Shropshire’s Labour leader has questioned the savings that will be made under a new deal to get a private multi-national firm to run five of the county’s leisure centres.

Serco will have to make a ‘significant investment’ in improving five county leisure centres as part of any deal to hand the buildings over to them, council bosses insisted.

Five of Shropshire’s biggest leisure centres are set to be taken over by a private firm.

The teaching pool at Oswestry’s new showpiece £10 million leisure centre had to be closed after a high level of bacteria was found in the water.

Newly-released figures show Oswestry’s new leisure centre is continuing to be popular with town residents.

Five county leisure centres were subsidised with more than £1.5 million by Shropshire Council in the last financial year, a new report has revealed.

Oswestry’s new leisure centre was given a huge seal of approval by hundreds of people who turned out for its official opening at the weekend.

A ‘long and sometimes frustrating process’ to bring a new leisure centre to Oswestry will come to a conclusion tomorrow when the town’s new modern venue opens at last.