 2019.

“As part of the leisure procurement activity officers are looking at the need to transfer the asset to us.”

She provided a more detailed written update on the procurement process ahead of a full council meeting on Tuesday evening (October 2).

She said: “Our current leisure contract with GLL ends on July 31, 2019, and the project to secure an operator for the new contract is progressing on schedule.

“We are offering a ten years and eight months contract starting on August 1, 2019, with the potential to extend for a further ten years depending on performance.”

Five potential operators – who have not been named at this stage – have made detailed submission to the council, laying out how they intend to run the facilities.

The council is clarifying aspects of these submissions with a view to narrowing the number of bidders down to three before the next stage of procurement.

After this has been completed, “competitive dialogue sessions” will be held later in October between the council and the bidders, ahead of final tenders being submitted in November.

These will be evaluated in the run-up to Christmas, with an announcement of the winning contractor being made in early-2019.

GLL did not respond to a request for comment.

Earlier this year, Galmington mum Julie Collins spoke out over conditions she said left her and her children 'feeling dirty' at Blackbrook Leisure Centre and Spa.

In response, GLL said 'significant measures' were being introduced to address the problem.