Fusion Lifestyle replaced as new contractor to manage Bedford's leisure centres announced

Fusion Lifesyle will be replaced as Bedford’s new leisure management contractor from next year.

From February 2024, Greenwich Leisure Limited will be replacing Fusion Lifestyle from February next year as the council’s executive agreed yesterday (November 13) to “note the intention” to award the two-year leisure management contract.

Earlier this year Fusion was slammed by councillor Graeme Coombes as a “dreadful organisation” that has managed Bedford Borough Council’s leisure provision “extremely poorly”.

A report presented to the members said there is an option to extend for a further three years, adding that the “preferred bidder”, Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), proposed the “most economically advantageous” proposal.

The portfolio holder for leisure and culture, councillor Sarah Gallagher (Conservative, Shortstown) said that there will be a “continuity of service” at all the council’s leisure facilities when the contract with the current provider ceases on January 31, 2024.

“I would like to take this opportunity to recognise the efforts of our current providers Fusion Lifestyle, particularly their dedicated staff, as we recognise that the past few years have been very difficult for leisure providers due to the impact of the pandemic,” she said,

“We will be working with Fusion Lifestyle to ensure a smooth transition to our new contract for their staff, contractors, service users and our residents.

“The contract covers all eight of the leisure sites in Bedford.

“Greenwich Leisure Limited were established in 1993, they are the largest leisure and cultural trust in the UK operating 240 leisure centres in partnership with more than 60 local authorities and public bodies

“They have over 50 million visitors to their sites every year and generate more than £390 million in social value across their contracts,” she said.

Mark Sesnan OBE, co-founder and former CEO of GLL, said: “We’re going to come in with an ambitious programme. We’ve done it in other places, we want to get the customer experience right. We want to work close with the council, it’s a partnership, legal people call it a contract, but it’s a partnership.

“If it’s not working as a partnership then frankly we don’t want to be in a situation where we’re in dispute with the council all the time,” he said.

“We want to help you develop your plan, we want to buy into that plan, we want to help you deliver that plan. And frankly, we don’t just want to be here for one, four or five years.

“[Hopefully] we will be here in 20 years time because we tick the right boxes for you,” he said.