THE government has pledged to deliver “better value for taxpayers” as a result of bringing the AquaSplash pool in St Helier under its direct management, but questions remain over the future of the Waterfront facility.
Infrastructure Minister Andy Jehan confirmed yesterday that AquaSplash would become part of the Active programme from October 2026 at the conclusion of a 12-month transition.
The move follows mounting concern about financial challenges for the facility, which has been managed by Serco Jersey since opening in 2003.
Figures published within the government’s annual accounts earlier this year showed that Serco was paid £5.6 million between 2010 and 2021, an average of £467,000 per year. A grant of £750,000 was paid in 2023, rising to £1.1m last year and a projected £1.2m for 2025.
Mr Jehan said: “This change will deliver better value for taxpayers and ensure that the AquaSplash can continue to operate as normal and serve the public.
“We know this news may be worrying for AquaSplash staff, and we want to reassure them that we’re committed to supporting them where we can – we’ll work closely with Serco as we look for opportunities for staff who wish to join the Government of Jersey team.”
The intention would be to minimise the number of redundancies as a result of identifying opportunities for existing AquaSplash employees, he added.
The decision follows a review of how to operate the facility, with Serco saying in a joint statement that it was fully supportive of the decision.
A spokesperson said: “We are disappointed to be leaving AquaSplash, yet fully understand the need for the Government of Jersey to deliver operational efficiencies in its leisure facilities.
“We are very proud of our achievements in improving the health and wellbeing of the local communities and will continue to work in partnership with the government for a smooth transition in 2026.”
Following the publication of the accounts in May, politicians sitting on two Scrutiny panels demanded a tighter focus on budgets for the facility.
Deputy David Warr, a member of the Public Accounts Committee, said at the time that it was “bonkers” that taxpayers’ money was being given to a company – Serco.
Speaking after yesterday’s announcement, Deputy Warr said that he was pleased that the immediate future of AquaSplash was settled, with the facility having played an important role in Islanders’ health and wellbeing.
“It’s good news that it is staying open, but I am not convinced that being run by the government is the best option going forward,” he said. “There are a lot of questions in the longer term about whether government will keep on top of maintenance, it doesn’t have a very good track record in that area.”
The St Helier South representative added that he would be concerned if the eventual need to replace facilities such as AquaSplash and Les Quennevais Pool resulted in a requirement for more government borrowing, and questioned whether a public/private partnership might be a feasible option for future management of leisure facilities.
Islanders who are current members at AquaSplash have been reassured that their memberships will be honoured up to the expiry dates over the next 12 months, with no immediate changes to current operations, including children’s lessons. As part of the transition, it is expected that details about when Active members will be able to start using AquaSplash will be confirmed ahead of the official handover on 1 October next year.
