Councils secure a high-quality and sustainable future for leisure facilities in uncertain times
Published 6 January 2026
Local residents can look forward to high-quality, sustainable leisure services for at least the next three years after their councils struck a deal for a contract extension.
South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils have secured the future of the districts’ leisure services by extending their leisure contract for a further three years, unlocking savings, and securing fresh investment in facilities until 31 August 2029.
With the government planning to reorganise councils in Oxfordshire in the coming years, a short-term contract extension – rather than a new long-term deal – provides the greatest flexibility for the new unitary council that will be replacing the two districts in the next few years, whichever form it takes.
The councils current long term leisure services contract was nearing its end in August 2026. Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), who operate under the brand ‘Better’, has successfully delivered leisure services on behalf of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils, since the award of a joint leisure operating contract in 2014 (and separately for both councils for several years before that). This covers leisure facilities – with seven in South Oxfordshire and four in Vale of White Horse, (including outdoor pools in both areas).
Changes within the new three-year extension contract offer significant financial benefits for both councils, generating cost savings without any compromise on service. There is further significant investment earmarked for facilities across both districts.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council, said: “Our current leisure provider, Better, has served our district for over ten years now. I’d like to extend our thanks for their contribution to the wellbeing of our district. With council reorganisation on the horizon, we need a pragmatic approach – and I’m pleased we have been able to extend our partnership with Better for the next three years and that we will continue our commitment to investing in our leisure – with further improvements coming in the near future.
“In the current climate, any leisure service needs to be financially sustainable. Our joint contract with South Oxfordshire since 2014 has already paid dividends with economies of scale and savings of shared services.
“Customers can look forward to a continuity of service. We want to support thriving, healthy, and inclusive communities across our district. Our ultimate goal through all this is to reduce health inequalities and support the health and wellbeing of residents of all ages and abilities – getting more people, more active, more often.”
Cllr Maggie Cllr Filipova-Rivers, Leader of South Oxfordshire District Council, said: “Better has provided us with a good service for over ten years and we are grateful for everything they have delivered and will continue to deliver over the coming three years. With the outcomes of council reorganisation still to be decided, it is a sensible option for us to extend the contract for this period of time.
“We are dedicated to fostering communities where residents can live healthy lives. Consequently, delivering high quality, affordable leisure services for the wellbeing of our residents remains top of our agenda. Alongside this we also need to ensure a sustainable financial future for all our facilities, given the national picture of leisure closures in the face of rising energy costs and dwindling council budgets.”
Gary Starkey, Head of Service for GLL: “We’re delighted to have had our contracts extended across both South Oxfordshire and Vale of the White Horse. Having operated leisure facilities across the region for well over a decade, we are very much part of the local communities and look forward to building on what has already been achieved, while continuing to ensure that the services we offer are accessible to all.”
Both councils have invested significantly in sports and leisure facilities over the last few years, with further investment planned over the coming year. Investments will focus on quality, accessibility and sustainability.
Multi-million-pound major energy-saving decarbonisation projects across several sites, coming to fruition in 2025/2026 – such as installation of insulation, new windows, solar panels, air source heat pumps and external wall insulation – aims to reduce the councils’ overall carbon emissions by more than 25 per cent.
The councils have also recently adopted Playing Pitch and Leisure Facility Strategies, which provide a road map for the future aspirations of leisure and sports provision.
