Future of Falkirk Community Trust to be decided early in new year

The Trust runs leisure, sport and cultural facilities on behalf of the council - an agreement that gives the Trust charitable status, and access to non-council funding, including rates relief.

But there have been tensions between the two organisations, and in September the leading SNP group called for a report looking at the advantages and disadvantages of bringing the Trust back in-house

A report by Kenneth Lawrie, chief executive to Falkirk Council, noted that while there would be advantages in streamlining decision making, there would be a cost of around £1 million every year.

Labour councillor Joan Coombes said it was "bonkers" to be discussing something that would cost the council money.

She said: "In reality it will cost the council much more than £1 million a year because the Trust has also brought in £5 million of external funding that simply would not be available to an in-house organisation - plus all the inevitable transition costs that the officers do not even dare to estimate."

The Trust has pointed out that since it was formed in 2011, income from customers has grown by 69% to over £7 million annually.

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Starting with an annual trading loss of £250,000, the Trust has generated profits of more than £1.4 million over the last five years, all of which is re-invested in services.

Councillor Coombes said the Trust had delivered everything it had been asked to do and bringing it in-house would not solve the real issue.

She said: "The problem FCT has is exactly the same as the one the council has - the chronic underfunding of local government by the SNP, leading to hopelessly unrealistic budgets set with disproportionate savings predicated on the closure of facilities that even SNP councillors cannot accept.

"Make no mistake, a vote today to bring the Trust in-house is a vote to close Bo’ness Recreation Centre, Denny Leisure Centre, centralise the libraries into Falkirk, have only two leisure centres (Camelon and Grangemouth) and close Grangemouth and Bo’ness Town Halls."

However, Falkirk Council leader Cecil Meiklejohn stressed that no-one was being asked to make a decision just now.

She said: "Councillor Coombes has taken advantage of a situation to politick it and seeks to stir up communities unnecessarily when decision aren't being taken."

Her SNP colleague David Alexander said that it was necessary to recognise the poor relationship between the council and the Trust.

He said: "It was only recently that the Trust stopped holding meetings behind closed doors, they still won't publish the minutes of the meetings.

"These are local authority owned properties the Trust have a responsibility for maintaining and yet there is very little by way of consultation and that is crucial."

The SNP group said they had tried to put in investment of £50 million in the council's leisure services last year but this had been blocked by the Labour group.

The Conservative group backed the SNP and agreed to put off any decision until January.

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