Replacement pools in Reading are unlikely to be built until 2021, with the procurement process around 18 months behind schedule.

The council announced the latest schedule this week for its procurement process for a single leisure provider which will build swimming pools at Rivermead and Palmer Park.

Leisure operators who have already expressed interest have now been invited by Reading Borough Council (RBC) to submit detailed proposals.

Councillor Graeme Hoskin, lead member for Sport, said: “The council is fully committed to investing in and delivering modern sports facilities in Reading.

“Our ambition is to ensure as wide a range of leisure facilities as possible would be included in the new contract.

“The announcement of the next stage of our procurement process this week is a significant milestone in the journey to realising this ambition.”

The procurement process to identify a single leisure provider to improve and operate all indoor leisure facilities across Reading began in March 2018.

Bids will be evaluated in April, with a deadline for final submissions in early July.

The council hopes to award the contract in September 2019, which would commence from January 2020, 18 months later than originally anticipated.

Cllr Hoskin has previously stated that the pools could be built around 18 months after the contract was awarded, adding that such a timetable could not be guaranteed because of the complexities of major construction projects.

This would suggest the new pools – a competitive 25m pool in central Reading and a community pool in east Reading – could be completed sometime in spring or summer 2021 at the earliest.

The original schedule, published in October 2016, had suggested a new operator would take over in May 2018 and the pools would be ready by January 2020.

The operator will be responsible for delivering the new facilities as well as upgrading the Meadway and South Reading pools, and day to day management of the sites.

The council has proposed an investment of £30.5m in the new facilities.

Cllr Hoskin revealed at Tuesday’s (January 23) full council meeting that the council has spent more than £170,000 on consultants for the process.

He said utilising external expertise is more cost effective and practical than maintaining expertise in-house.

Peter Burt, of the Arthur Hill Campaign, said: “I was appalled to learn that the process for handing the Council's leisure centres over to a private sector operator has already cost council tax payers over £170,000 – with nothing to show for this money as yet.

“This money should have been used to improve Reading's leisure services, not spent on fat cat lawyers.”