Serco Leisure has won a 15-year contract with Birmingham City Council to manage nine leisure centres across the city, including the design, build and operation of four new swimming pools.

According to Birmingham City Council’s assistant director for sport and events, Steve Hollingworth, Serco Leisure “submitted quality and cost effective tenders” which will help to promote activity in the city despite the council’s “considerable budgetary restraints.” The leisure centres were previously operated in-house.

The awarding marks a big win for Serco, at a time when it is undergoing a major transition. The services giant is looking to offload several of its ‘non-core’ businesses as part of a strategy overhaul, including its extensive Serco Leisure arm, which manages more than 60 facilities.

Leisure Opportunities was recently informed by a well-placed source that a sale of the leisure arm of the business is expected to be completed this summer, with two UK buyers thought to be in contention.

Asked to verify this information, a Serco spokesperson said: “Discussions regarding the potential sale of our leisure business are underway but this is likely to be a lengthy process.

“The leisure business is a separate company within the Serco Group and it would be that same separate company that would continue to deliver all of our leisure contracts when any sale goes ahead. This means there would be no impact on the delivery of the contracts – the same quality service would be delivered by the same centre staff and management under new ownership. In the meantime, it is business as usual.”