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Dundee leisure board funding to be reviewed as £4.2m lifeline thrown in last four years

Dundee City Council has provided Leisure and Culture Dundee an additional £4.2m in the years since the pandemic to address income shortfalls.

By Laura Devlin

August 15 2024, 6:00am

Leisure and Culture Dundee has faced a number of challenges in recent years. Image: DC Thomson.

A funding review is set to be carried out into beleaguered Leisure and Culture Dundee amid concerns over its finances.

The arms-length organisation is responsible for running a variety of Dundee attractions and leisure facilities, including the Olympia centre.

It is funded through a combination of the management fee paid by Dundee City Council and income generated through charging for their attractions.

However, an internal audit carried out into the financial sustainability of Leisure and Culture Dundee (LACD) revealed it’s facing increasing pressures due to budget shortfalls.

This, the audit said, was due to Covid-19 enforced lockdowns and falling visitor numbers since services reopened.

The Olympia is among the facilities run by LACD. Image: Kim Cessford/DC Thomson.

Consequently, the council has provided LACD an additional £4.2m in the years since the pandemic to address income shortfalls.

And unless there are “substantial” savings or increases in the revenue generated, additional financial support from the council will be required.

This would come from the local authority’s reserves.

Councillors on the city governance committee will be asked to approve a full review of agreements, priorities, funding and options for Leisure and Culture Dundee when they meet on Monday.

LACD facilities for the chopping block

Earlier this year, LACD revealed proposals to cease operating three city services in a bid to save around £500,000 each year.

Broughty Castle, Caird Park golf courses, and the Mills Observatory are all under threat.

A six-week public consultation was launched seeking people’s views on the proposal. It concluded at the end of June and the outcome will be published in due course.

Broughty Castle could shut under the proposals. Image: Paul Reid.

The same week the consultation finished, a report was published revealing the head of LACD was was among senior council employees earning over £100k who received a pay rise last year.

Judy Dobbie was paid £120,850 over the course of the 2023/24 financial year. This is a six per cent increase on the £113,969 she was paid in the previous 12 months.