A CONSULTATION has been launched into how the public feel about sport and leisure provision in the Borders.

The consultation comes as bosses at Live Borders – which operates sporting and leisure sites owned by Scottish Borders Council (SBC) across the region – say that they "cannot continue to operate as we do now".

Borderers of all ages are asked to share their views on leisure services in the Borders.

The consultation is "at the heart of" a joint review into the facilities owned by Scottish Borders Council (SBC) and operated by Live Borders.

The consultation will focus on the quality, quantity, accessibility, affordability, and sustainability of services.

Alison Moore, chair of Live Borders, said: “Getting feedback from local people, both those that use services and those that don’t, is a key element of the joint review to enable balanced proposals to be developed.

“Fundamentally we cannot continue to operate as we do now – we must find different ways to do things to ensure continuity of services in the long term and we also need to understand where and how future investments should be made.

“There will be difficult discussions, questions and choices for communities, the Council and Live Borders over the coming months, but these are essential if services are to be maintained and improved.

“We want to make sure that future changes made as a result of the joint review reflect local people’s priorities for leisure, sport and cultural services and therefore it is crucial that we get as much input as possible through the online public survey and the upcoming engagement events.”

The joint review into Live Borders' services is a result of a decrease in public funding, changing needs in communities, inflation, and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis, namely increasing energy costs.

The aim of the review is to ensure that sport, leisure and cultural services offer what is "most important" to rural communities and towns in the Borders.

Live Borders currently operates 30 sport and leisure facilities, including six swimming pools, 23 cultural facilities – including libraries and museums – 10 community centres, and 12 town halls.

Both organisations have outlined that changes to service use post-pandemic, increasing costs, a need to move toward Net Zero targets, and the need for reinvestment in properties for leisure and sport are all having an effect.

Leader of Scottish Borders Council, councillor Euan Jardine, added: “Right across the country, leisure, sport and cultural service providers are facing incredible financial and operating challenges, which are prompting some extremely difficult decisions to be made. This is the case whether these services are delivered directly by local authorities or through partnership arrangements such as our own with Live Borders.

“Both the Council and Live Borders have a responsibility to ensure our local services are affordable, sustainable and meet the needs of local people, and that is why this joint review is so important and comes at such a key time.

“I would urge every Borderer who values their leisure, sport and culture services to take the opportunity to feed into the joint review and help both organisations to reach a balanced view on the priorities and develop financial and operating plans that protect and enhance key services.

“This is an opportunity for our communities and residents to shape the future of these services and help inform new plans and strategies, because as we move into the future we cannot remain static.

"That’s why it’s so important that those that make use of these services help us to shape how and where these are delivered to make it more sustainable into the future.”

A number of engagement events will be held around the Borders, each including a drop-in session from 2.30pm-6pm, and a discussion from 7pm-8.30pm – the latter will be open to invited stakeholders, with some additional spaces open to be booked for others interested in attending.

The engagement sessions will include:

  • Coldstream Community Centre – Thursday, July 27
  • Peebles Burgh Hall – Monday, July 31
  • Jedburgh Town Hall – Tuesday, August 1
  • Hawick Town Hall – Thursday, August 3
  • Gala Volunteer Hall – Monday, August 7
  • Eyemouth Community Centre – Tuesday, August 8
  • Selkirk Victoria Hall – Monday, August 14
  • Kelso Tait Hall – Tuesday, August 15
  • Duns Southfield Community Centre – Thursday, August 17

The online survey can be found at: www.scotborders.gov.uk/jointreview