OCL team leads leisure race

SOUGHT after: Oldham Sports Centre and its replacement will be run by OCL.

HAVING Oldham Community Leisure run the borough’s sports facilities for another 10 years will save taxpayers’ money and improve the service, say council chiefs.

OCL is Oldham’s preferred bidder to retain the management contract, having beaten off a challenge from two other companies.

Final agreement is subject to the successful completion of negotiations during the three months left on the existing contract.

Sport and Leisure Management (SLM) was appointed reserve bidder and will take over if OCL cannot finalise the contract, whose terms are subject to a final decision on facilities at the yet-to-be-built new Oldham sports centres in Eagle Street.

OCL has run leisure facilities in Oldham since it was founded in 2002. The new contract will run from April to March 2023, with the possibility of a five year extension.

Councillor Hugh McDonald, the council’s cabinet member in charge, said: “As well as providing better value for money, we will also be reinvesting the savings made to further improve and the facilities on offer to residents.”

Stuart Lockwood, OCL’s chief executive, said: “The new contract and planned investment offers a fantastic opportunity for OCL to encourage even more residents to enjoy a healthier lifestyle.”

The contract is part of a wider review of the controversial “leisure estate”, which began in winter 2010.