SOUTH Somerset’s swimming pools will be under new management from the spring after the district council confirmed their current operator would not have its contract renewed.

LED Leisure currently runs Wincanton sports centre, as well as the Goldenstones leisure centre and the Westlands sports and fitness centre, both in Yeovil.

The company has struggled financially during the coronavirus crisis, requiring support from South Somerset District Council in September to prevent the existing facilities from closing permanently.

The council has confirmed LED Leisure has not bid for a new contract to run the district’s leisure facilities – including the new pool being constructed in Chard – with a new provider expected to be announced in the spring.

The issue was discussed by the council’s district executive committee when it met virtually on Thursday morning (December 3).

The council originally intended to appoint a new leisure contractor before Christmas, but the procurement process was delayed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Councillor Mike Best, portfolio holder for health and well-being, said: “If there was ever a worse time to try to negotiate a new contract, this is it.

“We started the contract just before we went into the first lockdown period. Obviously since then there’s been closures of the leisure facilities throughout – and obviously we’ve just gone through another one.

“It looks like we will be able to achieve what we set out to do – appointing a new supplier in time for the end of the existing contract.”

LED Leisure’s current contract runs out on March 31, with the council confirming that the Woodbury-based company had decided not to bid for any new contract.

A spokesman said: “LED Leisure Ltd took the decision not to bid for the new contract in the current climate, but remain committed to providing good quality services for customers for their remaining term.”

The council agreed in September to provide LED Leisure with a non-repayable grant to “mitigate the losses” it incurred from having to close its facilities since the first national lockdown in March.

The council did not divulge the precise amount of support the company received, citing commercial sensitivity.

LED Leisure received a similar rescue package from East Devon District Council in late-November amounting to £732,275, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The new contract bidders’ initial proposals have now been assessed and scored by council officers, with the final tenders being submitted in the run-up to Christmas.

The council expects to formally select a new leisure provider by February, with a formal handover taking place and the new contract officially beginning on April 1, 2021.

The new provider’s contract is expected to run for ten years, meaning they will run both the existing and any new facilities until March 2031.

The new Chard swimming pool and leisure centre – being built on Silver Street as part of the council’s Chard regeneration scheme – is expected to be operational by late-2021.

A spokesman said: “The new operator will start working with us to help influence the final fit out of the new Chard centre.

“We have enjoyed a positive partnership with LED Leisure over the term of the existing contracts, and they have stated that they will work proactively with us and the new operator to ensure a smooth handover.”

A full report on the new provider will come before the district executive committee in April.