A deal is set to be struck between the county and borough councils about the future of a Borehamwood leisure centre after six months of negotiations.

Hertsmere Borough Council, which currently runs the Hawksmoor Centre, in Potters Lane, wants it to be managed in the future by a new trust it is forming.

But, because the site is owned by the county council, an agreement has to be reached with the county council and Hertswood School, which uses the site.

This week borough councillors were told that the hand-over to the trust was likely to go ahead if the name of the facility changed to the Hertswood Centre.

Phil Collins, the chief executive designate of the trust, said: "The feeling between the county, the school and the borough council is that we want to work together. We want to bring the Hawksmoor Centre into the trust's fold, along with the rest of the borough council's leisure facilities."

Hertswood School had expressed an interest in managing the centre, which prompted concerns about the future availability of the site for public use.

However, the borough council said this week that the school's governors had agreed in principle to the centre being run by the new charitable trust.

The governors asked the borough council to change the name of the centre and allocate a place on the trust's board to a school representative. Councillors were expected to agree to it being renamed the Hertswood Centre, at a meeting last night, to ensure that the transfer deal went ahead.

Hertsmere Leisure Trust will take over the borough council's leisure facilities, including The Venue in Borehamwood, in January of next year.

The trust, which will employ all staff currently working at the leisure centres, is being established to save the council £279,000 per year in business rates.

October 31, 2001 16:57