Michael Gove has been urged to intervene to save a Tyneside leisure centre from being shut down.
It was revealed this week that two facilities in Gateshead, the Gateshead Leisure Centre in Saltwell and the Dunston Leisure Centre, are both under serious threat after council bosses deemed the town’s current services “unaffordable”. While a final decision on the sites’ future is not expected until January, the council has warned that it is “critical” that some centres are closed down and that the Saltwell and Dunston sites “appear to be least sustainable and therefore more at risk” – and potentially the sports hall at Birtley Leisure Centre too.
More than 500 people have already signed a petition organised by Saltwell councillor Robert Waugh, which pleads with the Government to “give Gateshead the money it needs to save these vital services”. Coun Waugh, who is Gateshead’s deputy mayor, said he would be writing to Mr Gove after he was reappointed levelling up secretary in a bid to save his local centre.
Read More: Two leisure centres in Gateshead at risk of closure after being deemed 'unaffordable'
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I will explore every single opportunity there is to save the centre. But the reality is that the cuts are coming and it is going to be difficult. The report says it is seeking closures and I think unless there is a drastic change, hopefully from the levelling up secretary, it is going to be hard to come up with another option.
“Hopefully now that the Government is more settled we can talk with ministers and see what might be possible. We will get the community involved too, they are going to be vital in this campaign and hopefully the Government will be able to see how much love there is for this centre.”
Gateshead Council has had its budget cut by £179m since 2010 and is predicting a £55m shortfall over the next five years. The council had budgeted £2.2m to help prop up its leisure services in the current financial year, but is estimating that it will in fact have to pay almost double that at £4.3m to balance the books.
A report also warns that the size, condition, and age of the town’s six leisure centres means they are not energy efficient and require essential maintenance work totalling a minimum £13.3m over the next decade – excluding Gateshead International Stadium.
Coun Waugh counts himself among the many Gateshead natives who have learned to swim at the Gateshead Leisure Centre, which first opened in 1941 as Shipcote Swimming Baths.
The Labour councillor, who is organising a public meeting about the centre’s future on November 9 at the neighbouring Corporation Club, added: “It is a real shame, the building has such a historical value to the area. For generations kids have been going there to learn to swim, to play sports, and do other activities.
“The blame for this has to be with the Government. We have had years and years of budget cuts – and that combined with the massive rise in energy costs and inflation rates has just tipped the situation over the edge. This is not something anyone would want to do, absolutely not. But without urgent funding from the Government it is going to be a very difficult situation to solve.”
A Government spokesperson said: “We provided an unprecedented £1 billion to ensure the survival of the grassroots, professional sport and leisure sectors during the pandemic. This is on top of £3.7 billion made available to councils this year, including an additional £16 million for Gateshead County Council compared to last year.
"We know grassroots sports organisations are again under pressure, which is why we have introduced the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. It will mean they pay wholesale energy costs well below half of expected prices this winter."
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