Beau Sejour to crackdown on users avoiding payment
ENTRANCE barriers could be reintroduced at Beau Sejour, after problems with people abusing the honesty system.
Islanders going to take part in sports should pay or register at the counter or using a self-service machine, and receive a ticket.
But centre management have noted increasing incidents of people not paying, and are considering ways to tackle this.
The current admission system was introduced following a major refurbishment of the centre for the 2003 Island Games, which included the removal of ticket barriers.
‘It was designed to be as open and welcoming to the community as possible, and as such the barrier turnstile system originally in situ was removed,’ said head of recreation services Sam Herridge.
‘This was possible due to the inherently honest nature of the large majority of the community. However, where staff have concerns and raise those with customers, they will on occasions find that those customers have either not collected a ticket, or failed to pay or renew their membership.’
Random spot checks are carried out by staff both in the gym and the pool.
Ms Herridge confirmed that abuse of system had led to more checks.
‘The ticket box is emptied on a regular basis, and if it is found to have a number of pieces of paper which aren’t swim tickets, then either an additional member of staff will undertake some ‘spot checks’, or a ‘wristband’ system is put into place for a period of time to mitigate the issue,’ she said.
The layout of the centre is continuously under review in light of changing customer trends, she said.
Ms Herridge confirmed that the introduction of a managed access point at the main reception was an idea kept under review.
Usage fees are a vital way of supporting the centre.
Up to August this year, for every £1 spent operating the centre, approximately 82p was recouped directly via paying customers.
‘The centre’s fees and charges remain key to its sustainability,’ Ms Herridge said.
It was reported last year that the centre, which includes a swimming pool, theatre, sports halls, squash courts, tennis courts and a gym, was making an annual loss of £1m.
