Belfast City Council has suspended plans to move forward with the outsourcing of leisure centre services, instead giving trade unions time to explore the possibility of in-house management.

Trade unions have been given £10,000 in funding to explore the feasibility of in-house management, with the funding being used to hire specialist advisers and modernise services.

Trade unions had protested the original plans, which would have seen the transfer of 300 staff to the selected outsourcing provider, as part of an outsourcing program designed to achieve public sector savings following public sector cuts.

Bumper Graham, of trade union Nipsa, said: “We accept a need to modernise, but there is no need to create a new model. This could affect a significant number of staff.”

Belfast City Council votes to outsource leisure centre services