REDDITCH Borough councillors are set to decide whether to put together a ‘full business case’ to create a Local Authority Trading Company (or LATC) to operate council leisure facilities.

The proposed LATC would be a separate company set up and solely owned by the borough council to run its facilities such as the Redditch Palace Theatre, the Abbey Stadium, Pitcheroak Golf Course, Forge Mill Needle Museum and Bordesley Abbey, community centres, and allotments.

It would be required to help more people get more active more often, while leaving all land and buildings in the hands of the borough council - which would also retain influence over strategy, pricing and programming.

It would deliver significant savings and protect the pensions and terms and conditions of existing staff.

Borough councillors are now set to consider whether to proceed with making a business case for the proposed LATC at the November 20 meeting of the full council.

Councillor Pat Witherspoon, Redditch Borough Council’s portfolio holder for leisure and cultural services, said: “We know we need an innovative solution for our local leisure and culture services, to ensure these jewels in Redditch’s crown continue to shine for years to come whilst responding to the budget pressures that we face as a council.

"On top of that we’ve listened to the almost 1,700 people who responded to our big survey about the provision of leisure services, where a majority of people wanted their council to be involved.

“That’s why we have recommended this LATC approach, a local authority trading company, for the council to consider.

"The evidence points to it being our best way to achieve all these things for Redditch.”

The move comes after councillors decided in February to explore alternative models for leisure provision, in a bid to make savings of over £400,000 a year from next year under continued reductions in public spending.