East Devon leisure services review

East Devon District Council is reviewing how its leisure centres are run so it can protect them for the long term and make sure residents continue to receive good quality services.

The council is responsible for nine leisure centres, one theatre and several outdoor sports and recreation sites across East Devon. These are located in Axminster, Broadclyst, Colyton, Exmouth, Honiton, Ottery St Mary, Sidmouth and Seaton.

The facilities have been run for many years by LED Community Leisure. Alongside a well regarded health and wellbeing programme, they play an important role in supporting local communities and helping people stay active and well. Feedback from users continues to be positive.

The current management agreement includes a scheduled review at this point. This means the council must now check that future leisure services continue to offer good quality and value for money. As part of this, and in line with normal practice, the council is running a full and competitive tender process. This allows the council to respond to changes in the market and choose the most sustainable and cost effective option for the future.

The tender process opened late last year and attracted interest from a number of potential operators. The council has now assessed the initial submissions against the agreed criteria and will move to the next stage of the process.

All leisure services will continue as normal during this process. There will be no changes to facilities, activities or programmes. The council is also keeping key partners informed, including local schools that use the leisure centres.

Councillor Nick Hookway, Portfolio Holder Culture, Leisure, Sport and Tourism, East Devon District Council, said:

"Our leisure centres are highly valued by residents across East Devon. Maintaining the quality of these services is very important in helping residents to be active, fit and healthy. The decision to go out to tender followed a thorough review of current services and costs. By having a new contract, the council will be able to ensure that its leisure services are fit for purpose, sustainable and delivered with the best possible value for the foreseeable future. The response to the tendering process has been encouraging.”

The tender process will continue throughout this year, with the contract expected to be awarded by the end of 2026. This will be followed by a mobilisation period, ahead of a planned start date in 2027.