GLL has been handed £200,000 to help it through the pandemic by Swindon Borough Council.

The leisure operator – which runs six centres in the town but called time on the Oasis in November – may yet receive more funds from central government.

The figures have been revealed in a report being presented to the council's resources and corporate overview and scrutiny committee on Monday.

It will meet to discuss the lease arrangements the local authority has with GLL and the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns on leisure provision in the borough.

The report says: “To date, additional support of £200,000 has been provided to GLL based on the losses it has experienced for April 1 2020 to June 30 2020 reflecting the significant losses it experienced due to the first lockdown.

“Further support is being assessed and approval will be sought reflecting ongoing losses GLL has experienced due to the continuing impact of the pandemic.”

GLL runs the Health Hydro in Milton Road, the Link Centre, Dorcan Recreation Centre, Haydon Wick Leisure Centre and Gym, Delta Tennis Centre and Croft Sports Centre on behalf of the council – and used to run the Oasis for leaseholder Seven Capital.

The report will investigate the arrangements which have seen £3m of council money passed to GLL over the last five years, while the operator has invested £2.5m of its own money into refurbishing the centres.

The council has also applied to the government’s national leisure recovery fund announced in December to help keep leisure centres and operators viable for when restrictions are lifted.

Committee chairman Rahul Tarar said: “There was a lot of speculation about what was going on, so we wanted to find out what the relationship between SBC and GLL actually is, and what the boundaries of the contract are.

“We wanted to find out how we’ve got to where we are with leisure and the impact of Covid-19 on the provision, and GLL’s role and SBC’s role, now and in the future.

"It’s necessary to help the council make well informed decisions about leisure in the future, and the report will remain in the public domain to give transparency to the public. There’ s been quite a lot of confusion.”

The report also looks at the impact of the pandemic on Oasis, which closed after GLL said it was no longer viable.

It says: “In regard to the Oasis, GLL is not a leisure provider with a direct relationship with the council. This means it does not qualify for the support that has been offered to the six centres. It also means that the Oasis is not eligible for support through the National Leisure Recovery Fund.

Last week GLL chief executive Mark Sesnan said the state of the Oasis was so poor that it needed millions of pounds invested in it, and the costs of running the pool meant it was subsidised by the other activities there. He felt had it not been for the pandemic is probably would have closed in 2022 anyway.

The meeting starts at 6pm on Monday, March 1. A web link will allow members of the public to tune in.