Deal is struck for leisure centres to be run by private firm

Chichester District Council’s leisure services will be operated by Sports and Leisure Management Ltd (SLM Ltd), which trades under the brand Everyone Active.

Everyone Active currently runs Fareham Leisure Centre and from May will also manage centres in Southbourne and Chichester.

As part of the partnership, more than £1m will be spent on the leisure centres – mainly at the Chichester site - to refurbish and improve them, including the provision of new, state-of-the-art gym equipment.

Councillor Gillian Keegan, who is in charge of economy in Chichester district, said the deal would result in ‘significant savings’ for the authority and would help protect leisure centres and other council services.