Everyone Active wins contract to manage council-owned leisure facilities

North Herts Council has entered a ten-year partnership with Sport and Leisure Management (SLM) trading under the brand name Everyone Active.

Everyone Active will take over the management of Archers Gym and the outdoor pool at Hitchin Swimming Centre off Fishponds Road, as well as the following:

North Herts Leisure Centre in Letchworth,

Royston Leisure Centre,

Fearnhill Sports Centre and the outdoor pools in Letchworth.

They will take over from Stevenage Leisure Limited who have managed the facilities for the last 14 years in Royston and Hitchin, and 10 years in Letchworth. 

Duncan Jefford, regional director at Everyone Active, said: "We are delighted to officially begin our partnership with North Herts Council soon and are looking forward to many successful years ahead.

"The fantastic centres within this contract are so important for health and wellbeing in local communities and, with plenty of exciting developments in the pipeline, we are incredibly privileged to be chosen to manage them.

"We look forward to creating a close, impactful relationship with the council in the coming years, alongside helping as many people as possible to get active."

The contract, which starts on April Fool's Day, was awarded after what NHC insist was a 'competitive procurement process.'

Leisure centre staff who work for SLL will be transferred to Everyone Active. The decision to partner with Everyone Active was approved by Cabinet at its December meeting. 

Councillor Steve Jarvis, North Herts Council's Executive Member for Leisure, said: "The process for awarding the management contract for our leisure facilities was rigorous and exhaustive.

"We were determined to get the best possible deal for our residents, and I believe we have done that with our comprehensive partnership with Everyone Active. During the course of our partnership, there will be some exciting improvements to look forward to, not least the building of a gym extension at Royston Leisure Centre. 

"We would like to thank SLL for their hard work over the last 14 years and their continuous efforts to improve our facilities."

Everyone Active has partnerships with more than 60 local authorities across England, managing in excess of 230 leisure centres and cultural facilities.

 The company already operate leisure facilities in the surrounding areas of Stevenage, East Hertfordshire, and Central Bedfordshire. 

Cllr Mick Debenham, North Herts Council's Deputy Executive Member for Leisure added: "In deciding on the contract award, we evaluated the cost and quality aspects of the bids, alongside the social value which they will bring. Everyone Active offered the most financially advantageous bid and also excelled in terms of quality of service and innovation.

"We look forward to working with them to further enhance our leisure facilities which are among our most important community assets and greatly valued by our residents."

Everyone Active will contact existing members of the leisure centres from mid-March 2024. All memberships will automatically transfer over to Everyone Active and customers will not have to re-join.