Boost for Somerset sports facilities (From Bridgwater Mercury)

Boost for Somerset sports facilities

12:50pm Saturday 15th November 2008

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SPORTS facilities across Somerset are set for a £1/3m boost.

Somerset County Council is setting up a trust to run leisure services more flexibly and competitively from April.

The trust – Somerset Leisure Ltd – could run 12 leisure centres on school sites and is seeking charitable status to allow it to recoup £200,000 yearly from VAT payments and rate relief.

It plans to establish a programme of improved health promotion and sports facilities and help for young people hoping to work in the sport and leisure industry.

With the county, Somerset Primary Care NHS Trust will promote participation in regular physical activity as well as further developing GP referral schemes to help reduce obesity rates.

Sports England will be investing £140,000 over three years in workforce development and providing sports apprenticeships.

Improvements to sports provision at The Castle Sports Centre, in Taunton, and other centres will form part of the package.

Somerset County Council’s senior leisure manager Tim Nightingale, who is leading the project, said: “The trust will provide a great opportunity to deliver services on a more flexible and competitive basis so that we can enhance and maintain the award winning sport and leisure programmes for local communities across Somerset.”

Existing county council leisure services staff will start to be transferred to the new company this month.

A further 430 council staff will transfer by the end of March.

Directors of the board of trustees are currently being selected.

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