Changes are being proposed to the management of Edgbarrow and Sandhurst Sports Centres.

The two sports centres are based on the Edgbarrow School and Sandhurst School sites respectively, and the council is proposing that, from April next year, each school runs the centre based on its site independently of Bracknell Forest Council.

As of September this year, because of the need for extra teaching space at Edgbarrow School, daytime access to the site for leisure purposes during term time has ceased, meaning there is no community access before 5.30pm on term time weekdays at either site.

The collective impact of this and other changes in the past few years led to a review of the management of both centres to find the most effective way to run them which in turn, following a public consultation, led to this proposal.

It is suggested the council’s schools and leisure services departments will work together to manage the transition and ensure the schools can successfully run leisure provision at its centre in addition to maintaining their reputations as popular schools.

Both schools have indicated a willingness to manage the sports centres based on their respective sites independently of Bracknell Forest Council.

The proposal would mean a change to community access from its current guise. ‘Pay and play’ and leisure membership services will be replaced with a block booking arrangement for customers to hire the facilities at the respective sites.

Cllr Iain McCracken, executive member for culture, public protection and corporate services, said: “The council’s need to make financial savings, coupled with the need for extra teaching space and a willingness of the schools to manage the facilities which are operating on their sites, has led to this recommendation being put forward as the most sustainable and viable option. This would still mean that the sporting facilities at both sites are available, just in a different way, with community facilities also available at Bracknell Leisure Centre on a ‘pay and play’ basis.

“We appreciate this would be a significant change being made to how the sports centres will be run, but the decision has not been taken lightly and follows a full and thorough analysis. Users of the centres would be kept updated throughout the transition process.”

If the proposal is approved, the council will continue to run the two centres under the current out-of-school hours system until the end of March 2017 with control handing over on 1 April.

A decision is due to be made at the meeting of the council’s Executive tomorrow (Tuesday, November 15).