MEMBERSHIP rates for leisure centres in Mid Devon will be frozen in a bid to retain members but some queries have been raised about the charges pay-as-you-go users will pay.

All adult and junior membership fees for Active Mid Devon centres will be frozen at the £41 level for the all-inclusive membership, or £35 for the gym or swim membership.

Members of Mid Devon District Council’s cabinet heard the move was being made to support residents during the cost-of-living crisis, but also to help retain the 6,700-strong membership.

Furthermore, concessionary customers will still receive a 25 per cent discount on membership prices and 20 per cent on pay-as-you-go.

There were queries about the method used to calculate price rises for walk-in customers, who are charged the pay-as-you-go rates.

The proposal in front of cabinet was to up these by three per cent, but resident Nick Quinn questioned the process of subsequently rounding the increased figure up to the nearest 5p or 10p.

“I know price-rounding is often done to simplify cash payments, but all leisure service payments are electronic and no cash is accepted, so a percentage increase can be applied directly without any problem,” he told the cabinet.

“The proposed price increases go up by more than the stated percentage, and so if cabinet is minded to approve percentage increases, will it ask that the rise on the current price is properly calculated and only increased to the nearest penny?”

Mr Quinn noted that a junior swim price, currently £3.70, should be £3.81 if a three per cent increase was applied, but the proposal was to make this £3.85 – essentially an additional one per cent increase.

Andrew Jarratt, the deputy chief executive at Mid Devon District Council, said the council had “always” rounded up in that way, and that this meant the proposed prices in front of cabinet were correct.

“It just looks clumsy when memberships and rates are in 1p levels,” he said.

“I know people pay electronically but it looks clunky so we have always rounded it to the nearest 5p or 10p.”

Other examples show a teen gym session, now £5.80, should rise to £5.97 after the three per cent increase, but will actually be £6.

Councillor Matt Fletcher (Liberal Democrat) Cullompton Vale) queried the rationale.

“I know we have always done it but that doesn’t mean we always have to do it.”

Mr Jarrett stated if the cabinet wanted to take a different approach in future, it could vote on such a move.

Active Mid Devon has 4,500 adult members and 2,200 junior ones, with walk-in customers additional to that. The walk-in cohort provided the leisure centres with more than £214,000 in income.

The cabinet heard the leisure centres targeted an annual income for this financial year of £3.7 million, something which could be more achievable thanks to its recent £543,000 reduction in costs.

The council will also continue to offer care leavers – up to the age of 25 – a leisure membership at an effective 100 per cent discount rate.

A pilot scheme is ongoing whereby adult unpaid carers receive a discounted membership and unpaid carers under 18 get a free membership. It has 38 adult unpaid carer memberships in the pilot and 41 under 18s.