Plans have been published for the reopening of Mid Sussex's three leisure centres, which could see the Dolphin, Kings and Triangle opening their doors in the first week of September.
Special Council meetings will be held on Wednesday 19th August and Councillors will be asked to consider the outcome of Mid Sussex District Council's negotiations with it's leisure operator.
Social distancing will artificially reduce the capacity of leisure centres across the country and the resulting dip in revenue means that taxpayer subsidy will be required to allow them to reopen. In Mid Sussex, that means hundreds of thousands of pounds a month of financial support is needed to help the centres reopen.
Conservative Councillors will be voting for the proposed agreement so that leisure centres can reopen at the beginning of September and residents can return to the gym, swimming pools and classes.
Leader of the Conservatives at Mid Sussex District Council, Cllr Jonathan Ash-Edwards, said:
“The coronavirus pandemic has had a huge impact on all of our lives, but the leisure industry in particular has been hit hard. Leisure centres across the country have been forced to close and even now they can reopen, social distancing will artificially reduce the number of residents able to use them.
“The cost of running leisure centres at the moment is extremely high and that’s why we’ve spent time working closely with our partners at Places Leisure to reach a sustainable agreement on how to run our centres in these uncertain times, given they now require significant taxpayer subsidy.
“This has been a difficult time for everyone and I know many people have missed being able to visit their local leisure centre. A proposal has been put forward for our consideration and I hope my fellow Councillors join me on 19 August in supporting the reopening of our leisure centres.”
The Council meeting will be available to view on MSDC's YouTube page on 19th August at 6pm.
