Wrexham County Borough Council criticised for making more than £83,000 from sunbeds in its leisure centres

Oct 1 2009 by Lois York, Wrexham Chronicle

WREXHAM County Borough Council has come under fire after it was revealed the authority raked in more than £83,000 from sunbeds.

Doctors’ leaders demanding curbs on the sunbed industry revealed the council made £83,632 in five years from tanning machines in its leisure centres.

The British Medical Association Cymru (BMA) said it was ‘deeply shocked’ by the figures, revealed after a Freedom of Information request.

The BMA is now calling for the immediate removal of all sunbeds from local authority owned premises and for tighter regulation of the sunbed industry.

The body’s recent criticism of the Vale of Glamorgan Council, which made an £15,000 annual profit from five sunbeds, led to that authority removing sunbeds from its leisure centres.

The doctors’ organisation pledged to continue its campaign to persuade Wrexham and Flintshire councils, which are the last two in Wales still to operate sunbeds, to remove them.

Wrexham council runs three leisure centres and has one sunbed at Waterworld, two at Queensway and two at Plas Madoc.

It reduced the overall number from seven to five and said all would be removed by April. It has also ceased to market the facility.

BMA Welsh Secretary Dr Richard Lewis said: “In 2009, there is no excuse for sunbeds to be operated by local authorities, especially in leisure centres which should be places of recreation, exercise and well-being.”

Ken Danskin, Wrexham leisure and activity officer, said: “The decision has been taken to remove sunbeds from our leisure centres by April 1, 2010. Any profits from the income have been reinvested in the leisure service and the loss of the remaining funding will have to be carefully managed by the department.”