The alarm was raised late on a Monday evening – and by the Wednesday, it was clear that the future of the Active Nation-run sports centre in Filton, completed last year at a cost of £4.5m, was in tatters.
Town clerk Simon Davies had been chasing the leisure charity for late payments – not unusual in business – but it was the phone call from a senior member of the Active Nation team which confirmed the worst. The charity was ‘winding down’ and would be ceasing trading, citing utility costs. Similar closures have happened in Lincoln and Southampton and Filtonvoice understands the Charity Commission has opened a compliance case into the charity to assess concerns about its “governance and financial management”.
This set in motion two weeks of frantic activity at Filton Town Council, which had funded the centre but outsourced management to Active Nation. The centre was closed, gym members and swimmers were angry and confused, and staff were left unsure of their future.
Some gym members had taken out 15-year Active Nation memberships for £500 – effectively £2.77 per month – which many are now saying seemed ‘too good to be true’. Gyms of similar size will typically charge between £30 and £40 per month.
The centre had been outsourced to Active Nation because the council had run it before and it was felt, to make it modern and sustainable, it needed an outside operator. Now, in effect, with Active Nation gone, this is exactly where the council found itself again.
With three staff, led by town clerk Simon Davies who has only been in the post since last year, the council began the process of untangling the mess and trying to offer hope to all affected.
The arrangement with Active Nation meant Filton Town Council took out a £6m public works loan to fund the refurbishment and this will need to be repaid.
Along with councillors, the council staff listened to residents’ concerns at a packed council meeting in early April and a short term plan was agreed.
There is now hope that the centre could open under the management of a short-term operator, supported by Circadian Trust, which runs sports centres across South Glos, whose consulting services are being bought in during this transition period by Filton Town Council.
In the meantime, the Council is looking at all options which offer the chance to reopen the leisure centre in the short term and find a new operator in the long term.
A council spokesperson said: “We are working very hard to find solutions for everyone affected by this. It was clear that we need to have regular and appropriate monthly fees coming in for gym membership to be sustainable in the long term.”
The management of the Leisure Centre was outsourced in 2021 by the council to Active Nation under an agreement which saw the council borrow the capital investment of c.£4.5 million to remodel the centre.
The previous centre struggled with the problems of keeping an ageing building going at a time when cuts were needing to be made to keep the precept (Filton part of council tax) down.
Active Nation was approached for comment.
A Charity Commission spokeswoman said: “We can confirm that we have opened a case to assess concerns about the governance and financial management of Active Nation Limited.
“We will be engaging withbthe charity’s trustees on this matter.”
The impact
Gym and pool users
It seems there is no route for Active Nation to return membership fees. However Filton Town Council has funded Citizens Advice sessions – see pages 12 and 13 – and for those who paid with a credit card, there is the chance some or all fees could be refunded by individuals’ banks.
In the medium term, the council is looking at proposals for a potential goodwill gesture to members of Active Nation Filton, which will be announced before the site reopens.
The council is not able to effectively take on Active Nation’s debts.
In the meantime, the council is trying to secure the membership database – run by a 3rd party company – in order to communicate with members.
Council tax payers
The public works loan still requires to be repaid by the council – in effect the council tax payers. This will hinge on arrangements agreed with a future long term operator and in the short term, it means council money may need to be diverted from other projects.
See below.
Filton Town Council
As said above, the loan requires to be paid. Council staff are working to improve the situation but this means they are being diverted from their day-to-day work. ‘Locum’ council staff may be needed in the short term. In general, the work of the council will not change but the financial impact could be felt if new projects are not able to be started.
The revamp of the cycle speedway track has begun and will go ahead and Filton Festival will be unaffected.
Staff
As we went to press, it was understood Active Nation had not yet entered administration so wages were still their responsibility.
Questions should be sent to: membership@filtontowncouncil.gov.uk