Whitworth Town Council 'looking into variety of options' to save local leisure centre from closing

Whitworth Town Council has revealed that it is looking into “many varied options” to try and save the town’s leisure centre, which closes this month.

Rossendale Council announced the closure of the leisure centre, which contains a gym and swimming pool, back in late May. It says it was advised to close the centre – which is run by arms’ length organisation Rossendale Leisure Trust – after independent financial experts said the centre was operating at an annual loss of £280,0000.
 

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

A full council meeting of Rossendale Council on 28 June saw 11 members of the public ask questions about how the financial figures previously quoted had been arrived at; how much time councillors had been given to consider the report; and how schools can afford to pay for extra transport costs of visiting a pool further away.

Almost 100 Whitworth residents turned up to both protest the decision of closure and to offer support to those asking questions.

A spokesperson for Whitworth Town Council said that the answers given by the council leader were “at times evasive, repetitive, and bordering on truth.”

The spokesperson elaborated: “When asked how much time councillors had been given to consider the report, the answer was the standard amount of time, when pressed for what that meant, it was established that was normally five clear working days.

“On a point of order, it was revealed that only ONE working day had been given in this case, clearly not adequate for members to read and question any points raised in the report and a breach of the council’s own rules.

“A further question as to how losses had accumulated to such a high degree was met with excuses due to Covid, cost of living, war in Ukraine etc., but no answer as to how the figures were actually arrived at.

“Another question was asked about how could schools afford to pay for extra transport costs of visiting a pool much further away and the added time this would take away from the classroom, this was answered as ‘not our problem’.

“If it is inevitable that closure does happen, it is very clear that Rossendale BC have not followed their own rules, not held any consultation and generally handled this situation extremely badly with no apology to the people of Whitworth for letting them down.

“Whitworth Town Council is looking into many varied options to try and save Whitworth Leisure Centre, to find out what might be available and who might be willing to help, something that clearly Rossendale Borough Council or Rossendale Leisure Trust have not even considered.”

Responding to Whitworth Town Council, a spokesperson for Rossendale Borough Council said: “Residents were given the opportunity to submit written questions before the meeting and additional time was allocated in the meeting for the questions to be asked and responded to. It was unfortunate that some of the questions asked on the night differed from the ones originally submitted and we appreciate that some people may have felt therefore that their questions weren’t fully addressed.

“The council makes copies of the agendas, reports and documents for consideration open to the public and available for inspection at least five clear days before the meeting - unless special circumstances or exemptions apply as laid out in the council’s constitution and in the Local Gov Act 1972. In this case, there were special circumstances and relevant exemptions, which meant that the five clear days weren’t possible for all documents to be considered.

“As detailed in previous statements the closure of Whitworth Leisure Centre was one the council took with a heavy heart. Rossendale Borough Council understands the importance of leisure activities and leisure provision in the borough and would like to be in a position to do more. But unfortunately, the demands on our budget and the provision of the statutory services we have to provide prohibit us in doing that.

“In our community vision for leisure and wellbeing facilities in Rossendale, we make it clear that having the right leisure centres in the right place helps all local people to have the opportunity, confidence and motivation to be active. Complementing these centres with a wrap-around community and outdoor offer helps transform the health and wellbeing of people in Rossendale.

“Other areas in Lancashire, some with larger populations than Rossendale, such as Lancaster are serviced by just one leisure centre. However, it is still our intention, to build additional leisure provision in the east of the borough once funding is identified and we are continuing to work with partners such as Sport England to secure this.”

Alyson Barnes, Rossendale Council leader, added: “The Chief Exec and I met with the [Whitworth] Town Council on Monday evening for the second time so it was disappointing to see them release their statement earlier that day ahead of that meeting.

“We are happy to hear and listen to all ideas put to us and are willing to assist the community where feasibly possible.

“I sympathise hugely with the children and the residents of Whitworth. We have spent 12 years safeguarding many of these activities because we know how much they mean to our communities.  But like all other public bodies, following more than a decade of austerity, the pandemic and now the cost-of-living crisis we have simply come to the end of the road in terms of our ability to continue to protect non-statutory services.

“It is easy for central government to make sweeping statements about provision whilst simultaneously slashing funding for these activities. Government aren’t the ones at the sharp end of things when it comes to making tough decisions. RBC has lost £4m per year from its annual budget since 2010: if you account for inflation, that figure would be £6m per year.

“We are left with a £9m budget to provide a wide range of statutory services like emptying bins, carrying out food inspections and delivering our planning service. Sadly, we cannot continue to do the same things with so much less money. For Conservative members of the council to suggest it’s our fault whilst not acknowledging the damage their own party has done to public services is laughable at best and downright dishonest at worst.

“Of course, I care deeply about the children who are losing their leisure centre and access to swimming lessons close by. I also understand the enormous pressures on schools' budgets and empathise with heads that, like us, must find savings to provide their statutory requirements.  

“As previously stated, and as I have done twice so far, I am happy to continue talks with the Town Council and residents and provide assistance wherever we can, but the decision to close the leisure centre on 21 July still remains." 

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

Whitworth Town Council previously held a public meeting about the centre’s future at the Ashcroft on 1 June. Well over 150 residents attended the meeting, which was not attended by either Rossendale Borough Council or Rossendale Leisure Trust.
 

Read more: Rossendale Council accused of ‘keeping residents in the dark’ over Whitworth Leisure Centre closurePublished: 12 June 2023