Future of Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich secured by Suffolk County Council

The future of a popular sports centre in a Suffolk town has been secured after a new operator was found to run the facility.

Northgate Sports Centre in Ipswich will now be managed by Vivify, a school’s lettings company, which will replace Ipswich Borough Council as the operator.

According to Suffolk County Council, the company has extensive experience of running more than 500 sports facilities across the country and will manage the bookings system and out of hours service.

The facilities will be formally handed over on Saturday, April 1 and will reopen on April 17 following site maintenance and cleaning, while the final details of the agreement are currently being worked through.

Paul West, cabinet member for Ipswich at Suffolk County Council, said: “When Ipswich Borough Council handed back its 25-year commitment to run the facilities, we were left in a challenging position.

“Traditionally we have no knowledge or experience of running sports facilities – this sits at borough level. However, we knew we had a duty to pick up responsibility for the popular venue and ensure its future.

"Hundreds of people use the site, whether running clubs or for racquet sports, so we accepted that - despite the unilateral decision of the borough council - we could not let the site close.

“I am delighted that we have secured a deal with Vivify. Thanks to the prompt action of officers, Northgate Sports Centre will continue to operate as a significant asset for Ipswich.”

The new agreement will cost the county council in excess of £235,000 until July 2024 and during this contract period, the county council will continue to review the longer term business case.

Rowena Mackie, headteacher at Northgate School, said: “We are delighted that as a school we can continue to focus on our core purpose of educating our students.

“We always wanted to ensure that community use outside of school hours could be maintained as we recognise the importance of access to the sports facilities to very many in our wider community. We are excited to be in a position to work alongside Vivify and the County Council in this regard.”