Parking discounts for leisure centre users are to be slashed despite warnings that people will go elsewhere for their fitness needs.
Swale council has decided to reduce the money customers can claim back when they park at and use either Swallows Leisure Centre in Sittingbourne or Sheppey Leisure Complex.
Currently, people can get a full refund if they stay at the council-owned car parks for between an hour and three hours and use the fitness facilities.
However, under the new scheme, they will only be able to claim their cash back for the first hour – £1.50. The changes will come into force from April 1, 2027, after the current leisure contract ends on March 31, 2027.
It means people who park three times a week for two hours will have to fork out an extra £18 a month – 45% of the cost of a membership, which is £33.95 a month.
A Swale council spokesman said it would “make sure everyone across the borough has access to discounted parking, while also remaining financially responsible”.
He added: “It will help us create fairness across our leisure sites and reduce the costs of these non-statutory services, as we work towards a balanced budget.”
Before the decision was made at a meeting on Thursday, July 3, Swallows gym users and swimmers warned that the leisure centres could lose money as members might move to other facilities with free parking.
Mike Carslake, 78, has been a member at the centre for almost 20 years and remembers when the council scrapped the refunds completely in September 2018.
Swale u-turned on the move and reintroduced the concessions in August 2019.
The former self-employed boss of MC Decorating said: “It won’t affect me too much, but I know at least a dozen people who left and didn’t return when the council stopped the refunds altogether.
“I think it is shooting itself in the foot as people will leave, as the cost does add up if you are already paying for a membership.”
Meanwhile, Faversham Pools users will be delighted with the plans, which will extend to the centre in Leslie Smith Drive, as there is currently no refund arrangement.
The council also voted to invest £2 million into all three sites. The cash will be used to improve service areas, boilers, air handling and pool filtration systems.
It comes as the tender process for the new contract is set to start “in the coming weeks”, Swale says.
A council spokesman added: “We will be assessing the proposals of leisure operators on how they would run the centres if they were successful.
“Members have agreed on a set of criteria that operators must meet in order to deliver community activities in an innovative, safe and consistent manner across the borough.”
Swallows and the Sheppey Leisure Complex face plenty of competition for their gym and fitness class offerings.
These include Snap Fitness in Neats Court in Queenborough and across the road from the council offices in St Michael’s Road in Sittingbourne, as well as PureGym in the town’s retail park.
This is acknowledged in a council report, which says “competitor facilities all offer free parking at their facilities” and by removing refunds or reducing them, “it is likely that bidders [for the leisure contract] will increase their tender price to cover the risk of existing members moving to alternative facilities”.
However, the report reasons that the “existing scheme is not affordable” and that the hour refund still gives an “incentive for customers to use the facilities, but caps the ongoing cost”.
KentOnline asked Swale council how much the current arrangement is costing it and how much extra revenue it expects to bring in under the new plan, but it would not comment on these details.
Sheppey pool and Swallows had been earmarked by council bosses for upgrades in a “wish-list” as part of efforts to deal with a potential population boom.
Faversham Pools was not part of this “priority” list.
Separately, work has started on a £14 million upgrade of the Sheppey Leisure Complex in Beachfields, as part of the £20 million Sheerness Revival scheme which is being paid for by the government.
Both Swallows and the Sheppey centre are managed by the Swale Community Leisure Trust, which commissioned Serco Leisure to run day-to-day operations.
