Impulse Leisure ask top councillors for £250,000 one-off grant (From Thurrock Gazette)

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Impulse Leisure ask top councillors for £250,000 one-off grant

4:30pm Friday 16th January 2009 in News

TOP Thurrock Councillors have demanded Impulse Leisure supply them with a business case before handing over £250,000 in a one-off grant.

A report to the council’s Cabinet meeting asked members to “agree a request from Impulse Leisure for a one off payment of £250,000 in 2009/10 from the council reserves”.

Impulse Leisure is the charitable trust, which manages the council’s three leisure centres at Corringham, Blackshots and Belhus Park.

The money would be used “to assist with the significant increase in utility costs and the budget pressures on Impulse Leisure’s low level of reserves”.

Cabinet did agree a new funding and management agreement between the council and Impulse at £600,000 a year, for the next five years starting in the next financial year (2009/2010).

However, members were worried about the lack of reserves held by the trust, its future security as a viable organisation and what measures were being taken to cut costs.

Councillor Ben Maney said he was “concerned how close Impulse is to bankruptcy”, adding: “If we give this money, will it survive?”

And Coun Steve Veryard added: “It’s worrying that they seem to be investing beyond their means, will £250,000 be enough?”

Council Leader, Coun Terry Hipsey, said members wanted to see a full business case from Impulse Leisure so they could be assured that the trust was viable and that the £250,000 one-off grant would secure its long-term future.

The issue will be considered again at the meeting of the Cabinet in February.

Comments(6)

loulougirl says...
5:23pm Fri 16 Jan 09

I find it funny that Impulse Leisure has just renovated Blackshoots gym. They had put brand new machines, state of ther art little TVs with sky channels on them in every machine, and radio stations......but they still won't change the lockers in the changing rooms for a more secure system!
On 5 November 2007 I got all my stuff stolen while I was working out in the gym. Most lockers don't work properly or are loose, so it is very easy to force them open.
After my workout I return to my locker to find all my staff gone, money, purse, all gone! (some of us go to the gym strait after work)
So you would think that Leisure would make it more important to get members' property to be safe, than to be able to watch sky TV while on the threadmill. I'd rather have my property safe while working out than have a silly state of the art machine. You would think they would put better lockers instead of fancy tv stations.Because of the fear of being robbed now I have the inconvenience of going home firts to leave my handbag at home, when it would be easier to have a locker sistem more secure.