Opposition councillor says there remains “unanswered questions” in how council contract with Fusion Lifestyle was handled prior to Edmonton Leisure Centre’s 17-month closure, reports James Cracknell

Edmonton Leisure Centre reopened in April following a 17-month closure

Questions are “still unanswered” over Enfield Council’s settlement with its former leisure contractor after the civic centre refused a recent Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request by the Dispatch.

Edmonton Leisure Centre had initially closed “temporarily” upon the transfer of all council leisure centres from previous managers Fusion Lifestyle to new operators Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL) in December 2023, to allow for an inspection, but after a series of major maintenance issues were discovered it was realised that significant repairs would be needed before it could reopen.

A multimillion-pound repairs programme had been underway since last autumn when the council struck a £7.5m deal with GLL to fix and upgrade the facility, although it meant the civic centre giving up the lease to the building. Of the total sum spent on maintenance and upgrades, council taxpayers have contributed £2.5m.

Edmonton Leisure Centre finally reopened to the public in April.

The Dispatch has repeatedly asked the council to disclose whether or not Fusion has contributed anything to this huge maintenance bill, without success. Last month, an FOI request was rejected on the basis of commercial confidentiality.

In his response to the FOI request, the council’s head of sport and leisure, Matthew Watts, wrote: “Under Section 43 (2), information is exempt from disclosure if releasing it would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).

“In our view, disclosure of the settlement value between Enfield Council and Fusion Lifestyle Ltd would be likely to prejudice the future negotiation of a settlement agreement should either the council or Fusion Lifestyle Ltd need to do so in the future.”

Conservative councillor Edward Smith, the opposition group’s leisure spokesperson, told the Dispatch: “There are still questions to be answered and the council should aim to be transparent over its use of public money in this sort of situation.

“It is an outrage. There has been gross mismanagement, by neglect, where a contract with a third party [Fusion] hasn’t been monitored properly. That has been a general issue with this council.”

The long list of maintenance issues that Fusion failed to address during its management of Edmonton Leisure Centre, as revealed by the Dispatch last year, included roof leaks, fire safety failures, broken boilers, cracked concrete, worn-out lifts, exhausted ventilation systems, flooded basements, burst sewage pipes, and extensive damage to the swimming pool – which still remains closed today.

At the end of April GLL, under its brand name Better, finally reopened the building with a new gym, fitness studio and group cycle studio, while the venue’s sports hall and soft play also reopened. The pool, which requires more work, will be reopened in “late summer”.

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