A SCOTTISH court ruling could mean a £69 hike for gym membership at a Poole leisure centre.

Broadstone Leisure Centre is one of 550 UK gyms affected by a recent HM Revenue and Customs case, that concluded with hundreds of non-profit leisure trusts facing a collective £20million tax bill.

As it stands, the recent ruling ends the Broadstone centre's exemption from VAT on membership, meaning average annual fees could rocket from £399 to £468.

Mike McCardle, of the Umbrella organisation SpoRTA, that represents Broadstone Leisure Centre, said: "We are lobbying government in a bid to sort this situation out.

"We read reports of the country facing an obesity crisis, and while on the one hand government is pushing for healthier lifestyles, on the other hand they are pricing people out of affordable leisure centre membership.

"The Treasury and the Department of Culture Media and Sport need to get together because the fear is, if we cannot sort this out, charges will have to rise by 17.5 per cent and services will be affected."

Mr McCardle and a team from SpoRTA met with Sports Minister Gerry Sutcliffe last week in a bid to avert the impending cash crisis.

If the VAT ruling remains, non-profit distributing sporting trusts will face a retrospective bill for the past three years.

Mr McCardle explained: "The Wessex Charitable Sports Trust that runs Broadstone Leisure Centre works very closely with primary care trusts and puts profits back into services.

"These are not private profit making companies, they are facilities run for the public sector."

Of the 2,600 council-owned UK leisure centres some are run directly by councils, some by private contractors and 550 are run using "arms length" or independent non-profit making leisure trusts.

Cabinet portfolio holder for leisure and culture Peter Adams said: "The Broadstone Leisure Centre is not an arms length' trust run on behalf of the council. It is an independent not for profit trust.

"We do support the centre but the management of it has little to do with the council."

GMB general secretary Brian Strutton said: "It is surely a matter of public concern that leisure centres run at arms length by some councils seem to be evading VAT.

"The last thing we need is for there to be any whiff of impropriety and therefore it would be best if all these leisure centres were back under the direct control of their councils."