By 
The closure of Gloucester’s GL1 leisure centre has prompted civic chiefs to consider a community interest company to run planned new leisure facilities in the Forest of Dean.
The GL1 leisure centre and Oxstalls sports park closed suddenly on September 29 with the loss of more than 150 jobs after Aspire Sports and Cultural Trust decided not to renew its contract with the City Council and to go into liquidation.
Since then, Gloucester City Council has come up with a plan to reopen the facilities as soon as possible and bring an interim leisure provider in to run the services until a long term contract is awarded next year.
Some facilities at Oxstalls have already been reopened thanks to the University of Gloucestershire working with the council.
But further afield the sudden collapse of Aspire and the closure of much-loved leisure facilities has prompted Forest of Dean District Councillors to consider setting up a community interest company to manage the new facilities planned at Five Acres.
Councillor Jamie Elsmore (Progressive Independents, Berry Hill) has tabled a motion for next week’s full council meeting.
His motion says the recent events in a neighbouring council highlights the importance of a community’s leisure facilities.
The motion reads: “The Forest of Dean Council agrees that the new sporting and leisure facilities being built at Five Acres are hugely important and can set a model for the Districts future provision of new facilities.
“It also agrees that the best people to run such facilities are those that use and care about them the most.
“Local schools, local clubs, local orchestras, local choirs, local organisations and local individuals have vested interest in providing quality and affordable facilities as they use them and they value them.
“With that in mind The council will look to create a Community Interest Company made up of such organisations and Council representatives and officers to run and manage the new facilities at Five Acres , when they are finally built.”
Councillors will debate this motion at the meeting in Coleford on October 19.
By Carmelo Garcia – Local Democracy Reporter
Gloucester News Centre – http://gloucesternewscentre.co.uk
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