Mid Sussex leisure centre visits fell from 1.8m to 1.6m in 2025/26, and the three centres need £12.77m of work by 2034. Scrutiny meets on 16 September.

Visits to Mid Sussex’s three council leisure centres fell from about 1.8 million in 2024/25 to 1.6 million in 2025/26. Membership is down for the second year running.

The centres are the Triangle in Burgess Hill, the Dolphin in Haywards Heath and the Kings Centre in East Grinstead. All three are run for the council by Places Leisure. The figures are in a Leisure Services Annual Update going to the council’s Scrutiny Committee for Place and Environment at 7pm on Wednesday 16 September.

The report blames three things for the fall:

  • more competition from private gyms
  • planned and unplanned closures
  • pressure on household spending

Membership has slipped from its 2024 peak

Active membership stood at 10,870 in March 2026. That is still 17.7% above March 2022, but down from a peak of 11,671 two years ago.

Active leisure centre membership in Mid Sussex, March 2022 to March 2026 Horizontal bars. March 2022: 9,238. March 2024: 11,671, the peak. March 2025: 11,400. March 2026: 10,870. Leisure centre membership has fallen two years running Active members across the Triangle, Dolphin and Kings Centre, each March. Source: Leisure Services Annual Update, Scrutiny Committee, 16 September 2026. March 2022 9,238 March 2024 11,671 (peak) March 2025 11,400 March 2026 10,870 The report gives no figure for March 2023. Bars drawn to scale from zero. Graphic by Mid Sussex News

The report does not read that as falling demand. With about 11,000 members, it says, the centres are “operating well above capacity”. Popular classes are hard to book at peak times, “causing some customers to look elsewhere”. Studio space cannot meet demand for classes at any of the three centres.

The current year has started better. The council’s first-quarter budget report records 417,024 visits between April and June, up from 364,868 in the same quarter last year.

The buildings need £12.77m

Much of the fabric of the three centres is 40 to 60 years old. A lifecycle plan puts potential investment at about £12.77 million over the eight years to 2034. It lists:

  • building management system upgrades
  • replacement boilers and air-handling units
  • car park resurfacing
  • pool infrastructure
  • major roof works

The report says the scope, timing and cost are still subject to surveys and funding decisions. Nobody has yet agreed who pays. Places Leisure spent a further £1.5m on the centres in 2025/26.

A difficult year at the Triangle

The Burgess Hill centre had the most disruption. The report lists:

  • faults and closures in the health suite, spa and steam room, including plant failure and chemical dosing problems
  • temporary closures of the leisure pool and outdoor courts
  • a delayed lido opening this summer, after technical and water quality problems found during commissioning; both circulation pumps were replaced
  • anti-social behaviour and unauthorised access, which led to a permanent security presence at the centre

Elsewhere, the Kings Centre closed completely from 10 to 20 January 2026 because of a South East Water supply problem. The Dolphin had a brief closure after a power cut in June. The Arc Centre for Outdoor Sport in Burgess Hill, which opened in September 2025, closed for four days in August 2026 because of an unauthorised encampment.

Padel now costs £30 a court

The Triangle’s padel court was free to members until 2 January 2026. The report says about 100 members, out of more than 4,000, were blocking it out in advance. It was booked for over 97% of slots, and only 3% of bookings came from non-members.

It now costs £30 a court for members and £40 for non-members. After six months:

  • court occupancy fell to about 70%
  • non-member bookings rose from 3% to over 21%
  • the charge brings in about £6,500 a month, earmarked for maintenance and a second court
  • overall membership at the Triangle dropped

A full review is due once a year of data is in.

Pitches lost to the weather

Outdoors, about 200 matches went unplayed in 2025/26 because of waterlogged pitches. The council’s grounds contractor, Glendale, manages 85 grass-roots pitches, more than 120 play areas and 36 pavilions. The committee is asked to back a costed climate adaptation plan that prioritises the pitches worst affected by flooding.

The contract runs out in 2029

The council’s leisure contract with Places Leisure began on 1 July 2014 and ends on 1 July 2029. The council can extend it to 2034. Officers want a way forward agreed early in 2027, with a report to Cabinet then.

The money is back on track after the pandemic. The council received its full £800,000 management fee in 2025/26. During Covid it waived £1.4m a year in fees and gave net support of £6.7m.

What it means for you

  • Concessions are generous. About 30% of members pay a concession rate. Discounts run from 15% for older adults, young people and full-time students to 50% for residents on eligible disability, health or income-related benefits. Ask at your centre.
  • If you play padel at the Triangle, expect to pay per court, but you are more likely to get a booking than before January.
  • The meeting is public. Scrutiny meets at 7pm on Wednesday 16 September in the Council Chamber at Oaklands, Haywards Heath. The agenda has the full report.
  • Council structure is up in the air. The report was written before the government paused local government reorganisation on 7 September. Officers will tell the committee on the night whether that changes anything.

For what else is on in the district, see our things to do in Mid Sussex page.

Sources