In an effort to make Liverpool’s Lifestyles Centres more affordable in the long term, the city council will begin the process of seeking expressions of interest from external organisations to take over the management of Everton Park and Park Road Lifestyles centres. The recommendation, which will be considered by the Cabinet on December 19, has been made as the council seeks to save £900,000 as part of its Medium Term Financial Plan. Despite attempts to increase the facilities’ profile and better support visitors, including the implementation of half-price membership schemes, direct debit users numbers have dropped, leading to Council taxpayers subsidising the sites. This has been estimated at £15.85 per visit to Everton Park and £19.85 at Park Road, both of which are well above the £8.20 per visit average for all Lifestyles facilities situated across the city.
The initiative is set to commence from the new year and it is expected that the two sites, which have been identified due to their low performance and age, will trigger a six-week consultation exercise under the Council’s Community Asset Transfer Policy. This will fully investigate how an ownership change could impact users and opportunities that it could create. While the council expects any third-party expressions of interest to retain community access, at Park Road this would include access to the gymnastics offer. No job losses are expected as staff will be relocated to one of the other remaining seven Lifestyles fitness centres, including Peter Lloyd Lifestyles, which is set to reopen in 2022 following an investment of £2.2m.
Liverpool City Council’s Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing, and Culture, Councillor Harry Doyle, stated that “local authority leisure services across the country are under pressure, due to factors such as reduction in funding and post-Covid uptake in gym memberships. We have a good track record of transferring Council buildings over to partner organisations, who in turn have the ability to attract investment and improve facilities. If the report is approved, we can take the first steps in securing their future”. The council also plans to launch a new Physical Activity Strategy in 2024 to encourage more children and adults to become active. Residents in the surrounding areas will be consulted to gain a better understanding of how they prefer to exercise and what can be done to help them become more active
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