Lambeth Council is set to take over running Brockwell Lido after its current operator Fusion Lifestyle Ltd appointed administrators ‘following a prolonged period of financial difficulty’.
The lido will remain open until it is transferred to council management from 1 July through in-house leisure service Active Lambeth, according to a council statement. Fusion says there will be no impact to activities and staff employment will transfer to Active Lambeth.
Fusion operates a network of 25 facilities across the country, including two in London, Golden Lane and Brockwell Lido. All its leisure centres will remain open except Golden Lane, which is set to close awaiting refurbishment by the local authorities.
Charity group Brockwell Lido Users (BLU) held an Extraordinary General Meeting (EGM) on 22 March to address public frustration over the lido’s uncertain future.
Lambeth cabinet lead Cllr Donatus Anyanwu said the council was prepared to step in immediately. He said:
“The council will not allow the lido to cease. Whatever happens after that is a decision that the council, as a democratically-led institution, will have to make. Continuity of service, protecting the service, is absolutely crucial”.
Brixton MP Helen Hayes told the meeting that Fusion had descended
“into a state of crisis over effectively poor financial management. Taking on too many sites all across the country and getting into difficulties is really a very, very sad and quite shocking state of affairs”.
Fusion has not filed its accounts since 31 December 2022, when it had a reported turnover of £50.8 million. It was reported in August 2025 that the company owed management fees of £166,038 to Bedford Borough Council, for whom it operated three leisure sites.
The week prior to its entering administration, BLU Chair Ben Longman said:
“We know that they are not in a particularly healthy state financially and are unlikely to survive in the form that they exist at the moment.”
He said Ms Hayes had pressured the council to draw up contingency plans in November as the future of the current operator was in doubt.
Despite the operator’s turmoil, Mr Longman said that the boom in coldwater swimming in recent years has only benefitted the profitability of the lido.
“What you have now is year-round demand for outdoor swimming, and that is fairly transformational to the finances of the lido.”
Brockwell Lido was ranked first in the country in the AA’s ‘Lido League’ of outdoor swimming baths based on a range of factors including Google search volume and second in a separate survey by Betway Casinos.
Fusion has held the lease to the lido since 2003 and faced increasing criticism from users for a lack of investment in the pool and gym facilities.
At the meeting on 22 March, BLU outlined possible approaches for future operation, including seed funding and larger bodies like the National Lottery. BLU has since called on the community to complete a survey and contribute their skills to a viable future for the lido.
Even though a current survey from Lambeth Council says the lido can operate as normal, millions of pounds of investment could be needed from institutional funders, according to the group.
