Cost of Covid pandemic to Moray's leisure facilities revealed

The ongoing problems faced by Moray's leisure facilities due to Covid-19 have already led to a £843,000 loss of income for the council.

Nearly one in four members of the Moray Fit Life scheme have dropped out since the beginning of the pandemic.

Back in February the number of members stood at 4303.

As of September 30 that figure had dropped to 3314 – a fall of of 23 per cent.

Meanwhile, the number of people paying direct debits to Moray Leisure Centre in Elgin has declined even more steeply.

In March the number was 3937.

After dropping to a low of 1668 in August it rose again slightly to 1879 by the end of September.

A report written for the council states: "Fit Life Memberships are the main source of income for both Moray Leisure Centre and the sport and leisure service in Moray Council.

"The major decline in membership income therefore has a major impact on income targets, budget projections and subsidy requirements of our sports and leisure services, including Moray Leisure."

Added to the £843,000 loss of income, the same report also predicts further losses due to ongoing restrictions related to the pandemic.

These are estimated to amount to about another £388,000 by March next year.

The report adds: "Our priority for 2021/22 will be to recover our service and aim to reach our income target levels from 2020/21 of £1.7million, but this is largely dependent on a reduction in Covid-19 restrictions."

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