School set to to run Bridgnorth Leisure Centre

Shropshire Council is planning to end all involvement with Bridgnorth Leisure Centre and hand over management to staff at the school, which is based on the same site at Northgate.

The centre is currently managed out of hours on behalf of the school's governors by Shropshire Leisure Services, which is part of Shropshire Council.

Funding is also under threat as the authority looks to make £80 million of savings over the next three years, including £40 million in the 2014/15 financial year.

The council revealed this week that the management of leisure centres across Shropshire was likely to be outsourced to private firms in a bid to save the authority more than £550,000.

The council is responsible for 24 sites across the county.

School governors discussed future plans for the centre with representatives from clubs and societies which use it during a meeting on Monday night.

Governor Mark Freathy, speaking after the meeting, said: "The governors welcome the support of the clubs and societies and feel optimistic about the future of community leisure services, as provided by the joint use of the schools buildings."

Representatives of Shropshire Leisure Services attended in support of the school's move to involve the community with plans to help shape the centre's future.

The meeting was called by the school governors to establish a partnership with the clubs, societies and the wider community to support and develop the facilities for the benefit of the school and the whole town.

The school and clubs will work together to bid for grants to bring the fabric of the building up to standard before an arrangement is made with a specialist leisure management company.

Several suggestions to improve the running of the centre were made and further meetings will be held to take those ideas forward.

A public meeting involving the wider community will be arranged for the spring.