Faro Council's executive has accused its political opposition of affecting the municipality’s sports service provision by refusing to agree to the renewal of a private contract to run Faro's swimming pools and other sports facilities.
According to an irate mayor, Rogério Bacalhau, the voting down of his proposal to continue with a private company means the end of exercise and swimming classes for the elderly and for school children.
Bacalhau said he wanted to continue with the privatised service provision as it had worked perfectly well in a five-year contract that started in 2013, but the opposition benches said they wanted services run in-house by properly contracted council staff.
Faro Council today issued a terse press release, claiming the non-renewal of the contract to run these Council services will lead to the cancellation of, "103 classes serving 2,760 enrolled participants, from 'swimming for babies' to 'swimming for those over 60. Cancelling the Senior Active project, as well as a reduction in the opening hours at the Municipal Pools and Nautical Center for free use which has 17,000 users and a reduced capacity to take students in the Saber Nadar (How to Swim) classes.”
Opposition councillors rejected Bacalhau’s private contract renewal proposal, seeing anythinmg other than using Council workers as an attempt to privatise these services.
The Council's response was that running services in-house will cost an additional €188,000, 22% more expensive than when contracted out, and the loss of many specialist jobs.
For this mess to be sorted out, a September debate is the earliest available, leaving little time for a private company to get organised before December, assuming one submits a tender.
