Cornwall Council’s Cabinet has announced that GLL has been awarded the tender to provide leisure centres and other leisure facilities owned and maintained by the Council, from April 2017.

GLL operates more than 200 leisure centres and is a national not-for-profit social enterprise. It runs leisure centres in locations all over the country under the national brand ’Better’.

The current operator, Tempus Leisure, has said it is disappointed by the decision.

Adam Paynter, the council’s cabinet member for resources said: ’We are confident that in awarding this contract to GLL we will secure the future of the Council’s leisure facilities.

’The excellent staff that already work in our leisure centres will transfer over to the new operator on their existing terms and conditions.’

Chris Symons, GLL’s director of development said: ’As a charitable social enterprise we have no shareholders to pay, instead we plough any surplus back into improving facilities and boosting community sports participation.’

All the leisure facilities currently owned and maintained by the Council will be included in the contract although the Council will be continuing discussions with local community groups with a view to devolving Par Pavilion and Running Track to them in the near future.

The facilities included in the contract have been awarded to GLL on a long-term 25-year lease basis which means the Council will continue to own the freehold of the sites.