Rossendale Council accused of ‘keeping residents in the dark’ over Whitworth Leisure Centre closure

Rossendale Council has been accused of keeping residents in the dark about the impending closure of Whitworth Leisure Centre.

The leisure centre will close in July, after a recommendation from independent financial experts, who say the centre is operating at an annual loss of £280,000.
 

Read more: Whitworth Leisure Centre to close in JulyPublished: 23 May 2023

Rossendale Council has said a “wider leisure vision” includes proposals for a new facility ‘in the east of the borough’, which could include Bacup.

However, after a public meeting at the Ashcroft on 1 June, the Mayor of Whitworth has said the local authority is “keeping the good people of Whitworth in the dark.”

The meeting was held after Whitworth residents demanded further information, such as how the buildings had ‘suddenly’ become in such a poor state and how the council had arrived at the figure quoted for losses.

Well over 150 residents attended the meeting, which was not attended by either Rossendale Borough Council or Rossendale Leisure Trust, which runs the centre.

In a statement, Mayor Mike Royds said: “A public meeting was arranged as soon as possible due to the demand for information from local residents over social media, by phone calls, emails and in person out on the streets.

“Both Rossendale Borough Council and Rossendale Leisure Trust (RLT) were invited to attend but didn’t, leaving Whitworth Town Council to pick up the slack.

“Well over 150 residents attended and wanted to know how the buildings had suddenly got into such poor repair in such a short time of being managed by RLT, how they had arrived at the figure quoted for losses.

“Sadly, the four councillors in attendance who represent Whitworth on Rossendale Council had been told in no uncertain terms that they could not divulge any information that was not already in the public domain - the statement issued by RBC on 23 May 2023.

“The residents were justifiably upset and angry about the way that this saga had happened without any consultation of the people of Whitworth, bearing in mind that a great many residents, had given their time, money, sweat and tears to keep the facility open 20 years ago.

“Despite our best efforts to ask for clarification of how this decision was arrived at, and if any alternatives had been sorted, has met with a brick wall: Rossendale Council is choosing to hide behind legislation contained in Part 1 Paragraphs 3 and 5 of Schedule 12A to the Local Government Act 1972.

“I feel most strongly that this action goes against the intentions of the said legislation and is a deliberate attempt to keep the good people of Whitworth in the dark.”

One resident who attended the meeting said: “Following the announcement of the closure, it would appear that the reason for the closure is being held in secret by Rossendale Borough Council.

“There has not been any consultation or discussion with the council, and they will not reveal, either to the general public or even to Whitworth Town Council, the detail of where the £280,000 ‘loss’ has come from.

“The question is, what are they hiding?”

Responding on behalf of both the council and leisure trust, a spokesperson for Rossendale Borough Council said: “We understand the upset and frustration that some residents in Whitworth feel following the announcement. 

“As previously stated, this was an extremely tough decision for the Council and the Leisure Trust to take but it was a necessary one in order to ensure that both the Council and the Trust can continue to operate. 

“The issues around leisure provision are not unique to Rossendale but are part of a wider national problem, with pools and leisure centres being closed right across the country. We’ve seen a huge rise in operating costs over the past two years on top of the withdrawal of the fuel cost support by the government. All this, along with the cost-of-living crisis, means it costs so much more to run a leisure centre than it did even just two years ago. 

“There was consultation about the wider leisure vision across the borough which was agreed by full Council in December 2022 which includes a proposal for a new facility in the east of the borough and that is still our intention once funding is identified. We are continuing to work closely with Sport England on this. 

“The council has had to manage deep and sustained cuts to our budget over the last 13 years whilst still ensuring we deliver on our statutory services. The closure of Whitworth Leisure Centre is a consequence of all these factors. 

“We have received a number of follow up questions from last week's meeting which we are working through and will provide back to the town council over the coming days.”

Whitworth Town Council has also been contacted for comment.

The Rossendale Conservatives have launched a petition campaigning for the aforementioned new centre for ‘the east of the borough’ to be situated in Whitworth.