Doncaster Council begins legal process over delay to Thorne Leisure Centre reopening
The council comment comes after the local MP revealed there were issues with third party electrical works at the site.
The City of Doncaster Council has revealed it is in the midst of a legal process over the delayed reopening of Thorne Leisure Centre.
The revamped leisure centre is still yet to reopen, despite a visit by Mayor Ros Jones in April 2026 and a promise from the council that residents would be able to use the site “soon”.
Delays to the project have attracted ire from the Reform UK council opposition and, most recently, Labour MP, Lee Pitcher, who shared “deep frustrations” over the delays and lack of communication from the council.
In a letter to Doncaster Council, Mr Pitcher revealed there were “ongoing issues” at the leisure centre with “electrical works” which were “outside of [the council’s] direct control”.
A spokesperson for the council said: “We have received the letter from Lee Pitcher MP and will be responding in due course. The issues at Thorne Leisure Centre are with the Independent Distribution Network Operator (IDNO), of which legal processes are ongoing.”
An IDNO is an Ofgem-licensed company that owns and maintains a local electricity network. There aren’t to be confused with Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) such as Northern Powergrid, whose business is limited to a specific area of the country.
The statement means Doncaster Council has begun a legal process with the IDNO responsible for connecting Thorne Leisure Centre to the electrical grid.
As it progresses, residents in Thorne will still await the reopening of the leisure centre following a £8.4million investment into the facility.
The upgraded swimming pool reopened in 2025 after phase one of the revamp, but the wait continues for a “brand-new 40 station gym, wellbeing suite and studio space, six-lane bowling alley” and more.