Closing down a leisure centre cost Rutland County Council £120,000 – although this was less than a quarter of the bill it could have faced. 

There were public protests against the closure of the leisure centre. (Photo: LDRS)

Catmose Sports Centre closed on May 31, after a debate at Rutland County Council about whether to continue funding the facility in Huntsman Drive. 

The Liberal Democrat cabinet that runs the council decided it could not afford to keep funding the centre. 

Today (Nov 22) leader Gale Waller revealed how much the termination has cost the council. 

Previously exempt minutes from a meeting held behind closed doors in March have been released, and in a media statement this afternoon council leader Gale Waller (Lib Dem) said: "There was no easy option for councillors when deciding the future of Catmose Sports Centre and certainly no option that was cost-free. 

"A new 10-year contract to run the centre would have cost the council just under £1 million. Councillors took the right decision to protect public money and the leisure market has responded with plans for a new fitness centre at the Burley Road Co-op site – offering brand new facilities that won't need to share space with a busy secondary school. 

"When exiting our lease for the sports centre building, the council could have faced costs of more than £500,000. 

"Following negotiations, we have successfully limited these costs to just over £120,000 for dilapidations, energy bills and final operating costs." 

Councillor Gale Waller, leader of Rutland County Council (Photo: Nub News)

The authority has now ended its lease with Catmose College. The minutes show that the council, which is having to tighten its finances to make sure it comes within budget, also funded the previous operator Stephenson Leisure Limited to the amount of £801,807 since 2020. 

The pandemic had an impact on the centre, which saw its user numbers drop from 1,360 in 2019 to 753 in January 2024. 

Financial projections showed it would have had to supplement any new operator to at least £90,000 to make the centre run. No operator was willing to run it at zero cost to the council.