Council summer schemes make £47k, despite drop in mainstream participation
Summer schemes in the borough have been hailed as a success.
Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council’s summer schemes in 2026 have attracted a subsidy of over £47k, despite a drop in mainstream participation.
In 2026, programmes were delivered across leisure centres and community locations and to promote inclusion, council partnered with the Mae Murray Foundation to deliver inclusive schemes and family fun days at Antrim Forum, Crumlin Leisure Centre, Fairview PS, and Mossley Pavilion. In addition, the council expanded the inclusivity of its programming, delivering two Stay and Play sessions in partnership with Sensory Kids NI. Financial support was also provided to external organisations through Community Development Grants, totalling £39,700, enabling them to deliver tailored summer programmes.
A further £25,000 was allocated to Special Educational Needs (SEN) schools in the Borough, with contributions of up to £5,000 available for each school delivering a Summer Scheme for children and young people with special needs. Over the five-week programme, 2,215 places were booked across eleven Borough locations. The 2026 mainstream programme achieved 82% occupancy. A further 100 places were provided at the inclusive schemes at Antrim Forum and Mossley Pavilion. Family fun days in Ballyclare and Crumlin attracted a further 202 children. Total participation across council schemes and associated inclusive activities in 2026 was 2,517, compared to 2,665 in 2025 mainstream provision.
A report before the Operations Committee of council this week said: "The reduced numbers participating in the 2026 mainstream programme reflects greater availability of alternative provision, changing customer demand, low uptake at Hydepark, changes to the ‘out-of-centre’ trips model and reduced capacity at some venues due to essential maintenance works. However, the programme continued to attract strong participation across leisure and community locations and provided a broad range of activities for children and young people throughout the Borough. The mainstream programme recorded 2,215 bookings, including 400 early/late enrolments. A further 302 children participated through the inclusive schemes and family fun days."
The Antrim Forum Sports Camp had 101% occupancy, but in Castle Gardens, occupancy was 66%. In terms of community schemes, no one turned up at Hydepark, Doagh had 24% occupancy and Merville just 36%. There were no leisure schemes at Antrim Forum, Ballyearl had 51% occupancy and Crumlin 76%. There was no provision in Randalstown.
The report said that the 2026 Summer Scheme was delivered by a dedicated team of approximately 65 staff across eight directly staffed venues, led by the Summer Scheme Coordinator, and supported by leisure centre duty managers and the council’s leisure administration team. Staffing structures varied by venue, comprising one Senior Leader and between four and nineteen Camp Leaders, depending on participant numbers and capacity. The report said that a total of 88 applications were received through council’s contracted recruitment agency, resulting in 65 appointments. Senior Leaders were also recruited this year through the agency Blue Arrow.
Additional specialist sports coaches were engaged for the multi-sport camps at Antrim Forum, Castle Gardens, and Crumlin.
The report said: "This staffing model ensured appropriate supervision ratios and allowed flexibility to redeploy staff across sites when required. Summer scheme costs are predominantly staff-related, with the majority of those delivered through agency contracts. The cost of summer scheme provision noted below does not include ‘sunk costs’ associated with other council services such as HR and Organisational Development, Finance and Leisure Administration and Centre Management Teams, each of whom contributed to the effective development and delivery of the programme."
The total cost of delivering the 2026 Summer Scheme Programme was £154,672.84, with income of £106,918.28, resulting in a net subsidy of £47,754.56. Based on the 2,215 mainstream bookings shown in the performance table, this equates to a net cost to the council of £21.56 per booking. Overall expenditure decreased compared with 2025, resulting in an improved subsidy position despite lower participation levels.
The report concluded: "The 2026 Summer Scheme Programme delivered another successful year, providing opportunities for children and young people to participate in a wide range of recreational, sporting, and inclusive activities across the Borough. While total mainstream bookings were slightly lower than 2025, overall occupancy was 82%. Customer feedback was positive, with 93% of parents satisfied or extremely satisfied with the scheme and 97% reporting that provided value for money.
"Learning from previous years also informed improvements to the customer booking experience. In 2024 and 2025, releasing all places simultaneously led to website and booking system crashes. For 2026, work with the booking system provider and a staggered release of places avoided a repeat of these issues, providing a smoother sign-up journey for customers. This year, 90% of parents reported being satisfied with the booking process. Delivery across eight directly staffed venues was supported by a dedicated team and continued to benefit from partnership working with specialist disability organisations and local SEN schools to enhance inclusive provision. Financially, the programme generated £106,918.28 in income against expenditure of £154,672.84, resulting in a net subsidy of £47,754.56, an improvement on the previous year."