Liverpool’s Lifestyles centres could be taken over by two external organisations as part of a community asset transfer process. City of Liverpool Gymnastics Foundation has submitted its interest in taking over Park Road Lifestyles, while St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust has put itself forward in relation to Everton Park Lifestyles. Liverpool City Council has been working closely with both organisations to complete assurances and a due diligence process before making a final decision on the future of both leisure centres. Once diligence has been completed by all parties, a recommendation will be presented at Cabinet later this year for the final decision.
Council tax payers are increasingly having to subsidise the centres. The average cost per visit to Everton Park is £15.85, while for Park Road it’s £19.85, compared to £8.20 per visit for all Lifestyles facilities across the city. The Lifestyles service must deliver savings of £990,000 as part of the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan but is currently overspending £3.4 million annually across all eight Lifestyles venues.
The process currently underway includes robust business plans being submitted, including a continued commitment to community use. Council staffers will be relocated to one of the Council’s Lifestyles fitness centres, including the newly refurbished Peter Lloyd Lifestyles, which reopened this month if the transfers go ahead.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, commented: “as a Lifestyles member myself, I know how important our leisure centres are to our communities… We do have budget pressures, that’s why we took the decision in December 2023 to seek expressions of interest from community organisations, organisations that can access funding we can’t, in order to improve and future-proof these vital assets.” An extraordinary council meeting discussing maintaining and improving the Lifestyles estate will be held later this month.
The community asset transfer has recently reviewed and updated its CAT policy and programme
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