Purpose

East Herts Council and Hertfordshire County
Council entered into a joint use agreement with Leventhorpe School
swimming pool on 27 August 1975. Hertfordshire County Council
granted East Herts Council a licence and authority to maintain and
manage the swimming pool, and allow members of the public and
pupils from Leventhorpe school and surrounding schools to use the
facilities. It was agreed that East Herts Council would maintain
and manage the swimming pool and Hertfordshire County Council would
pay 40% of the costs, whilst East Herts Council paid 60% of the
annual costs.
In 2011 Leventhorpe School became an academy, and Hertfordshire
County Council handed the pool and liability to Leventhorpe School,
since then the school owns the freehold to the swimming pool and
the responsibility of 40% of the annual costs of running the
pool.
East Herts Council’s leisure providers SLM, trading as
Everyone Active, have managed the site on the council’s
behalf. On 1 January 2020, Everyone Active entered in to a 15 year
contract with East Herts Council. In 2017, East Herts Council
published a strategic action plan, with the input of Sport England,
the plan concluded that investing in the two Council owned
facilities including swimming pool provision, would provide
suitable alternative facilities if the joint use pools closed.
Throughout the agreement with the joint use pools, the
school’s relied on funding allocated for the running of the
pools from the Department for Education to continue the 40%
contribution to East Herts Council.
In October 2024, the school announced that the Department for
Education were ceasing funding for the pools, and the site would
have to close on 23 December 2024. The swimming pool and building
are owned by Leventhorpe school and are not the responsibility of
East Herts Council, and therefore the decision to close was made by
the school. The school also had to consider the ongoing costs of
running and maintaining an old building, which requires significant
works to the plant room.
Currently, the building is safe, with hoarding surrounding it and
the gas and electricity isolated. Everyone Active carry out weekly
checks to ensure the premises is safe and there are no issues. East
Herts Council are currently liable for any accidents or injuries
that occur, and for the ongoing cost of utilities and Everyone
Active visiting the site. Therefore, a termination of the joint use
agreement is necessary to relieve East Herts Council from the
liability of the swimming pool that is owned by Leventhorpe
School.

Decision

Officers have considered these options and
decided that Option 1 to terminate the agreement and support the
school’s request to close the facility.

Decision taken under 10.6.1.2 of the Council's Constitution.