Harrow Sport And Leisure Centres Bring In Profits For Council
Over £300,000 was spent on new gym equipment in 2018/19, along with money for Bannister Sports Centre and a soft play area at Harrow Leisure Centre.
Harrow Council made a significant profit of £684,810 in 2018/19 on its sport and leisure activities. The majority of this income was sourced via leisure centre fees and gym memberships.
According to data from Harrow Council, sourced by media literacy charity The Student View, there was a small drop in profit from the year previous. In 2017/18, a total profit of £696,082 was made. In 2016/17, a profit of £646,052 was made, and in 2015/16, of £563,54. The highest profit of the last five years was made back in 2014/15, at £751,138.
The funding encompasses sport and leisure centres, sport development, the London Youth Games, and community sport development. In 2018/19, the council earned £698,254 from leisure centres, and spent £227 on community sport development, £10,772 on the London Youth Games, and £2,445 on sport development.
Excluding the leisure and sport centres, sport funding in Harrow peaked at £135,862 in 2015/16. In 2018/19, the same initiatives and services received £13,444, a drop of 91%.
The data also revealed that the council’s largest single investment over the last five years was when the council invested £309,208 into new gym equipment for the Harrow Leisure Centre. Over the last five years, Harrow Council has also invested in lockers and a soft play area at the Harrow Leisure Centre, male changing rooms at Hatch End Swimming Pool, and other unspecified investments at Bannister Sports Centre.
Why did students choose this topic?
Connor said: “I chose this topic as sport is something very close to my heart. I play and participate in many sports in different environments. Sometimes the council helps by putting up goals and cutting down branches. However, I feel the council has been lacklustre in the last few years, paying less and less attention to sports development.”
How did the answers make our journalists feel?
“I feel disappointed to confirm that sports within Harrow have lost funding recently and it has become even more evident after seeing these numbers.”