Putting the Oasis in the hands of a private company has made it harder to reopen the leisure centre once coronavirus restriction are lifted.

That is the view of a senior Labour councillor, who has in turn been criticised for presenting a report into the matter before going through the correct process.

Jim Robbins led the scrutiny committee’s task group in asking questions of current and former council leaders David Renard and Rod Bluh, as well as directors of Oasis leaseholders Seven Capital and its last operator GLL.

The chairman has written up the findings and presented them as a draft report – but it has not been vetted by the task group, the committee’s officers or by the committee itself.

The Oasis has been closed since the autumn, with GLL deciding it was no longer viable before restrictions were lifted at the end of the second coronavirus lockdown. The iconic venue was handed to Seven Capital by the council and has around 91 years of a 99-year lease to run.

Coun Robbins said: “There are three main contributing factors that resulted in the closure of the Oasis.

“The committee’s investigation concluded there were two additional factors outside of the pandemic more unique to the Oasis that have made its situation worse when compared to other leisure sites and these factors are why it will possibly remain closed.

“The first is the decision to include the Oasis in the North Star development site and a subsequent lack of maintenance and investment in the centre over the last 10 years. The Oasis needed investment 10 years ago, and this has not happened.

“Secondly, the ownership model implemented by the council administration in association with private sector partners rendered the site ineligible for National Leisure Relief funding offered by the government in response to the pandemic.

“It is undeniable that the pandemic has played a role in the closure of the Oasis, its impact on the leisure sector has been drastic across both the town and country.

“The Oasis is an outlier in that it is not currently planned to reopen after the pandemic – this is a result of decisions made by the council administration before the pandemic.

“The pandemic is why it closed, but not why it looks to stay closed barring drastic action being taken by the council in the coming months.”

Council leader David Renard said: “We are all agreed that we want to see a viable, long-term solution for the Oasis. A lot of work had already been taking place and I am delighted that Seven Capital have already been able to demonstrate what can be done to achieve this goal. I am confident that under the Conservative administration we will continue to deliver for the people of Swindon.

“The Oasis was included with the North Star development site some years ago to enable a single party to pursue the opportunity to deliver a regional leisure destination to complement the existing leisure offer provided by the Oasis, rather to act as competition for the Oasis. Since then, many unforeseen things have changed.

“The council is working with Seven Capital on a proposal reflecting the changes required to update the building so it is a viable, sustainable, and attractive facility for both a new operator and future customers.

“No one could have anticipated the impact of the pandemic on the leisure sector or that the government’s National Leisure Relief Fund would not apply to the Oasis.”

Coun Renard also took issue with the way Coun Robbins has presented his draft report.

He said: “I am not aware that this report has been approved by the scrutiny committee and appears to be a series of personal conclusions drawn by the chair.

“The reality is that with Labour flagging in the polls nationally I fully understand why the party want to detract from the successes of the Conservative administration.”

Coun Robbins said it had been agreed by the task group last week that he should get the report written before the council went into its pre-election period.

Draft report calls for independent Oasis survey

While the scrutiny task group’s report has not been agreed by the members, it contains conclusions and recommendations. 

It says: “The committee heard evidence that clearly Covid-19 has played a role in the closure of the Oasis, and the three national lockdowns have forced the closing of all leisure centres. 

"The Oasis is the only leisure centre in the town that has closed for good in the town during the pandemic, and the decision to include the Oasis in the North Star development and the subsequent lack of maintenance of the centre over the last 10 years has played a major role in this. 

“Oasis is not being eligible for the National Leisure Relief fund due to the ownership model accounts for the timing of the decision not to reopen in May. The Oasis was in need of significant investment in 2011, and is has not happened in the subsequent 10 years, which has led to the current closure.” 

The draft report accepts  much work and money is needed to bring the centre back to a long-term viable state but adds: “It is not enough for the council to be guided solely by

GLL and Seven Capital, both of whom have an interest in the building. 

“A full independent survey into both the current state of the building and the potential costs of both a refurbishment and a rebuild, the projected running costs of different levels of refurbishment/rebuild and the estimated length of time the building will be viable with these options should be sought.  

“The council is the owner of the land and should ensure it has a clear and unbiased opinion of the value of the land and the facilities on it.”