CHICHESTER District Council’s leisure and sports services will be managed by an outside management company from May. The switch at its three Westgate centres at Chichester, Southbourne and Midhurst follows a review which showed it would make savings and protect services.

The council has awarded a 10-year contract to Sports and Leisure Management (SLM) which operates as “Everyone Active”. Gillian Keegan, the council’s member for the economy, said: “We are incredibly proud of our leisure services and this review was about how we can continue to deliver them at the high standard that they are now.

“We have to look at new ways of doing things in order to maintain and protect council services. Our findings from this review showed that by bringing in an external management company, the council will make significant savings.

“This will not only protect our leisure services, which we know play an important role within our local communities, but it will also help to protect other council services.”

By operating many centres firms such as SLM can make savings and economies of scale. and through charitable status, can make savings on business rates and VAT. The move would also offer users more choice she stressed and help meet CDC objectives, including increasing participation and supporting initiatives to improve health and wellbeing.

Prices would only increase in line with inflation, unless agreed by the council. Existing leisure centre staff will transfer to SLM in May.