The council will be funding £3.5m worth of improvements and refurbishments at the Balham, Latchmere, Putney, Tooting and Wandle leisure and recreation centres as part of a new seven year management contract.

As part of the new contract arrangements Balham leisure centre will benefit from an improved reception area, a bigger dance studio, new poolside sauna and steam rooms, full refurbishment of the wet changing village plus improvements to the weights room and the men’s and women’s changing rooms.

At Battersea’s Latchmere centre the fitness suite will be extended, the reception area will be upgraded and the dry changing rooms will be fully refurbished.

At Putney the village change area will be modernised and a new sauna will be installed in the health suite.

Tooting Leisure Centre will see its village changing area fully refurbished, with improved lockers and changing cubicles, improvements to the health suite including the sauna and steam rooms, full refurbishment of the dry changing rooms and upgrades to the fitness suite and “spin studio”.

And the Wandle will see remodelled and upgraded male and female changing rooms.

Under the seven year contract, which was won after a full and open tendering process by Places for People Leisure Management Limited, formerly known as DC Leisure, the council will receive an income of £22m.

Leisure spokesman Cllr Jonathan Cook said: “This is a great deal for the people who use our leisure centres and for the wider community.

“These five leisure centres, plus the Tooting Bec Lido will benefit from investment worth at least £4.2m in new and improved facilities in the years ahead.

“In return for this capital investment, the council will receive guaranteed income of £22m over seven years, which will help fund local services and help keep council tax bills low.”

Tim Hewett, Business Development Director for PfP Leisure says: "We were delighted that we have been awarded this contract with Wandsworth Council. This is the third time we have been successful in winning the tender firstly in 2000, then 2006 and now in 2014.

August 13, 2014al, Helvetica, sans-serif">“We are very proud to have had such a long standing relationship with the Council and our success is a testimony to the efforts made by our staff in producing a high quality service assisted greatly by the significant capital investment the Council and PfPL has put into the facilities over the years.  

“We look forward to working with the Council over the next seven years and seeing the benefits of the latest capital investment programme.”