A SCHOOL said its "high class sports provision" will continue, despite Dorset Council proposing to withdraw its management of the leisure centre.

Dorset Council has proposed to withdraw its management from the Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre, despite overwhelming support to keep the current arrangement.

Council officials said it could not justify spending “so much public money” on a centre it did not own, but would work with Queen Elizabeth’s School (QE) to find a sustainable alternative.

READ MORE: Dorset Council proposes to withdraw management of QE Leisure Centre

Reacting to the news, Katie Boyes, headteacher of QE, said: "Obviously we are disappointed with the council’s decision.

“The public consultation made clear that people want the current arrangement to remain.

“A report on the leisure centre has been compiled by the council which we have just received and will now read and consider.

“Every avenue to find a solution will be explored, but we want to be clear that high class sports provision at QE school will continue.

“We are committed to providing an excellent sports curriculum with top coaching and fantastic facilities - and that won’t change.

Dorset Council manages the leisure centre despite not owning it. This raised the question as to whether it provided value for money.

It costs the half a million pounds a year to manage and subsidise the site, far higher than any of the eight leisure centres it owns who share what’s left of the £1.7m budget.

As reported, councillor Laura Miller, Dorset Council’s portfolio holder for customer and community services, said: “I respect the strength of feeling from the local community, but Dorset Council simply cannot justify spending so much public money managing a centre that we do not own, in an area that has so much comparable leisure provision close by.

“Making these recommendations has been difficult, but the school has a considerable amount of time to explore options for QELC’s future and I remain hopeful we can help them find a solution to their funding concerns.

“Ultimately, the future of QELC rests with the school but we will do all we can to support them in the meantime, including helping get the all-weather pitch updated and looking at ways of making the facilities more accessible to the general public.”