CAMPAIGNERS battling civic chiefs over the running of a Winchester leisure centre are poised to complain direct to Whitehall.

Rosemary Burns and Martin Wilson allege the city council has wasted taxpayer money and not properly overseen the running of the city’s River Park Leisure Centre.

They are unhappy that the city council has not put the managing of the RPLC out to tender since 1992. DC Leisure, now known as People for Places, has run it ever since.

Complaints have been made to auditors and the Freedom of Information Commissioner who is investigating the complaint.

Ms Burns told the council’s overview and scrutiny committee last night that if no external review is carried out then they will refer the matter to the Secretary of State asking for Best Value Inspection under the new Audit and Accountability Act 2014.

Cllr Simon Cook, who in the 1980s was the city council’s chief leisure officer that ran the RPLC, said he disagreed with Ms Burns and Mr Wilson.

He said: “It (running the RPLC) used to cost the council a hell of a lot of money. That is the reason we let it out to tender. DC have done a pretty good job to reduce it to a nil cost to us.

“Martin Wilson and others have a theory that the council has been seen off in some way.

“I didn’t like the idea of privatising the leisure centres, but DC have got a good reputation nationally. The RPLC used to cost the council a lot of money per year to manage.”

The committee agreed to invite DC Leisure to a future committee to discuss the contract.

A confidential council paper reported the gross annual revenue generated by RPLC. Mr Wilson asked for the numbers but the council has refused citing commercial confidentiality.