Rye Sports Centre Community Management Bid Receives Endorsement

A community initiative to assume control of a leisure facility in East Sussex has received backing from a high-ranking council official. Nick Bennett, who serves as East Sussex County Council’s lead member for resources and climate change, has given his approval to a component of the proposals that envision the transfer of Rye Sports Centre’s management to a local charitable organization. Bennett was requested to authorize the county council, the freehold owner of the sports centre, to establish a 20-year lease agreement with Rye Town Council. Subsequently, the town council plans to sublease the leisure centre to the Rye Health and Well-Being Charitable Incorporated Organisation (CIO). The commencement of this new lease is anticipated for April 2025, contingent upon Rother District Council’s consent to end its current lease and contractual arrangements with Freedom Leisure, which is the sports centre’s present operator. These plans initially arose following the temporary shutdown of the sports centre’s swimming pool in 2022 due to elevated energy expenses, as reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Consequently, a collective of Rye residents, backed by Rye Town Council, established the CIO – a not-for-profit entity – with the aim of assuming control of the sports centre’s management and ensuring the long-term viability of the pool. Keith Glazier, the leader of East Sussex County Council and the ward councillor for the area, expressed approval of the decision. He stated: “There is an awful lot of work that has been necessary for them to get to a position where we have some confidence. That is something which will see the sustainable delivery of a swimming pool in Rye for some years to come.”