The History of BLCAG

Due to North Dorset District Council's financial situation it plans to remove its funding for the Blandford Leisure Centre at the end of March 2010. This is because the District Council's element of the Council tax was 'capped' by Government from 2005 at a very low level.  As a result, today's tax rate is frozen at a much lower rate than over 95% of District Councils, and from 2010,  it can only afford to fund its statutory services, which unfortunately do not include the local provision of public swimming or sports and fitness facilities. 

Blandford Leisure Centre is a very well used facility, it has in excess of 2,500 visits per week, this facility is used by people from the community, the young, the old, and for people training for competitions. It is the only centre in North Dorset to offer the free swimming scheme to the under 16s and over 60s. You can see the wide area people travel to use Leisure Centre free swimming scheme by clicking here (This is a large file and may take a while to load). Since 2005 we have had nearly 5,000 members, to see the parishes they come from click here. The decision to end funding for the Blandford Leisure Centre is purely a financial one.   The need to have a facility such as the Blandford Leisure Centre and the value it brings to the local community has never been an issue, but it now faces the threat of closure.

All of the key organisations involved with the facility realise it provides health benefits, teaches life skills, offers training facilities for the elite and provides a social focus for many individuals, families, clubs and groups We have already seen the Gillingham Leisure Centre having to close at the end of March last year due to removal of funding.

There have also been changes in the operating hours and management arrangement at the Sturminster Newton Leisure Centre from the 1st April 2008 and Shaftesbury Leisure Centre closed at the end of March 2009. 

In order to investigate alternative ways of running / funding the centre the BLCAG has been formed. More information available here