DESPITE needing to make budget cuts, Stroud District Council looks set to continue running loss-making Wotton Sports Centre for the benefit of the community for the next year.

It follows a review of three district council-run, part-time sports facilities, in which the authority was looking at ways it could offload the centres onto organisations in the community to save money.

Last year the authority did the same thing with Wotton Pool, which is now being run by a volunteer committee, funded by the town council.

However the review has concluded that the district council should continue to run the sports centre, part of Katharine Lady Berkeley’s School, for the next 12 months after no organisation came forward to take it on and revenue improved at the venue.

A report, which will go before members of Stroud District Council’s cabinet next Thursday, September 8, says: "Although it was anticipated that this review would lead to the handing back of some, if not all the three sites, it has resulted in the opposite outcome.

"Each site is showing signs of improvement and it would seem arbitrary to make this decision at this point in time."

The review found that in the last year footfall had actually increased at Wotton Sports Centre, while costs have come down, bringing the subsidy down by around nine pence per visitor.

Cllr June Cordwell, district and town councillor for Wotton, said she was pleased with the outcome of the review.

"It is good to hear the council will continue to run the centre for now, although the issue will need to be resolved at some point," she said.

"Wotton Town Council was very clear that it could not possibly take on running the sports centre. We have already taken on the pool and we will have youth provision to pay for, we cannot take on something else."

The proposals will go before full council later in the month to vote on.