Purpose

Approval of K2 Crawley hire charges for 2026/2027 related to long term bookings such as clubs. Increases to fees and charges can be approved by negotiation with CBC officers and in consultation of the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing. Timely approval and notification of hire charges is beneficial to long term hirers to enable them to accurately budget hire costs for the 2026/27 financial year.

Decision

Option 1 – Approve K2 Crawley negotiated hire charge rate increase for 2026/27. This operational decision in consultation with the Portfolio Holder for Leisure and Wellbeing supports a simplified, risk-managed, and usage-aligned approval at K2 Crawley. These will be communicated to hirers in advance of the formal budget approval cycle to support planning and continuity.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – Approve negotiated rate increase for 2026/27 Approval of hire charges at this stage rather than in February enables hirers to consider financial requirements and confirm bookings for the forthcoming year in a timely manner. This supports business continuity and customer confidence. Option 2 – Wait until February to consider negotiated rates as part of Crawley Borough Councils budget cycle. This option is detrimental to many of the clubs due to inability to budget in a timely manner for the forthcoming financial year. For many of these clubs the hire charges at K2 Crawley are their single largest expenditure, late notification of these therefore creates a level of risk for clubs in terms of future financial planning.