Council leaders have given assurances that the public will still be able to use a 'popular' leisure centre once it transfers to an academy chain.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council is set to hand New Horizons Leisure Centre over to Ormiston Academy Trust (OAT) on a long-term lease – a move that will save the authority £69,000 a year.

New Horizons, in Chell, sits next to Ormiston Horizon Academy, and an agreement with the council allows the school to use the centre in the day during term time. But the general public have access to the pool and sports hall in the evenings and on weekends.

In 2006, the centre underwent a refurbishment funded through a grant from the Big Lottery. A condition of the funding states that community access must continue until at least 2029, or else some of the money could be clawed back.

The proposal for New Horizons was among a number of budget cuts examined by members of the council's adult social care, health integration and wellbeing scrutiny committee. Councillor Lynn Watkins, cabinet member for health and wellbeing, told the committee that public access, and school swimming lessons, will continue after the transfer to OAT takes place.

She said: "The authority has been approached several times by the Ormiston Academy Trust about them taking over or leasing the facilities at New Horizons. This is seen as an income generator for the council. What's important is that all the management of the site will be by the trust. It will be leased over a period of time.

"At weekends and during the school holidays, the general public will be able to access swimming, operated by the council's leisure and wellbeing staff. That was something they committed to during the lease negotiations, that the facilities will still be accessible to the public. This is a popular venue and lots of people use it."

New Horizons dates back to the 1960s, and in addition to the Big Lottery-funded refurb, the council has recently invested £720,000 in energy efficiency measures. According to the business case for the budget saving, the centre's 'dated' design is resulting in increasing running costs, and it will eventually need 'significant' capital investment to extend its lifespan.

Transferring the centre to the OAT will allow the council to continue using it for education swimming lessons, community swimming sessions and school holiday provision, while removing the authority's financial liability for the building.

OAT has been expressing its interest in taking over the centre since 2022, and the business case says the transfer will leave Ormiston Horizon Academy 'in a more secure position to develop their future educational sports programme'.

The transfer will cut council expenditure by £191,000 a year, while income will fall by £122,000, resulting in a net saving of £69,000. No redundancies are planned, with staff employed at the centre either continuing to deliver services there or relocating to other facilities.

A spokesperson for OAT said: "We are carefully considering the opportunities available for our pupils and our community in leasing New Horizons Leisure Centre, and are in discussions with the council. We remain committed to ensuring both our pupils and the wider community can continue to benefit from access to a wide range of fitness and sporting activities, should these plans progress. We will continue to keep our school community and wider stakeholders updated with any developments."

The council's budget is set to be approved next month. A consultation on the proposals runs until February 10. Residents can have their say by visiting stoke.gov.uk/budget2025. They can also write to Budget 2025, c/o Executive Assistant to the Corporate Director of Resources (S151 Officer), Civic Centre, Glebe Street, Stoke ST4 1HH.

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