PRESS RELEASE - 10 June 2009

At a meeting last night (Tuesday 9 June) the Full Council agreed plans to acquire the ROKO Health Club in Pelhams Park, Kinson, to create a new public leisure centre for Bournemouth.

Councillor John Beesley, Deputy Leader of Bournemouth Borough Council, said: “This is a very exciting opportunity not to be missed. North Bournemouth residents have been in need of better public leisure facilities for some time and the acquisition of the ROKO Health Club provides the opportunity for us to deliver this.”

Work will now commence to create branding for the new Pelhams Park Leisure Centre and the existing ROKO Health Club staff, whose employment will be transferred to the Council from 1 July, will be consulted on the designs.

Over the past week current ROKO Health Club staff have been invited to visit the Littledown Centre to see for themselves how a Council leisure facility is operated and how the acquisition will benefit the existing centre. The feedback from staff visiting The Littledown Centre has been very positive and they have all been impressed by the facility and staff.

Councillor Beesley added: “The Council will continue to work closely with the ROKO Health Club employees to ensure a smooth transition for them and for existing members of the club.”

The target date for completing the contract of purchase is 30 June and repair works, which have already been identified by Bournemouth Borough Council, at the ROKO building will be undertaken as soon as possible after this date.

The Council anticipates that pay and play use of the Gym and Studio facilities will begin in October 2009. However, pay and play use of the swimming pool will not be introduced until the swimming pool refurbishment works have been completed in October 2010, when public use of the full facilities will be available. Prior to the pool refurbishment works, only members of the Pelhams Park Leisure Centre will be able to use the swimming pool facilities.

The current Kinson Swimming Pool site will continue to operate for pay and play customers until the new swimming pool opens at Pelhams Park Leisure Centre in October 2010.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. Why didn’t we hear about this planned acquisition sooner?
A. Bournemouth Borough Council signed a confidentiality agreement with ROKO Health Club which it was bound to uphold during the process of negotiation of the purchase. This precluded any information being circulated in the public domain. This was to ensure that in the event of a sale not being negotiated, there would be no subsequent impact upon the ROKO business.
 
Q. When will the Council take over the ROKO Health Club?
A. Bournemouth Borough Council is due to take over ROKO Health Club on 1 July 2009.
 
Q. Will it have a new name and what will it be?
A. Yes, the new facility will be called Pelhams Park Leisure Centre.
 
Q. I am a member at the ROKO Health Club. What will happen to my membership when the Council takes over ROKO on 1 July?
A. Current ROKO members will see no change to their memberships on the 1 July.  All memberships will be transferred over to Bournemouth Borough Council and Direct Debit payments will continue as normal.
 
Q. I am a ROKO member and I want to cancel my membership BEFORE 1 July.  What do I need to do?
A. Any members wishing to cancel their membership are able to do so. If you wish to cancel before 1 July 2009 you will need to speak to ROKO and hand in your cancellation notice to them.

Q. I am a ROKO member, how much notice do I have to give AFTER 1 July if I want to cancel my contract?
A. Anyone wishing to cancel their membership after 1 July will be required to give one months notice

Q. Will I get a cheaper membership when the facility is being managed by the Council? 
A. Bournemouth Borough Council has reviewed the pricing structure of the current ROKO Health Club membership base and details will be enclosed in a letter to be sent to members on 1st July 2009.

Q. Does the Council expect the facility to be busier when it starts to allow the “pay and play” usage?
A. Yes, Bournemouth Borough Council is looking to increase business at the Centre in order to secure its long term future.

However, the first phase of “pay and play” usage will commence in October 09 for the gym and classes programme only. This is unlikely to have any significant impact on the facility as our experience at the other Council-run facilities (Littledown Centre, Stokewood Leisure Centre & Sir David English Sports Centre) shows that the large majority of usage of the gym and classes is by members and not ‘pay and play’ users.

The most significant change to the Centre will happen around October 2010 when an improved swimming pool facility will open to accommodate “pay and play” usage.

Q. How will I (as a current member) benefit from this take over?
A. Bournemouth Borough Council is intending to invest in excess of £2.5 million in buildings and equipment at the Centre and current members will also benefit from a broader activity programme.

The investment in the swimming pool complex will ensure that it will be able to accommodate the increased anticipated usage along with separate dryside facilities. An equipment replacement programme will also be implemented.

Q. Why is the Council taking over another leisure facility when it is making cuts elsewhere?
A. Bournemouth Borough Council is committed to improving the health of Bournemouth residents by encouraging them into regular physical activity. The community was promised a new leisure facility from the proceeds of the Priestley Road allotments sale to replace the aging Kinson Pool which is 40 years old this year and which cannot serve the community for much longer.
The ROKO Health Club purchase presented an opportunity to meet the shortfall of leisure provision in the North Bournemouth area and to provide an improved leisure facility quickly at considerable value for money.
 
Q. How will non members benefit from this take over?
A. Non members will benefit from being able to take part in activities at the centre which are currently not accessible to non members.
 
Q. Will there be any staff changes at the leisure centre?
A. All current contracted ROKO staff are being offered the opportunity to transfer across to Bournemouth Borough Council.  However there will be a new Centre Manager because the current Manager of the ROKO Health Club is currently on maternity leave and will not be returning until later in the year.
 
Q. When will the swimming pool close for refurbishment?
A. The swimming pool is scheduled to close for refurbishment in January/February 2010. The anticipated reopening date is October 2010.
 
Q. When the swimming pool closes for refurbishment, as a member, what will my options be? Will my membership price be reduced?
A. When the pool closes for refurbishment, members will be able to use the pools at any of the other Council operated public Leisure Facilities, (Littledown Centre, Stokewood Leisure Centre or Kinson Swimming Pool) or they can choose to freeze their membership during the period of refurbishment.
Alternatively, members can continue to use the facility without a pool at a reduced rate.
 
Q. What will happen to the class programme – will it change?
A. The class programme will remain the same and will be reviewed every three months.
 
Q. How will you keep the public informed of future planned changes?
A. We will provide the most up to date information on customer notice boards and websites. Members and non members will also be able to sign up to an e-newsletter which will keep them up to date with all the latest information and offers.