High maintenance costs, inflation and low user numbers since the pandemic blamed for problems with council leisure provider Fusion, reports Simon Allin, Local Democracy Reporter

Southgate Leisure Centre is one of four council-owned leisure centres run by Fusion — Southgate Leisure Centre is run by charity Fusion Lifestyle

Sports and fitness facilities in Enfield are facing ongoing challenges from the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis.

Enfield Council has pledged to improve leisure and sports opportunities in the borough and is carrying out a review designed to inform investment plans for its facilities and services.

A report presented to the council’s overview and scrutiny committee on Tuesday reveals leisure charity Fusion Lifestyle – which manages Arnos Pool, Bramley Bowls Centre and the council’s four leisure centres in Edmonton Green, Southbury, Enfield Wash and Southgate – has been “severely affected by the pandemic”.

It adds that while there are some signs of recovery, Fusion’s revenues are projected to be only 65% of their pre-pandemic level – largely because those in the over-50 age group have failed to return to the centres in their previous numbers.

The report states that since mid-December, Albany, Edmonton and Southbury leisure centres have been experiencing “a significant number of maintenance faults that have impacted on the availability of the swimming pools”, while air temperatures have been “below acceptable levels”.

Council chiefs have agreed an improvement plan with Fusion’s senior managers with the aim of bringing “stability” back to the service.

Active Enfield – a council-run programme of physical activities aimed particularly at older people – has also seen a reduction in the number of people attending since the pandemic. In 2019/20, there were around 18,000 attendances, but this figure dropped to 12,000 in 2021/22.

The council expects attendances to recover to 15,000 in 2022/23 and hopes they will return to pre-pandemic levels by 2025. But the report notes that the cost-of-living crisis is a “key challenge” for the service, with some residents unable to prioritise physical activity and leisure. The council aims to tackle this by keeping the cost of sessions “as low as possible”.

Funded projects have also been set up to boost sports and leisure provision. The council secured a £10,000 grant to provide swimming lessons for people with disabilities and has received 100 applications for the programme since it launched in January.

The government has awarded the council £440,000 to deliver a five-year ‘active through football’ programme, which will work with people from Edmonton and the south-east of the borough. The scheme aims to target people with mental health difficulties and women aged over 16, who were the most interested in getting involved.

Under questioning from councillors, officers said they would look into whether they could make more use of volunteers to help deliver activity programmes.

Labour panel member Nawshad Ali suggested offering concessions to key workers such as teachers and nurses to encourage them to get active.

Maria Alexandrou, a Conservative panel member, asked what more could be done to help tackle an obesity problem among young people. Officers said the council already works with schools to provide sporting and fitness opportunities, as well as focusing on diet and lifestyle.

They added that the review was considering how to broaden leisure in the wake of the pandemic, to take lifestyle factors into account.

The council’s strategic review of sports and physical activity is expected to be completed in the summer.

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