Leisure centres to get £500,000 upgrade

Improvements will be made to two council-run leisure centres in Leeds after a £500,000 investment was agreed.

Leeds City Council said it would spend the cash to boost facilities at its gyms in Pudsey and Rothwell.

Changing rooms and swimming pool equipment will be upgraded at Pudsey Leisure Centre on Market Place.

Meanwhile, a crèche will be refurbished, with a dedicated studio space also created at Rothwell Leisure Centre on Wakefield Road.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a council report said the investment would help meet demand for gym services and boost income for the authority.

It said: "These investments will support the service in achieving its planned income targets over the next three years, while improving operational efficiency and supporting future growth."

The council said Active Leeds, which runs leisure facilities in the city, had benefitted from previous refurbishments.

The report said: "On the back of these refurbishments, the service has enjoyed significant success, growing its membership base by over 82% since 2018 to over 32,000 members."

According to the report, the investment would also help retain members.

"In 2025, Rothwell Leisure Centre had over 2,000 membership cancellations," it said.

"If we could encourage these members to stay just one extra month with a yield of £25, this could generate up to £50K per annum."

It added: "Many of our gyms are reaching capacity, creating a need for investment to support future growth."

Funding for the refurbishments would come out of the council's capital budget, which pays for infrastructure projects.

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