Leisure operator plan to invest £10m in facilities
Guildford Borough Council said the existing leisure contract, which oversees the management at Guildford Spectrum, Guildford Lido and Ash Manor Sports Centre, is due to expire on 31 October.
A spokesperson for the council said: "Following a thorough commercial and technical evaluation, Freedom Leisure scored the highest total score and has therefore emerged as the preferred bidder."
According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS), Freedom Leisure plans to install a "state-of-the-art" soft play facility at Spectrum Gym and add all-year-round swimming in the Lido.
It plans to operate the Lido pool from 07:00 BST to 21:00 BST during the winter months, subject to the installation of external lighting.
It also proposes adding a Pilates and yoga/hot yoga studio to replace the existing gym.
Councillor Catherine Houston said the popularity of the facilities had attracted "significant interest" from major leisure operators.
"I look forward to seeing more opportunities for people to take part in leisure and well-being activities over the coming years," she added.
The council said the proposed new contract would run for 10 years, with the option to extend for a further five years, offering "long-term stability and continuity for the borough's leisure provision".
Councillors will discuss the new contract agreement before a final decision is made at the end of July.
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Lido reopens for summer season after refurbishment
Guildford Borough Council
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Whisky tariffs to be halved by ‘fantastic' India trade deal
Tariffs on whisky being exported to India are set to be halved as part of a trade deal with the UK. Sir Keir Starmer will welcome his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi on Thursday to sign the deal, which will see tariffs on whisky cut from 150% to 75%, and potentially dropping to 40% in the next decade. While tariffs on soft drinks will drop gradually from 33% to 0%, the UK Government estimated a £190 million boost for Scotland as a result of the deal. Speaking ahead of the signing, Scottish Secretary Ian Murray said: 'This is great news for Scotland and Scottish jobs. 'Our trade deal with India is fantastic news for Brand Scotland, with our goods, businesses and services gaining access to what is projected to be the world's third-largest economy by 2027. 'From food, drink and textiles production, to clean energy, advanced manufacturing, life sciences and financial services, Scotland has so much to offer India. 'It's fantastic news in particular for the world-famous whisky industry, with Indian import tariffs slashed on Scotch having the potential to be transformational for the industry. It's also good news for our other national drink, with tariffs on soft drinks cut. 'As the UK Government delivers our Plan for Change, we are also bringing inward investment to Scotland to create jobs, boost economic growth and improve living standards right across the UK.' Scotch Whisky Association chief executive Mark Kent said the industry had 'long championed' a deal with India, adding: 'The signing of the FTA is an historic moment and is an important milestone to reducing tariffs on Scotch whisky in a growing market. 'This will contribute to the Government's growth objective, by laying the foundations for further investment and jobs.'
Yahoo
8 minutes ago
- Yahoo
All at sea and then Littler roars back in epic Blackpool battle
AND that's why Luke Littler is world champion… When the going gets tough, the tough get going – and he had to turn a titanic tide beside the seaside to keep his World Matchplay dream alive. 'The Nuke' unpacked his bucket and spade to dig himself out of a massive hole to achieve a tense 13-11 win over Jermaine Wattimena in the second round in Blackpool. Relief for Luke Littler and Jermaine Wattimena at the end of an epic tussle on stage in the Empress Ballroom at Winter Gardens in Blackpool (Image: Taylor Lanning) Littler, who will go on to face former UK champion Andrew Gilding in Friday night's quarter-finals, looked all at sea as he fell 4-0 and 7-2 behind but charged back into an 8-7 lead, the match then going to a tiebreaker before the Warrington 18-year-old made it into the last eight. The tournament favourite was in ominous form with his crushing 10-2 win over Ryan Searle on Sunday and appeared super confident as he milked the crowd during his walk-on for the clash with the Dutchman but when things didn't go to plan in the first leg the tables were turned. (Image: Taylor Lanning) Littler bust 127, missed the double again on his next visit, then three attempts at the outer ring allowed Wattimena to snatch an unlikely first-leg lead against the throw. From there, 'The Nuke' couldn't find his flow and Wattimena meant business as he stormed into a 4-0 lead that left heads spinning in the Winter Gardens. Littler took the next two but it was only a temporary reprieve as Wattimena rediscovered his rhythm, making it 7-2 with back-to-back 180s part of an 11-darter. Luke Littler getting frustrated on stage in Blackpool (Image: Taylor Lanning) When Littler pulled back the next leg he gestured to the crowd, pointing to the world champion's star on his shirt as he indicated he was not ready to go home yet. And he then set about showing it as he won six legs on the spin, checking out on 120 to hit the front with the pressure clearly getting to Wattimena as his earlier poise vanished. The Dutchman recovered to level at 8-8, then punished a Littler miss for 9-9 as the contest went the distance. Luke Littler in the midst of a titanic battle (Image: Taylor Lanning) As it went to extra legs both players were missing their throws before Littler got the D10 he needed to end the fight. 'When I pointed to the star on my shirt, I'm a world champion for a reason, I find these gears when I need it,' Littler said on Sky Sports. 'I've not felt pressure like that since the first round of the world championship. I was a bit nervous and it's on to my third game here, I've won two of them. 'I want to get back on stage and right now I can't wait to be in the quarter-final.' His next opponent Gilding made it through to the last eight with an 11-5 win over Dirk van Duijvenbode.
Bloomberg
10 minutes ago
- Bloomberg
Musk Puts Potential xAI Investment Back on Tesla Shareholders
Elon Musk suggested any potential investment by Tesla Inc. in his artificial intelligence startup, xAI, should be proposed by the electric carmaker's shareholders. 'Shareholders are welcome to put forward any shareholder proposals that they'd like,' Musk said on Tesla's earnings call Wednesday in response to a question about a potential xAI investment. Musk offered support for such an investment from his X account earlier this month, but suggested that it wasn't his decision.
