Groups using the sport courts at Hartsdown Leisure Centre say the number of people attending sessions has been ‘decimated’ because of unexpected and costly changes to membership terms.
Those taking out the top package, Play (Sports Focused Membership), which costs some £600pa, have previously had use of the courts included as part of their membership.
But since last month the terms have been changed so the package includes a discount for the courts rather than free use.
The price for pay as you go customers has also risen, from £3ph pre-covid to £9 now.
Mark Proctor, from Margate, says he paid for his membership package in January and there was no mention of a ‘hidden charge’ for using the courts.
Now, instead of free use, he gets a 50% discount but says that still means an outlay of £9 per time, adding up to ‘a significant extra amount’ over the year.
He is part of a group that plays on Mondays and Fridays but the 63-year-old says numbers have dropped from an average 24 people to just four or five, meaning someone is often just sat on the sidelines during doubles games.
The photographer said: “For use of the sports hall I pay top membership, so it is £60 per month or pay upfront before the end of January, which I did, and you get £100 off.
“I paid and for the first few weeks I was using it as usual, going on a Monday and Friday with the group.
“Non members were paying about £3 pre-covid for two hours badminton. Last year it went up to £7 and from 1st March this year it went to £9. That’s a big jump for a lot of people if they are feeling the squeeze.
“Before covid we would book all four courts and have 20-25 people each session. When the price went up a lot of people dropped out and lots have cancelled their membership at Hartsdown.
“The session on March 7th- no-one turned up and March 14th there were eight people, this is decimating the group.”
The pickleball group has reported similar problems due to the price rise and a regular hire for netball has also ended sessions.
Mark says the issue with the change to his membership package was not highlighted until three days before the changes came into force – a month after he had already paid.
He says he has been unable to get a refund although Your Leisure has offered vouchers worth £99 – equivalent to 11 bookings for the year.
Mark says he would rather not have the other areas his membership entitles him to, such as swimming, as the sports hall inclusion is the main reason he pays for the package.
He also points to court hire at St George’s School which is just £5 for two hours.
He added: “Next year I won’t be renewing my membership as I don’t trust what is being offered when it can be changed at any minute.
“If their intention was to raise revenue, it has failed dramatically because of fewer people turning up and many wanting their money back. And this isn’t just our group, the pickleball group has also decided not to play there anymore.”
A member of the pickleball group said: “People have been complaining bitterly about the price increases and the way it has been implemented. Many have not returned to use the sports facility.
“Many of us have paid for twelve months membership which was sold on the understanding that singles play court hire was included in the price of the membership. “They are bound contractually to honour that agreement until that membership expires.
“Many customers are retired and are on limited/fixed income. Some of them cannot afford the extra charges that have been imposed upon them so will be looking for alternative venues.
“They have placed the burden of price increases upon people who use the sports hall, which I might add is unheated and leaks when it rains.”
Your Leisure MD Warren Reeves said rising costs from utilities and higher national insurance contributions mean increases have been necessary.
He said: “Your Leisure, like all operators across the country, has experienced increased pressures from utility costs, including water rates, and pressures from changes to the employer’s national insurance contributions.
“As a Leisure operator with charitable status, we seek to reinvest back into our facilities and programmes and have to review our pricing structure accordingly. Your Leisure seeks to deliver the best value for money service; therefore, our pricing and terms reflect the cost of operations and we work closely with Community Leisure (a non-profit that supports Leisure Trusts in England) to align with the wider sector’s pricing and service provision.
“The courts-based membership was created to assist people post-COVID back into sports and was subject to surcharge freezes in subsequent years. This year, we took the difficult decision to make changes to the pricing and terms of our court-based membership to reflect the costs of service provision.
“We recognise that the changes to our court bookings have raised concerns and we are actively working with our members to support them through the changes.”
