Leisure gets £1.2m boost
More than £1 million is to be ploughed into leisure centres in Dudley to install top of the range gym facilities and attract people away from private fitness clubs.
Visitor numbers at leisure centres in the borough have dipped, with the opening of private members only clubs such as Fitness First in Brierley Hill.
But a recent scheme introducing new gym facilities at Halesowen Leisure Centre has seen membership rise from 200 to 700 in just a year – prompting Dudley Council to plan similar actions elsewhere.
More than £1.2 million is now set to be spent on Dudley Leisure Centre and Stourbridge's Crystal Leisure Centre to bring them up to modern standards. Additional work is also planned for Halesowen.
It is believed the cash will be used to increase the size of gym facilities at both centres and bring in new equipment.
The Express & Star revealed in January that income generated from the council-run leisure centres was expected to fall £150,000 below target for the year.
It led to speculation services at the centres in Dudley, Stourbridge and Halesowen would be cut or even closed after Brierley Hill baths was bulldozed early last year.
But bosses say the announcement proves their commitment to the centres and bringing more people in to use them regularly.
Dudley Council cabinet member for culture and leisure, Councillor Charles Fraser Macnamara, said: "This £1.2 million investment will help us improve facilities at Dudley, Halesowen and Crystal leisure centres. The impact of the impressive improvements already made at Halesowen has been excellent and we hope these new works will be equally as successful."
Feasibility work has been carried out and it is planned for work to be undertaken this year.
