Clay Cross Leisure Centre was built under the framework / GT3 Architects/Alliance Leisure
Alliance Leisure has been reappointed as the exclusive development partner for the UK Leisure Framework, securing an eight-year agreement with a framework contract value of £6 billion.
This is the fourth generation of the framework, which was originally established in 2017, with Alliance Leisure appointed as development partner. The company was also reappointed in 2022.
The new agreement follows a competitive tendering process and runs from 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2034, with provision for a further two-year extension to 2036.
The previous framework had a maximum contract value of £2 billion. The £6 billion figure attached to the latest agreement represents the potential value of projects that can be commissioned through the framework over its lifetime, rather than funding already committed or guaranteed revenue for Alliance Leisure.
Owned and managed by Denbighshire Leisure Ltd (DLL), the framework provides public-sector organisations across the UK with a specialist procurement route for the development and refurbishment of leisure, sport, heritage, health and community facilities.
The fourth iteration of the UKLF also broadens its remit, with the inclusion of a CPV code (Common Procurement Vocabulary) covering clinic and medical centre construction work. This enables the framework to support a wider range of integrated facilities where health services are delivered alongside leisure and community provision, reflecting the growing focus on prevention, wellbeing and place-based approaches to health.
Culture and heritage projects also remain within the framework’s scope, including facilities such as theatres, museums and market halls.
John Leaver, marketing and frameworks director at Alliance Leisure, says: “The new UKLF gives public-sector clients the long-term certainty they need to plan and deliver ambitious investment programmes. It has also evolved to reflect the changing role of public infrastructure. Leisure facilities are increasingly part of a wider approach to health, wellbeing and community provision and the expanded remit means the framework can support projects that bring leisure and health services together, simplifying supply chains and project communications.
“With an investment capacity of up to £6 billion, continued direct-award capability and access to an established national supply chain, the UKLF provides a compliant and proven route for authorities looking to turn long-term investment strategies into deliverable projects.”
Since 2017 the UKLF has delivered over 185 leisure, sport, heritage and community developments, unlocking £410 million of investment and supporting 135 public-sector organisations.
Jamie Groves, MD of DLL, said: “The role of public leisure has changed significantly since the UKLF was first established, with facilities now expected to contribute to much more than physical activity. They’re increasingly important assets, helping deliver against wider strategies for health, wellbeing, community development and the creation of places where people want to live and where they can thrive.
“The new UKLF reflects that changing landscape. It gives public-sector organisations a framework that can support a broader range of ambitions, while building on the experience and relationships established through the first three iterations. For DLL, that combination of continuity and progression is important to ensuring the framework remains relevant to the needs of public-sector clients and the communities they serve.”
Groves originally conceived the framework as a way of helping local authorities overcome financial and procurement barriers to investing in leisure facilities.
The UKLF is open to eligible public-sector organisations throughout the UK, including local authorities, educational institutions, leisure trusts and companies operating leisure facilities on behalf of public bodies.
The new framework, will also provide a managed transition for projects already progressing under the current UKLF, helping to maintain continuity for existing clients and programmes as the new framework comes into operation.
There is no maximum value for an individual project delivered through the UKLF, enabling it to support investment programmes of varying scale, from individual facilities through to major, multi-site developments.
BACKGROUND
Denbighshire Leisure Ltd was the subject of a proposed £1.5 million management buyout in 2025, which would have transferred the administration of the UK Leisure Framework to a new business, while Denbighshire County Council remained the contracting authority.
The sale was approved in principle by councillors in March 2025, but the deal did not proceed. DLL remains under council control and no further sale agreement has been announced, although the signing of the new framework may reignite interest.
Read more about the origins of the UK Leisure Framework, how it operates and the impact it has had on public leisure provision in our HCM profile of Jamie Groves, in which he explains the thinking behind its creation and the commercial model underpinning its development.
