Everyone Active has been awarded a 10-year contract to manage leisure centres across the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.

The leisure operator will be managing the Abbey and Beacontree Heath leisure centres and the Jim Peters Stadium from 4 September 2017. As part of the contract, all existing staff at the centres will be kept on by Everyone Active.

Barking and Dagenham Council has tasked Everyone Active with increasing activity levels in the centres by 35 per cent, and bringing in two million visitors a year to their leisure facilities and athletics stadium.

David Bibby, Everyone Active managing director, said: “It is a really exciting time for sports and leisure, and we are delighted to have been chosen by the council to use our extensive skills and experience to get more people active.

“We are very much looking forward to working with them to improve the health and wellbeing of the borough by offering an extensive range of sports and activity opportunities. By investing in the fantastic facilities and delivering exceptional services, we will support the council’s healthy weight agenda and help them achieve their goals.”

Anne Bristow, deputy chief executive and strategic director for service development and integration at the council, said: “We have one of the worst records of obesity and life expectancy levels in Britain and while getting more people into our leisure centres is not the sole solution, it’s one of the ways to a healthier, fitter borough.”

Everyone Active manages 150 facilities across the country, in partnership with 45 different local authorities.