Fears review of school hall lets will hit Capital clubs in pocket

Published on Monday 7 December 2009 08:42

CHARGES for clubs and community groups who use school facilities and gym halls are set to be reviewed, sparking fears of price hikes.

Education bosses want to have a set fee for lets throughout all of Edinburgh's 23 high schools in order to eradicate the "unfair" and "confusing" difference in rates charged from school to school.

While the move is also designed to generate more money, in some cases it will actually lead to charges going down.

At the moment, headteachers of secondaries are responsible for setting their own rates for after-school lets, which brings in much-needed additional income.

But the council argues some clubs and community groups are actually being charged more – particularly at weekends – than what they would be if they used Edinburgh Leisure facilities.

In a report, education director Gillian Tee and Jim Inch, director of corporate services, said: "Whilst this arrangement clearly provides a mechanism for schools to maximise their funds, the negative consequences include some inequality and inconsistency across schools.

"The reality is that a plethora of pricing regimes has developed, which charge users highly variable rates for the use of similar facilities. This is not only unfair, but also highly confusing."

The worry is that while prices may become lower in some schools for certain lets, they will inevitably rise in others.

Anything Goes Fitness Ltd runs classes out of Currie Community High School several times a week. Director Iain Forbes warns this is "the beginning of the end" for community use of schools.

He said: "Every let for fitness is going to be centralised. This would take the control away from the community manager at the school. This would affect all lets of sports facilities at all community high schools, again causing a price increase and cost more to all users for the same, if not less, service.

"We charge 3.50 a class, whereas Edinburgh Leisure charges 6.70 a class.

"It's unbelievable. On one hand the council and the government are telling people to keep fit but then they're doing this and charging people more to keep fit."

The council hopes to introduce the new system next autumn.

City education leader Marilyne MacLaren said: "We have invested heavily in leisure facilities in schools and now we want to look at ways of ensuring that local communities have every opportunity to make the most out of them.

"We are working closely with headteachers and consulting with sports clubs to see what will work best and what is fair."