Case studies

Oldham Community Leisure was formed as an industrial and provident society in 2002. Its partnership with Oldham Council is successfully delivering on a range of community outcomes. The leisure trust delivers health interventions and services as well as running leisure centres and sports facilities.

Broxbourne Borough Council runs its own sports provision through the Broxbourne Sport service. Over the last 10 years the service has gone from an operating loss to a trading budget surplus, which is used to improve the facilities and increase participation. This has already saved more than £700,000 from the council’s capital programme budget.

Wirral Council runs its own sport and leisure provision and has an ambition for the service to be selfsufficient by 2020. Ahead of that, investment is underway to improve the facilities, increase participation, improve the health of local people and generate greater income from the sports facilities.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council provides its sport, play and arts service and its leisure service inhouse. Other models have been considered and trialled in the past, such as outsourcing, but the services demonstrate high levels of success under the in-house mechanism.

Oxford City Council’s awardwinning sport and physical activity team works with a broad range of partners, including an external provider which operates the city’s sport and leisure facilities. Targeted programmes, projects and events are helping to increase participation among key community groups.

Three Rivers District Council has an in-house leisure development team and contracts out the management of its leisure venues. The team works with a range of partners to meet strategic targets around increasing the health and wellbeing of local people, including those with additional needs, mental health issues and vulnerable young people.

Eastleigh In-house sports and physical activity development Eastleigh Borough Council’s sport and active lifestyles team works with its two outsourced leisure providers, and other partners, to help people lead healthier lives. Local priorities include getting women and girls more active and addressing a dropoff in participation as young people approach their teenage years.

Since the contract began in 2015, participation has increased significantly, facilities have been improved and the long-term sustainability of the service is now secure.

Kirklees Active Leisure was established by Kirklees Council in 2002. Both organisations work together to provide, develop and protect good quality leisure services for local people. The leisure trust is committed to social and community development and contributes significantly to the local partnership agenda.

Hackney GLL, a charitable social enterprise, manages sport and leisure facilities and services for the London Borough of Hackney under a contract which runs to 2029. The partners are working together to raise participation rates and improve the health of local people, while reducing the cost to the council over time.