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Cinema, bowling, it’s the future!
Reporter: Janice Barker
Date online: 25 January 2010
Council plans a leisure revolution
Plans for a new major family centre including sports facilities, a pool, cinemas and a bowling alley are part of Oldham Council’s vision for its future leisure facilities.
A review is under way because operating council pools, pitches and sports centres as it does now is not an option, according to a new report.
And a search for a new partner to work with the council to design and construct new buildings, refurbish others and manage them all will begin immediately if councillors approve the idea this week.
The joint report from Councillors John McCann and Mark Alcock says the condition of leisure buildings varies from new and refurbished, to end-of-life, while some pitches and changing rooms are poor.
But passing the entire responsibility to a third party would potentially cost more and the council would lose control of its buildings.
Instead they are considering a new system called competitive dialogue which is used for complex contracts, and which would give the council some control over its leisure buildings and land.
The whole process, which has to be advertised across Europe, could take more than a year to set up.
The services are currently managed by Oldham Community Leisure, but the contract ends in November. OCL will be invited to continue working with Oldham Council for another two years.
If not an interim management company could be called in, or they could be managed in-house.
Councillor McCann, cabinet member for community services and housing, said: “We can’t go on as we are and giving the services to a private operator would mean they would only want things which would make a profit.
“Some of our buildings are getting very old. Chadderton and Saddleworth are brilliant but the two oldest and in worst condition are Shaw and Royton.
“We have spent money on them, but there is a limit, and we are constantly looking for spares.”
Councillors are keen to use sports facilities in Oldham’s new secondary schools for general use, and not to duplicate them with other facilities close by.
The report will be considered by cabinet members on Wednesday.
Comments
Another consultation. Probably go the same way as the plans for Oldham Beyond. What happened to *that* after all the fuss and expensive consultations?
McCann and Alcock wasting money yet again on pointless reports. the bowling alley and cinema complex proposals are almost 10 years old now! nothing was done then and nothing will ever happen. while all other boroughs push forward with plans for the future ombc just dawdle and hesitate.
also can i just say to McCann that Oldhams leisure services have been run superbly over the last few years by OCL and that they must be kept in to run the leisure facilities.
i used to work for oldham leisure services when the council ran them and they where poorly run and neglected back then.
This sounds remarkably familiar, doesn't it? What will OMBC promise next? Where has Cllr Allcock found the time to co-author this report with all his Kitchen based escapades? Will the bowling alley have disco bowling? THESE ARE ALL QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERING OMBC!
YAP YAP YAP, heard it all before! This council will do nothing for this town except make empty promises like the last one! When are we going to see something new and exciting in Oldham? The place is going backwards at massive speed, WAKE UP, if you can't do the job Mr Councillor then let someone else....
"council plans a leisure revolution". Is that "revolution" as in going round in circles?
‘A new system called competitive dialogue which is used for complex contracts’, well based on the councils total inability to understand even basic English we have a major problem here that's going to cost us the taxpayer dearly. Look at the £5-20M mess parker, sykes & alcok with there legal cronies got us into
Here we go again!!! It's just a load of wishful thinking unless a developer with money to invest comes along. Sounds good for the local elections though: it's a gimic.
Oldham’s new secondary schools? i thought we where getting academies? think the sponsors might have a say in what will be allowed on their sites! not much different than getting private companys in to run things!
can we get a private company in to maintain the roads please? ombc are not fit for purpose in that department too!
Just before there is an election of any type this is wheeled out, there is probably some people out there that still believe it.
Have Your Say
Heard it all before - just get something done about it instead of writting reports about what everyone already knows.
By rjsoafc @ 25/01/2010 12:49:01