WEST Devon Borough Council has stepped in to secure leisure facilities in the borough by providing £97,000 — but Meadowlands will remain closed.

The interim financial support package from the council is crucial to safeguard the future leisure provision in West Devon and will enable Parklands, Okehampton’s Leisure Centre, to reopen.

An interim support package, funded until September 2020, will provide Fusion, the council’s leisure provider, with the funding needed to fully open Okehampton’s centre, and it agreed to cover the costs of the two West Devon centres’ lack of use during July, while also agreeing to cover the mothballing costs for Meadowlands for three months.

The decision to open Parklands, and not Meadowlands, was agreed after discussions centred on the availability of other local leisure provision in Tavistock and the size of each centre to accommodate social distancing restrictions.

The council added that further discussions about the reopening of the Tavistock centre being revisited in September.

The Government declared that indoor gyms and leisure centres were free to reopen from Saturday (July 25) but frustrated Tavistock users took to social media to ask why they were still paying for a membership they couldn’t use. Members of Meadowlands are paying a reduced fee of £10, down from £35 a month, to use the gym facilities and swimming pool.

Member Jo Tennant said she had been told that if she cancelled her membership for herself and her children they would lose access to their progress report in the leisure centre’s swim school for children.

She said: ‘We are not really getting anything for our £10 a month and we haven’t had any updates. You won’t normally pay for a service you are not using. They shouldn’t have charged us in the first place.’

She added: ‘I have a few friends who were thinking of cancelling but they didn’t, because they didn’t want to use their children’s swimming progress.’

Fusion emailed its members last Thursday, saying: ‘Following the Government announcement that leisure centres may reopen, we have been analysing the safety and financial challenges ahead. We are working with West Devon Borough Council to look at the options for a phased return of leisure centre provision but we do not expect all activities at all facilities to resume immediately.

‘We know your leisure facilities are really important for your health and well-being and we want them open again as soon as they are safe and viable, so we hope that you will bear with us during this time.’

Cllr Tony Leech, lead member for well-being for West Devon Borough Council, said: ’We are in a long contract with Fusion, so it is important that we respond to these huge challenges when they need our greatest support. Health and well-being has never been more important for our residents than now and we’re doing everything in our power to ensure there are leisure facilities available within the borough and I’m delighted to announce the reopening of Parklands Leisure Centre.

’Of course we would ideally like to keep both centres open but we have to be realistic about what we can financially provide as part of this interim support package.

’The council will be reviewing support for Fusion and as part of that, will be discussing which of the leisure centres should be open in September.’

Across the UK, leisure companies have been severely affected by the Covid-19 pandemic and with no financial support available from Central Government, other than the furlough scheme and the availability of loans, these are very challenging conditions for Fusion.

The council and Fusion are supporting the #SaveLeisure campaign launched by Community Leisure UK urging the UK Government to commit circa £800-million relief funding to enable the full reopening and recovery of the public leisure sector. Without this dedicated relief fund, a third of all public leisure facilities in the UK may not reopen and half will face permanent closure by the end of the year.

Government guidance now allows leisure centres to reopen with strict social distancing restrictions which limit how many visitors can safely use the facilities at any one time. Restrictions also include greater cleaning systems and changes in the ventilation of facilities. With these limitations on visitors, financial forecasts suggest that takings would reduce by around 60%, meaning financial support is needed to make facilities available.

In September, the council will take a review of its financial position and the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and will reconsider the health and well-being options available.

Anthony Cawley, director of operations at Fusion Lifestyle, said: ’We know our leisure facilities are really important for the health and well-being of the local community and we want them open again as soon as they are safe and viable. Therefore, we are so pleased our doors are beginning to open again and together with West Devon Borough Council, we hope our customers will bear with us whilst we implement our reopening plans and they can soon enjoy their centres once again.’

To find out more about the Community Leisure UK campaign and ways you can support, visit www.communityleisureuk.org