AUGUST PLAN FOR LEISURE CENTRES A lot of people have asked me about the re-open…

AUGUST PLAN FOR LEISURE CENTRES
A lot of people have asked me about the re-opening of the five District Council Leisure Centres.
They have all been mothballed whilst the Coronavirus crisis has restricted our normal lives. However, the District Council are planning to re-open them on a phased basis, with new social distancing and hygiene procedures in place. It will also be subject to government guidance and whether there is a second, or third wave of the virus spreading.
At the moment the best guess is that one or two centres will be open by early August. It is hoped that Totton will be open by mid August. Initially, the centres will be open without the polls being in use, but if all goes well, the pools will be opened two weeks after the centre opens.
It will useful to keep an eye on the "new" New Forest District Council website for updates. Members will written to when things are firmed up.
Somewhat surprisingly, the Conservative administration are still progressing the privatisation of the management of the leisure centres. I am told that the commercial companies who have expressed an interest in taking them on are still keen to do so.
Personally, I think the whole privatisation idea is best dropped in favour of concentrating on getting the Leisure Centres back up and running and providing a service to a standard and cost that residents appreciate, but hey, ho… we will yet see what happens.
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