According to research commissioned by the Sport and Recreation Trusts Association (SPORTA), the number of trusts operating in the UK could double in the next 2-3 years.

Telephone interviews carried out by Leisure-net Solutions with a random selection of local councils found that more than half (51 per cent) of those who currently manage their leisure centres in house were looking at changing this within the next two years.

Of this number, 53 per cent said they would be looking at the opportunities presented through trust options.

Mike McCardle, executive secretary of SPORTA, said: “Analysts anticipate more and more outsourcing of leisure and cultural services, and our members have shown conclusively that the best way to secure all of the benefits, not just the financial ones, is to go for one of the trust options.”

Mike Hill, managing director of Leisure-net Solutions, added: “We project a potential doubling of the number of trusts currently operating in the United Kingdom over the next 2-3 years, making it the most common route for local authorities to deliver their leisure services”.

SPORTA is set to hold its AGM on 12 May in Cheshire. “SPORTA has gone from strength to strength, year on year,” said McCardle.

“We’re now in a position to be a major player in the industry on behalf of our members. We’re looking to the AGM to move SPORTA forward even further and also to a high quality programme of speakers on topics that are extremely important to SPORTA members now and in the immediate future.” Details: www.sporta.org