An increasingly bad-tempered dispute about the future of Dudley borough leisure centres is set to heat up further.

Campaigners are planning to protest ahead of the meeting of Dudley Council on April 28 amid allegations the ruling Conservatives are misleading voters by continuing a process which will result in privatisation of the centres by outsourcing their operations. 

Dudley’s leader, Cllr Patrick Harley, launched a full-blooded attack on the campaign which he claims is led by trade unions that don’t represent leisure centre workers.

Cllr Harley said: “The campaign is flawed, at best twisting the truth and at worst attempting to deceive people into thinking this is an exercise in privatisation.

“Nothing could be further from the truth. 

“Unlike other councils who have closed leisure centres, under my leadership we have not only kept them open but built a brand new one. 

“The exercise to find a secure future for all three leisure centres will continue – however it is not one that has privatising as an option.” 

A full council meeting on March 3 agreed a motion to recommend the council’s cabinet should retain DB Leisure as a service directly managed and run by the local authority. The vote is not binding and campaigners believe the motion may be ignored. 

Tony Barnsley, from Keep DB Leisure a Public Service, said in a message to councillors: “Let’s be clear, inviting a private company/external organisation to run Dudley’s leisure centres for a fee is a form of privatisation that is against the vote taken in the council chamber on 3rd March 2025. 

“Therefore, we have little choice but to continue our campaign until you let us know that you will honour the 3rd March vote.” 

Campaigners believe if the authority places its leisure services into private management prices will go up while there will be cuts in pay and worse conditions for staff. A Keep DB Leisure a Public Service spokeperson said: “The only attempt to mislead is telling voters that inviting a private firm to run the leisure centres for a fee is somehow not privatisation. 

“Anyone can see that a private company would need to make money from the leisure centres. “Opposition to this has not just come from trade unions, but rather a wide range of people.

“It’s misleading to suggest this is just a trade union campaign.” 

During the March 3 meeting Councillor Phil Atkins, Conservative cabinet member for corporate strategy, said the process for bids to run the centres had already been completed. He added: “We cannot afford to maintain the current subsidy, £2.4m, and so we are exploring options to reduce costs while maintaining all the leisure centres.

“We aren’t selling off our leisure centres, outsourcing will only be considered if there is a financial benefit for the authority.”