FINANCIAL troubles at Mill Chase Leisure Centre seemed to be well and truly in the past as management plans for the Bordon centre were made public for the first time.

After months of negotiations a £120,000 a year management plan has been put together and is expected to be approved by East Hampshire District CouncilÕs cabinet when it meets on Wednesday.

The proposed agreement was drawn up after talks between the council, Mill Chase Community School and Hampshire County Council and, if signed, will give the sports centre financial stability.

Last year it was revealed that the centre was in the red and in the previous year it had trouble raising funds to pay for a refurbished gym.

The centre has a deficit of £44,989 but a package of measures will put it back into the black by the start of the new financial year.

With a new centre manager at the helm, previous problems are being put behind it and legal contracts will ensure that, like Alton Sports Centre and the Taro Centre in Petersfield, Mill Chase will be managed by EHDCÕs contractor DC Leisure Management.

The district council will set aside a budget of £120,000 a year to fund the centre and lease the building from the county council for a period of 25 years.

Hampshire County Council will pay a community subsidy of £36,000 a year and both councils will be responsible for the maintenance and long-term planning of the centre.

Under the plans facilities at the community school, where the leisure centre is sited, will be open for public use after school, at weekends and during holidays. Included in the arrangement will be the artificial turf pitch, assembly hall and outdoor tennis courts.

In return the school will be guaranteed access to the centreÕs swimming pool and fitness room for a limited number of hours a week.

A survey will be undertaken to assess the needs of the centre. A new committee, with representation from school governors and Whitehill Town Council, will also play a key role in the centreÕs future.

In his report, EHDCÕs head of leisure and culture Chris Youngs says: ÒThe arrangements, together with the contracting arrangements, will for the first time put the facilities and management in a financially sustained position.Ó

The new agreement has been okayed by Hampshire County Council and Mill Chase head Tony Philpott, but EHDCÕs cabinet, Sport England and the schoolÕs governing body must rubber stamp the proposals before they can be put into action.