Milton Keynes City Council have announced plans for almost £3m of new investment for improvements at leisure centres in the city.
The investments involve work planned at Bletchley Leisure Centre, Woughton Leisure Centre and Windmill Hill Golf Centre, which the City Council confirmed form part of a new long-term contract with Serco Leisure and More Leisure Community Trust.
- Bletchley Leisure Centre will receive a fun new Splash Pad outdoor water play area which children and families can enjoy during the warmer months. The city council is also installing a new car park lift as the current lift is unrepairable, and this work begins soon.
- Windmill Hill Golf Centre’s irrigation system will be upgraded so a higher‑quality course can be used throughout the year. The driving range will be enhanced, and the main clubhouse will be modernised.
- Around £800,000 will be spent on new energy-saving initiatives designed to cut annual energy use by an estimated 1.1m kWh, cutting emissions by 209 tCO₂e each year. to reduce operating costs at all centres.
Around 600,000 visits were made to the three centres in the last year.
A new long‑term agreement between the city council and Serco Leisure, working alongside More Leisure Community Trust, brings all three sites under one contract for up to 15 years. MK City Council declared that they opted for a long contract so its partners would have greater confidence to invest in and modernise the facilities for residents.
Serco Leisure manages over 50 centres in the UK, on behalf of clients such as local authorities, Sport England, and the national charity for wheelchair sport, WheelPower. In December 2025, it was named UK Pool & Spa’s Water Leisure Operator of the Year for the seventh time.
Since November 2024, Serco Leisure and MLCT have operated Bletchley Leisure Centre on behalf of the city council.
Cabinet Member for Sport and Leisure, Cllr Mick Legg, said, “This is really exciting news and paves a way for a brighter future for our local leisure centres. Well run leisure facilities play an important role in supporting strong, healthy communities, offering places where people can exercise, socialise and take part in activities that improve physical and mental wellbeing.
“I’m pleased to see such strong commitment and investment, along with the contractor’s pledge to work closely with local partners and parish councils to make these facilities vibrant, multi-use community hubs. This new investment will help ensure that these popular centres continue to play that role for years to come.”
Simon Lane, Managing Director for Serco Leisure, added, “We are delighted to have been awarded the contract to operate three fantastic leisure facilities in Milton Keynes. Since November 2024, we have already invested over £250k into new gym equipment into Bletchley Leisure Centre, reinforcing our commitment to continually enhance the centres we manage and deliver the best possible experience for our customers.
“Our focus will be to continue delivering exceptional customer experiences, supporting community wellbeing, and ensuring these centres remain vibrant hubs for health and fitness. We look forward to working closely with Milton Keynes City Council to make a positive impact for local residents.”
Brian Taylor, Chair of More Leisure Community Trust, also said, “This contract win gives us the opportunity to further expand our Active Wellbeing programme, working with MKCC’s Sport & Active Communities Team to engage under-represented groups and support improvements in the health and wellbeing of Milton Keynes’ citizens.”
“Our priority as a leisure trust is to create welcoming, inclusive spaces that inspire people to stay active and healthy. I would like to thank Milton Keynes City Council for their continued faith in MLCT and Serco Leisure to provide the high-quality health and wellbeing services the people of Milton Keynes deserve.”
M&S have announced plans for a new multi-million pound food distribution centre on the outskirts of Northampton.
The retailer have announced plans for a 1.3 million sq-ft facility in Northamptonshire to open in 2029, which will be based near the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.
The investment is around £340 million, which M&S says is the largest in its food supply chain sector in its history. The site, which M&S bills as an automated National Distribution Centre (NDC), is intended as part of the strategy M&S have said they are pursuing in their ambition to double the size of the M&S Food business.
In a statement, Alex Freudmann, MD at M&S Food, said, “We’re transforming M&S into a destination for the weekly shop and modernising our supply chain is central to that ambition.
“This investment will boost capacity for future growth, lower our cost to serve over the long-term, and improve product availability – ensuring customers find the right products in the right place at the right time.
“Our new site will strengthen our network and help us get ahead of the volume curve as we build a bigger, better Food business. By using the latest, proven automation, we are future-proofing both our business and UK retail logistics, as well as creating 1000 jobs permanently on site and 2000 during the construction phase.”
Spanning 1.3 million square feet, M&S declared that the new facility will feature advanced automation to significantly enhance operational efficiency, improve product availability on shelf and support the growing number of customers choosing M&S for their weekly shop.
The news follows an announcement earlier in the year to open a new 390k square foot distribution centre at Avonmouth in Bristol, intended to serve stores in the Midlands, South-west England and South Wales.
The construction phase of the new NDC will create over 2,000 jobs, with around 1,000 permanent roles once the site is fully operational, covering driving, logistics, management and more technical roles such as automation technicians.
Prologis is the development partner and TGW Logistics has been appointed as the automation partner for the project.
Paul Weston, Regional Head at Prologis UK, said, “This development goes beyond real estate – it’s a long-term infrastructure platform tailored to M&S’ future supply chain. Together, we’re combining automation sustainability and smart energy systems to deliver a site that supports growth, resilience and net zero ambitions.”
Craig Mitchell, Sales Project Manager TGW Limited at TGW, added, “TGW is extremely proud to be partnering with M&S on this transformation journey. Our collaboration is built on mutual trust, shared ambition, and a commitment to delivering state of the art automation to support M&S’s long-term growth. Together, we are creating a logistics warehouse fit for future retail demands, one that sets a new benchmark for innovation and efficiency in the UK grocery sector.”
Luton attacker Millenic Alli has signed for Championship side Portsmouth on loan for the rest of this season.
Alli moves for the second January transfer window in a row, having joined Luton from Exeter City in the 2025 January transfer window.
In his time at Kenilworth Road, Alli scored 5 times in 38 appearances, but having fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Jack Wilshere earlier this season, Alli will be on the move.
The deal sees Alli become Portsmouth’s first new signing of the transfer window as the South Coast side aim to stay up in the Championship. John Mousinho’s side currently sit one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone.
Mousinho told the official Portsmouth site that he was excited to bring Alli to Fratton Park.
He said, “He’s someone that we’ve admired for a while and we’re delighted to bring him to the club.
“He impressed for Exeter before joining Luton, where he was a shining light during what was a difficult back end to last season.
“We’ve brought in a player who has experience of Championship football and is comfortable on either flank, as well as centrally. He’s an explosive winger and we feel very positive about him being the first player through the door here this month.”
M&S have announced plans for a new multi-million pound food distribution centre on the outskirts of Northampton.
The retailer have announced plans for a 1.3 million sq-ft facility in Northamptonshire to open in 2029, which will be based near the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal.
The investment is around £340 million, which M&S says is the largest in its food supply chain sector in its history. The site, which M&S bills as an automated National Distribution Centre (NDC), is intended as part of the strategy M&S have said they are pursuing in their ambition to double the size of the M&S Food business.
In a statement, Alex Freudmann, MD at M&S Food, said, “We’re transforming M&S into a destination for the weekly shop and modernising our supply chain is central to that ambition.
“This investment will boost capacity for future growth, lower our cost to serve over the long-term, and improve product availability – ensuring customers find the right products in the right place at the right time.
“Our new site will strengthen our network and help us get ahead of the volume curve as we build a bigger, better Food business. By using the latest, proven automation, we are future-proofing both our business and UK retail logistics, as well as creating 1000 jobs permanently on site and 2000 during the construction phase.”
Spanning 1.3 million square feet, M&S declared that the new facility will feature advanced automation to significantly enhance operational efficiency, improve product availability on shelf and support the growing number of customers choosing M&S for their weekly shop.
The news follows an announcement earlier in the year to open a new 390k square foot distribution centre at Avonmouth in Bristol, intended to serve stores in the Midlands, South-west England and South Wales.
The construction phase of the new NDC will create over 2,000 jobs, with around 1,000 permanent roles once the site is fully operational, covering driving, logistics, management and more technical roles such as automation technicians.
Prologis is the development partner and TGW Logistics has been appointed as the automation partner for the project.
Paul Weston, Regional Head at Prologis UK, said, “This development goes beyond real estate – it’s a long-term infrastructure platform tailored to M&S’ future supply chain. Together, we’re combining automation sustainability and smart energy systems to deliver a site that supports growth, resilience and net zero ambitions.”
Craig Mitchell, Sales Project Manager TGW Limited at TGW, added, “TGW is extremely proud to be partnering with M&S on this transformation journey. Our collaboration is built on mutual trust, shared ambition, and a commitment to delivering state of the art automation to support M&S’s long-term growth. Together, we are creating a logistics warehouse fit for future retail demands, one that sets a new benchmark for innovation and efficiency in the UK grocery sector.”
Luton attacker Millenic Alli has signed for Championship side Portsmouth on loan for the rest of this season.
Alli moves for the second January transfer window in a row, having joined Luton from Exeter City in the 2025 January transfer window.
In his time at Kenilworth Road, Alli scored 5 times in 38 appearances, but having fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Jack Wilshere earlier this season, Alli will be on the move.
The deal sees Alli become Portsmouth’s first new signing of the transfer window as the South Coast side aim to stay up in the Championship. John Mousinho’s side currently sit one point and one place above the Championship relegation zone.
Mousinho told the official Portsmouth site that he was excited to bring Alli to Fratton Park.
He said, “He’s someone that we’ve admired for a while and we’re delighted to bring him to the club.
“He impressed for Exeter before joining Luton, where he was a shining light during what was a difficult back end to last season.
“We’ve brought in a player who has experience of Championship football and is comfortable on either flank, as well as centrally. He’s an explosive winger and we feel very positive about him being the first player through the door here this month.”
