Cheshire East Council is considering creating a charitable trust to take over the running of leisure services across the Borough.
The Council's leisure facilities are currently managed 'in-house' but in order to save money the running of fifteen leisure centres, including Wilmslow Leisure Centre, could be transferred to a trust by 1st April 2014.
Cheshire East spends over £9 million a year on leisure services and currently employs 400 full time staff, who would be transferred to the trust.
The establishment of a trust to deliver leisure operations is expected to save the Council at least £700,000 a year through VAT and NNDR (business rates).
Councillor Janet Clowes, Cabinet member in charge of health and adult social care, said: "Leisure services are at the heart of keeping our communities fit and healthy, ensuring people live well for longer.
"The formation of a new delivery model will be designed to offer improved services that are delivered in a more targeted and efficient way, to better meet the current and future needs of Cheshire East residents."
Cheshire East Council held a 4-week public consultation earlier this year on options available for the delivery of leisure facilities, 62% of respondents were in favour of a trust being set up. The other options consulted on were to transfer the services to local town or parish councils, a separate legal entity or the private sector, which only 7.61% of respondents were in favour of.
The Cabinet discussed the progress of project at their meeting on Tuesday, 28th May, and formal approval of the decision to form a charitable trust is expected to be made when the Cabinet meets again in June.
