Councillor Calls for Concession Scheme To Boost Senior Participation

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council is set to examine the prospect of concessionary pricing for senior citizens at its leisure centres.

At this month’s Leisure and Development Committee meeting, TUV Councillor Allister Kyle proposed that officers prepare a membership concession proposal to “reiterate its support towards our senior citizens and their health and wellbeing”.

Cllr Kyle pointed out that the borough currently lacks a concession for monthly memberships – a facility that is available in other councils. He explained:

“Council currently offer no concession with regards to a monthly membership, yet other councils offer this,” Cllr Kyle said. “There is only a reduced option for daily tickets or pay-as -you -go admissions. “With the high preponderance of senior citizens across the borough and the many proven advantages associated with physical exercise, this is a concession we should seriously consider. “Leisure centres and neighbouring areas offer concessions, and surely a reduction in membership fees for seniors would not only bring more members but offer more substantial revenue to the council coffers, as there is likely to be an increase in uptake. “I think we do not want to be viewed as a council who ignores and is discriminative towards their elderly.”

DUP Councillor Darryl Wilson acknowledged the proposal’s merits, noting he “commended the spirit” of Cllr Kyle’s suggestion. However, he stressed that any decision would require a careful assessment of both its “necessity and the cost implications”. He added:

“...I know a number of senior citizens already use our facilities,” he said. “I would use the Joey Dunlop Centre five or six mornings a week, and at that time there are senior citizens utilising the fantastic facilities. “Everybody wants a bargain but quite often they say to me ‘isn’t it fantastic what we have here, for what we pay?’ so we need a detailed cost-benefit analysis.”

UUP Councillor Richard Holmes was more circumspect. He noted that the proposal might only be viable if the leisure centres were operating profitably. “But big leisure centres lose more than half a million pounds a year,” he said. “I wouldn’t even spend much time doing analysis, because all it’s going to do is decrease the already meagre income and increase the losses in those leisure centres. “If they were making a lot of money we could look at it, but they’re not, so I wouldn’t go further with it at this stage.”

The discussion was rounded off by Director of Leisure and Development, Pat Mulvenna, who recommended that officers return with a report outlining current operating costs and the concessions available to other groups at all centres. She concluded:

“It is quite a complex picture, so if we came back with those details for you to peruse, we could at that point decide if we want it to do any more work on this issue.”

The proposal now awaits further analysis, with councillors keen to balance fiscal prudence against the potential benefits of enhanced support for the borough’s senior citizens.