The Scrutiny Committee Place and Environment met on Wednesday 10 September 2025, and agreed to endorse the recommendations of a report on leisure services, including developing a climate adaptation strategy for outdoor leisure facilities, creating a detailed asset management plan, and establishing a pathway for achieving net zero leisure services by 2035. The committee also confirmed the proposed work programme for the municipal year 2025/26 and beyond.

Leisure Services Annual Update

The committee reviewed the Leisure Services - Annual Update report, which provided an overview of the council's leisure service provision, strategic approach to investment priorities, sustainability, and net zero targets. The report considered these factors in the context of current contractual arrangements and local government organisation.

The committee agreed to recommend to the cabinet that officers:

• Develop a climate adaptation strategy for outdoor leisure facilities in partnership with Glendale Countryside Ltd.
• Work with Places Leisure to develop a detailed asset management plan covering the remaining contract period through 2029 (or 2034 if extended), clearly defining investment responsibilities between the council and Places Leisure. This plan should inform any contract extension negotiations.
• Work with Places Leisure and Glendale to establish a pathway for achieving net zero leisure services by 2035, including renewable energy investment and energy efficiency improvements.

The report highlighted that the council blends financial stewardship, community health, partnership, and smart land use to ensure leisure provision in Mid Sussex remains resilient, relevant, and accessible for the long term. It also noted significant investments in both indoor and outdoor sports facilities.

The council partners with national governing bodies like Sport England, the Football Foundation, and the Rugby Football Union in facility planning to ensure facilities meet technical standards and address local needs identified through community consultation.

Indoor Leisure Performance

The council delivers comprehensive leisure services through a partnership model involving Places Leisure Ltd for indoor facilities and Glendale Services for outdoor green spaces. Places Leisure Ltd manages three indoor leisure centres in Mid Sussex under a 15-year contract (with an option to extend for a further five years), which commenced in July 2014:

• The Triangle in Burgess Hill
• The Dolphin in Haywards Heath
• Kings Centre in East Grinstead

These facilities serve 11,400 active members and attract 1.8 million visits annually. From September 2025, the Leisure Contract will also include the maintenance and management of the new pavilion and artificial sports pitches at The Arc (Centre for Outdoor Sport), which is nearing completion and will be operational from September 2025.

Performance data for 2024-25 demonstrated strong service delivery, with 1.8 million annual visits recorded, representing a 9% increase from the previous year. Despite this growth in usage, membership declined slightly (by 271 members) to 11,400, suggesting improved facility utilisation per member. The Net Promoter Score¹ improved to 23.4, up 1.7 points, reflecting increased customer satisfaction.

The post-Covid financial recovery continues with contract income of £1.2 million, representing a 7.3% increase year-on-year. The contractual gain-share arrangement delivered just over £100,000 to the council, (in addition to the annual management fee of £800,000) demonstrating successful partnership performance. Social Value delivered through the Leisure contract reached £9.6 million in 2024-25, substantially exceeding contract requirements. The Exercise Referral program expanded by 64% to 950 members, demonstrating enhanced integration with the council's Wellbeing Team, and other public health priorities.

The leisure centres maintain a strong commitment to accessibility with 44% of visits using concessionary memberships. A planned restructure of the concessionary charging approach, due to take place in 2025/26 will extend 50% discounts to over 1,300 existing members, significantly expanding access for those facing financial barriers.

Between the commencement of the contract in 2014 and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Places Leisure invested over £6m in the improvement of the leisure centres. Building on that strong track record of investment in the centres, Places Leisure invested a further £1.65 million in capital improvements during 2024-25. For 2025-26, Places Leisure has committed a further £845,000 towards improvements. Long-term lifecycle investment totalling £5.97 million over the remaining term of the contract, will be needed to address major infrastructure needs.

Places Leisure's commitment to achieving Net Zero by 2035 aligns with the council's targets, driving continued investment in energy-efficient technologies.

Outdoor Leisure - Green Spaces Contract

Through its Green Spaces Contract, the council maintains and manages outdoor leisure facilities across the district, including:

• Over 400 green spaces
• 85 grass roots sports pitches (including football, rugby, bowls and cricket)
• Over 120 play areas, skateparks and BMX tracks
• 30 hard courts (including tennis courts and MUGAs²)
• 36 sports pavilions

The council operates a comprehensive booking system managed by Glendale Countryside Ltd, offering both casual hire and seasonal bookings for sports clubs. Data shows that, through the Green Spaces Contract, the council accommodated nearly 1,000 football and rugby matches across its sites last year, with a further 230 senior fixtures and over 800 training sessions, as well as over 200 cricket matches. In addition, it is estimated that approximately 700 club members were able to access stoolball, athletics bowls, petanque and tennis on the council's sites.

The Mid Sussex Playing Pitch Study 2018 provides a robust audit of playing pitch provision across the district, enabling a coherent strategic approach to policy and development of outdoor leisure in the district. The findings of this study are reflected in the council's Green Spaces Strategic Vision.

The Green Spaces Strategic Vision has guided the delivery of a range of outdoor leisure improvement projects, including tennis court refurbishments and improvements to sports pitch drainage, alongside several major capital projects, most notably:

• The Arc (Centre for Outdoor Sport)
• A comprehensive refurbishment of Hickmans Lane Pavilion in Cuckfield

Climate change poses increasing challenges for outdoor sports facilities maintenance, requiring adaptive maintenance strategies, improved drainage systems, and drought-resistant turf varieties.

Scrutiny Committee Work Programme

The committee confirmed the proposed work programme for the municipal year 2025/26 and beyond, as detailed in the Scrutiny Committee Work Programme - Place and Environment report. The committee has three scheduled meetings in the municipal year 2025/26. The work themes for the Scrutiny Committee for Place and Environment are:

• Plan-making (i.e., the District Plan and other matters forming part of the statutory Development Plan)
• Burgess Hill Town Centre and Burgess Hill Growth Area
• Gatwick Airport
• Clair Hall
• Economy and Sustainability
• Digital infrastructure
• Leisure
• Parking
• Estates
• Parks and Open Spaces
• Building Control
• Development Management

The proposed work programme is as follows:

The committee noted the alternative approaches by which Scrutiny may receive information and consider matters (as approved on 18th October 2023), and the process for Scrutiny Members requesting, via the Chairman, further topics to be considered by the committee (as approved on 18th October 2023). A Scrutiny Work Programme Request Form and Guidance Note is available for members to use when requesting topics to be added to the work programme.