By Julie Waters
THREE trade unions have called on local people to take a stand against the further privitisation of the borough’s leisure services by attending an August rally.
GMB, NIPSA and UNITE, the trade unions representing council workers, have appealed to the local community to stand together in support of publicly run leisure services, on August 27.
The call comes as Ards and North Down councillors prepare to vote on the possible privitisation of leisure centres in Newtownards, Comber and Portaferry.
Since the merger of Ards Borough and North Down Borough councils in 2015, the council has operated a hybrid operating model with all the leisure services in the former Ards area, being managed in house.
However, the North Down leisure services, including Bangor Aurora, Bangor Sportsplex and Queen’s Leisure Complex and Seapark, have all been outsourced and are run by the Northern Community Leisure Trust (NCLT) and its operations partner Serco.
With the current NCLT contract due to run out on March 31, 2028, four operating models are being considered including the possibility of handing the running of all the leisure centres to a private operator.
The trade unions are holding the public protest outside Bangor Castle before a meeting of the full council on August 27. The protest will take place at 6.30pm. At the following month’s full council meeting the decision will be taken on the future of leisure services.
Hundreds of people, including swimmers, leisure centre staff and gym goers, attended the last protests against the further privitisation of the borough’s leisure services, held both in Bangor and Newtownards in 2023.
As well as privitising all leisure services, the council is also looking at three further options including continuing the current hybrid model, bringing all the leisure services back in-house under council control, and setting up a Local Authority Trading Company (LATC).
The trade unions have stated that the council’s decision will have far-reaching consequences for workers, their families, and the quality of leisure provision across the borough.
They are calling for all leisure facilities to be brought back under direct council ownership as they believe this delivers the greatest benefits for the community, staff, the local economy and the borough.
The unions have also highlighted a growing trend in England, where councils are reversing outsourcing decisions after negative experiences with private operators who prioritise profit over people.
“We welcome the commitment from councillors that cost will not be the sole factor in this decision,” said Kellie O’Dowd, a GMB spokeswoman. “However, we must ensure that the long-term wellbeing of our communities and workers is prioritised.”
“This campaign, like many before it, will require strong community action,” Janette Murdock from NIPSA added. “We urge residents to contact their local councillors and make their voices heard in support of in-house leisure services.”
Joanne Mc Williams from UNITE said: “We firmly believe that the benefits provided by Council run facilities to the public far outweigh any potential drawbacks. Now is the time to act.”
