Leisure centres transfer back into council ownership today

West Norfolk Council has today welcomed Alive West Norfolk, which runs the authority’s leisure centres and cultural venues, back under in-house management.The company, which has been managing itself for the past six years, informed customers in February of the changes.In 2019, the management of council leisure and arts facilities transferred to Alive West Norfolk, which was set as a Local Authority Controlled Company (LACC).

It is hoped that the move back will put West Norfolk in a stronger position as it starts to explore options and opportunities to invest in new sustainable health and wellbeing provision for Lynn and Hunstanton, such as the replacement of town swimming pools.Operationally, residents will not notice any changes following the transfer and do not need to do anything differently.Facilities will continue to be run under the ‘Alive’ brand and leisure customers who pay by direct debit have already been notified of the change. All Alive West Norfolk staff were already on the council’s terms of conditions and have been TUPE-transferred to direct council employment, with no impact on staff numbers or roles.Cllr Simon Ring, the deputy council leader and cabinet member for business and culture, said: “We are delighted today to welcome our Alive West Norfolk colleagues back to the council and look forward to even closer partnership working to improve leisure facilities and support the health and wellbeing of our communities. “Crucially, merging the strategic role of the council with the operational role of AWN significantly strengthens our in-house focus, capacity and the expertise required to develop and deliver plans for major capital investment over the coming years.“It also ensures full alignment with council priorities and goals, including the crucial challenge of reducing health and cultural inequalities.“Finally, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the AWN board for overseeing the company over recent years plus all the colleagues across multiple teams at the council and AWN who have worked hard to ensure a smooth and seamless transition back in-house.”Alive venues currently include Lynnsport and Alive St James in Lynn, Alive Downham and Alive Oasis in Hunstanton.