Flintshire leisure centres reopen, offering free month to members after transition

Flintshire’s library and leisure services, now operating under council management as Flintshire Libraries and Leisure Limited (FLL), reopened earlier this week after a four-day closure to facilitate the transfer from previous operator Aura Wales.

The brief closure, which ran from November 1 to November 4, allowed for essential safety and compliance checks as Flintshire County Council assumed full control of these services.

The transition follows a council decision in October to end its longstanding contract with Aura Wales after negotiations to renew the agreement stalled.

To thank residents for their patience during the handover, FLL has announced a free month of membership for all current direct debit and annual leisure members.

As part of the gesture, direct debit payments will be paused for November and will resume in December, while annual members will see their membership extended by an additional month.

“We appreciate the support and understanding from customers during this time,” an FLL spokesperson said.

The council also confirmed that efforts are ongoing to improve its website and online booking system, with updates expected in the coming weeks.

The shift to a council-managed model raised some local concerns last month, with councillors from the Flintshire People’s Voice (FPV) group expressing apprehension about potential disruptions and the lack of detailed business plans for the new entity.

FPV councillors had called for renewed negotiations with Aura, but the council ultimately rejected this proposal, opting instead to move forward with the Local Authority Trading Company (LATC) model.

Last month, Council leader Dave Hughes assured residents ahead of the transition that every effort was being made to minimise disruption. “We are doing everything we can to ensure a smooth transition with minimal disruption to customers,” he said at the time.

In the lead-up to the handover, Flintshire County Council confirmed that employee roles and terms of employment would remain unchanged.

Aura Wales, which had managed Flintshire’s leisure and library services for seven years, had the responsibility of notifying members about the closure and processing refunds for bookings during the transition period.

Now, with services under the new FLL model, Cllr Hughes has expressed optimism about the future. “We look forward to welcoming everyone into Flintshire Libraries and Leisure and continuing to provide high-quality services for the people of Flintshire,” he said in a recent statement.

In an update today, FLL said: “Flintshire Libraries and Leisure Limited (FLL) was delighted to open its doors earlier this week following a short closure of services to support the transition of management arrangements.”

“We appreciate the support and understanding from customers during this time. To say thank you, everyone with an existing leisure direct debit or annual membership will get a FREE month.”

“For direct debit customers, we will not collect payment in November, but all benefits will remain. We will resume collections as normal on either December 5 or 19. For annual members, your current end date will be extended by 1 month.”

“We are also working hard to upgrade our website and online booking service, so please bear with us while this work is ongoing.”