The future of Liverpool’s leisure centers is under discussion amid fears over costs

A row has developed over how two Liverpool leisure centers should be managed as the city council tries to save costs.

The Labor authority wants to hand over control of Lifestyles fitness centers in Everton and Park Road to external organizations as part of a community asset transfer process – as they deal with a £3.4m overspend on leisure services .

However, Liberal Democrat opposition leader Carl Cashman said he believed the process “cannot guarantee” the future of the centers and should instead go to a third, not-for-profit organization to keep it under council control.

The Council is expected to make a final decision in the autumn following a public consultation.

Thousands of people have previously signed petitions calling for the council to retain control of the centers and keep them affordable.

Campaigners also attended an emergency council meeting on Wednesday, where councilors engaged in a heated debate.

The City of Liverpool Gymnastics Foundation has expressed an interest in taking over the Park Road site, while St Joseph Catholic Multi Academy Trust has proposed running Everton Park.

Mr Cashman told BBC Radio Merseyside that he believed community asset transfers had worked for libraries and small community centers but not for larger operations.

He added: “Not to knock these organisations, but I’m very skeptical when it comes to the size of these leisure centres.”

Councilor Harry Doyle, the council’s cabinet member for health, said the business cases needed to be “properly looked at to make sure they are sustainable and that these assets remain open and accessible, because we also don’t want to put prices on communities”.

He said prices could “inflate” under the Lib Dems’ plans for the centres, although Mr Cashman disagreed, who suggested costs could be kept low.

Mr Cashman also said there should have been a public consultation “before the council looked for organisations, and then another consultation process once those organizations came up, but in fact the community hasn’t been consulted at all yet”.

Former deputy mayor Jane Corbett said: “Clearly the best-case scenario would be for all our leisure centers to remain council-owned and council-run, but let’s be clear, what is being proposed is not like Everton Park and Park They should be closed.

“What is not proposed is that the centers be handed over to a private, for-profit company.”