News

A Shepway Council meeting on 22 February will decide whether its Private Finance Initiative (PFI)-supported sports plan is the best way to deliver improved sporting facilities for the district.

A revised draft business case for the PFI project has been sent to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. The draft presents background to the PFI scheme, details of the project, costs and affordability, and the facilities mix at the proposed new sports centres in Folkestone and Hythe.

But Cllr Carole Waters, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Sport and Tourism, told a Cabinet meeting on Wednesday (31 January) that the project’s ‘affordability gap’ had widened. 

She said the council had already agreed to find an extra £178,000 in revenue contributions but a further £159,000 was now needed, based on the latest figures supplied by consultants. This would mean a total annual revenue cost of £775,000 – compared to the original figure of £438,000.

“We are facing a huge predicament. We want to fulfil our commitment to provide new and improved sports facilities for the district but we also have a duty to council tax payers. This council has put an awful lot of  financial backing into this scheme already.” 

Cabinet was told that the increase in the project’s costs - capital contributions have risen from £5.75m to £7.33m - had been revealed by latest figures supplied by consultants. These figures followed detailed work carried out - particularly on the estimated number of people who would use the new centres and the income this usage would generate.

“Our partners in the project, Hythe Town Council and Folkestone Sports Centre Trust, are comfortable with the user figures that have now been presented. They are more realistic, prudent and sustainable,” said Cllr Waters. 

“But this leaves us facing a huge predicament. We want to bring new and improved sports facilities to the district but we have a duty to the council tax payer. We need an adult debate at full council and ask if this PFI scheme is the best way to deliver our sports plans. If we did decide not to pursue the PFI route it would not be the end of the road for our commitment to deliver high standard sports facilities.”