More Welsh councils should transfer leisure services to save cash

摘要

Councils in Wales have been too slow to reap the savings that transferring leisure services to external organisations could bring, according to a watchdog. A new report by the Wales Audit Office claimed Welsh councils that have moved their leisure services over have saved an average of £2.4m a year and warned other local authorities they were missing out on such financial benefits. According to the watchdog, the 'vast majority' of leisure services in Wales remain in council hands, but strategic decisions on whether to keep the services in-house have 'not always been based on robust information or a consideration of all of the options open to councils'. The report found councils that have transferred leisure services to trusts or external providers, such as Glamorgan CC, have benefited financially.