A NEW managing director has been appointed at Rubicon Leisure – the council’s ‘arm’s length’ leisure company – following the resignation of Simon Ingyon.
John Oxley, who is taking the position on a temporary basis, comes with 35 years’ experience in the leisure management sector and is ‘passionate about sport and physical activity’.
He has a challenging job on his hands.
Rubicon Leisure runs Redditch’s ‘crown jewels’ – the Abbey Stadium, Pitcheroak Golf Course, the Palace Theatre, Forge Mill Needle Museum and Arrow Valley Visitor Centre as well as community halls at Oakenshaw, Batchley and Walkwood.
However it has been hit hard by the enforced closure of many of its facilities due to the pandemic over the past two years requiring support from both central government and the borough council.
A report put before the council last year forecast that Rubicon’s total cost to the authority in 2022 could hit £1.9million – in council tax terms the equivalent of £73.32 on every Band D property in Redditch.
Councillor Matt Dormer, the Leader of Redditch Borough Council, said it was vital that Rubicon’s cost to the council was reduced.
“We very much welcome the appointment of John, who’s from Inkberrow and a local guy who understands Redditch,” he said.
“Our parks are benefiting in an improvement in facilities, for instance at Morton Stanley, Arrow Valley and there’s a new pump track at Matchborough which hopefully will be done by March.
“So we’re improving the outdoor facilities and I would like to see a much better offer from Rubicon for the people of this town and to start tapping into the commercial opportunities available to it.
“It’s now a question of Rubicon making money so that it can ease the burden on the council.”
A large part of that will be luring people back to use the facilities now that the threat from the pandemic is slowly beginning to recede.
Coun Dormer highlighted the efforts being made at the Palace Theatre to bring audiences back to see the great shows on stage there as a sign of what could be achieved.
“I’d also like to thank Simon Ingyon for everything he has done. It certainly wasn’t easy for him arriving at the start of a global pandemic when everything was closing down.
“It was a tough job and we wish him well for the future.”
