DUDLEY Council says no decision has been made on whether leisure centre services will be outsourced to save cash.
In July the authority confirmed it was inviting bids to operate the borough’s centres as part of a review looking into outsourcing council services.
The council is offering a 10-year deal worth £60m set to start in July 2025, with a deadline for initial bids of August 1.
Councillor Phil Atkins, Dudley Council's cabinet member for corporate strategy, said: “The council has received several applications to take over the running of the borough’s leisure centres.
“I must stress that at this stage the council has not made a final decision to outsource leisure services.
“We will evaluate the applications and consider all options before making a final decision.”
Successful bidders will be selected to submit a full tender by November 8 before any necessary procurement processes begin.
Some of the leisure centres are in need of repairs which bidders would have to factor into their tenders.
Council budget plans have already earmarked £554,000 to replace the roof on Stourbridge’s Crystal Centre although spending the cash has been deferred until 2027/28.
Cllr Atkins said: “As a local authority we have undertaken condition surveys on each of the centres and been very open with potential bidders about the state of repair of the facilities.
“We wanted to be transparent and make sure all the relevant information was available to allow people to make an informed decision on whether to bid.
“Repairs are needed to the roof at Crystal, and we have allocated funding towards this in the council’s capital programme.
“Aside from that, the council is asking bidders to include costs for maintenance programmes to satisfy us that the centres will remain in the best possible condition for users.”
Speaking in July, Dudley Council’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, said: “We know the important role our leisure service has in our community, but the council needs to make financial savings so is exploring options to reduce the amount of money currently used to subsidise the service.
“The centres will continue to offer the vast range of services and facilities throughout the process and beyond.”
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