Outside consultants are set to advise on the future direction of leisure as Atherstone's ageing showpiece facility is reaching the end of its working life with recurring plant breakdowns "almost inevitable", a new report reveals.

Councillors are being urged to splash out more than £50,000 on an external expert to work with North Warwickshire Borough Council to "clear the path" in finding the best and most cost-effective means of meeting demand for indoor provision.

Atherstone Leisure Complex is experiencing "numerous" disruptions to service and a new centre should be built on an alternative site, all the local authority's members have been asked to consider.

The latest proposals comes as the local authority has taken to social media to assure worried users of using the town facility that it is "open and it's business as usual" in the light of recent closures.

Political rivals on the borough council have already traded verbal blows over the fate of the town's "crumbling" iconic swimming pool – built 45 years ago and extensively refurbished between 1999 and 2001.

Last week Labour and Tory councillors blamed each other for lacking vision and the courage to invest over the last five years in facilities that needed "more than TLC to paper over the cracks".

Labour leader Adam Farrell failed in a bid to get the Tory administration to abandon a £480,000 capital allocation project to replace the roof on Atherstone Leisure Complex and instead embark on a £6 million makeover for the centre.

But Resources chairman David Wright explained the ruling Tories want a new facility – a "replace-not-refurbish" plan – by May 2023 and, next Monday, councillors will be asked to put the flesh on the bones of that ideal.

The authority's Community and Environment Board is being recommended to approve setting on a consultant to undertake a Strategic Outcomes Planning Model exercise – intended to identify the "most appropriate" long-term, sustainable portfolio of leisure facilities in line with the borough council's adopted strategy.

The cost of that outside support would be £53,000.

The 'outside-inside' collaboration between council and consultant will be asked to work out the financial ramifications in prioritising investment into additional swimming pool provision as well as health and fitness facilities, and reviewing the overall future leisure facility portfolio.

This would include moving the town's leisure complex to a new site and ultimately seeing the closure of the 60-year-old Atherstone Memorial Hall as the two currently run in tandem for swimming and fitness facilities.

The report to next week's board says the borough council-owned Atherstone LC is basically past its sell-by-date – "beyond being capable of accommodating any form of extensive refurbishment and so any form of infrastructure failure would be seen as its responsibility".

The report adds: "The potential for such a failure exists due to the age and identified condition of the building and its associated plant.

"There is, therefore, a need for early and clearly informed decisions to be made."

The 1975 leisure edifice comprises a 25-metre swimming pool, teaching pool, fitness suite, small spin studio and ancillary accommodation.

It got a Millennium makeover which included the construction of the fitness suite, new changing rooms, a new entrance and foyer.

The report concludes: "Many elements and components of the building are nearing, or have reached, the end of their life.

"The condition of the mechanical, heating, ventilation, filtration and electrical installations gives rise to considerable concern, as the majority requires replacement.

"The facility has experienced numerous recent breakdowns of essential plant, such as the primary circulating pumps, cold water booster units, air handling units – which has resulted in disruption to service.

"An increasing number of failures of this nature are viewed as almost inevitable."

Footnote: Forum commentator Sarah Maddocks who posted: "I say build a completely new building with more than two pools where there is at least one with diving boards and slides plus a pool just for adults.

"Also suggest indoor squash and badminton and somewhere where we can play indoor netball. It's about time our council got their act together and started spending."