Somerset Council has confirmed that the Passport to Leisure discount scheme will officially come to an end on 1 January 2027. The scheme, initially established by South Somerset District Council, offers discounted leisure centre memberships to individuals in full-time education or receiving certain benefits such as housing benefit and universal credit.
Following the abolition of South Somerset District Council in April 2023, Somerset Council took over responsibility for the scheme. Presently, over 200 residents in the former South Somerset area hold an active Passport to Leisure, granting them discounted access to various leisure venues.
The council has decided to discontinue the scheme in favour of leisure operators providing their own discount schemes directly to eligible members of the public. Approximately 200 new applications for the Passport to Leisure are submitted annually, offering a 25% discount on standard pricing at the participating centres.
Currently, five venues participate in the scheme:
- Buckler’s Mead Leisure Centre
- Three other centres operated by Freedom Leisure
There are 213 active passport holders: 108 from Yeovil and nearby villages, 55 from Chard, Crewkerne or Ilminster, 40 from Bruton, Castle Cary or Wincanton, and 10 from Langport, Martock or Somerton.
Denis Groves, Somerset Council’s culture and leisure officer, noted that the number of passport holders has decreased due to the ongoing closure of the Octagon Theatre and the transfer of Westlands Leisure Centre and Yeovil Recreation Centre to Yeovil Town Council. In his written report, Mr Groves explained that ending the scheme would simplify and standardise concessionary leisure pricing across the council’s services, while also freeing up administrative resources and delivering cost savings.
“Concessionary pricing discounts are already in place and sometimes duplicated within leisure facilities run by Freedom Leisure, the council’s partner operator, as well as at LED-operated venues,” he wrote. “These alternative discount schemes will continue after the Passport to Leisure scheme ends.”
Both LED Leisure, which manages Buckler’s Mead Leisure Centre, and Freedom Leisure, operating the other four venues, currently offer their own discounts. Freedom Leisure is contractually required to provide such concessions until 2036.
Mr Groves added, “No new Passport to Leisure cards will be issued after 1 January 2027. Existing passports, which are valid for one year from their issue date, will also have a maximum expiry of one year from that date to align with pricing structures. This approach offers fair notice to the leisure centres and passport holders, facilitating a smooth transition to the new discount schemes managed by leisure operators.”
Residents currently using the Passport to Leisure scheme are encouraged to connect with the individual leisure centres to understand the alternative discounts available following the scheme’s conclusion.