Decision D-day for leisure centres in Cornwall under threat of closure
Falmouth, Saltash, Wadebridge and Launceston are among five sites at risk
The future of five leisure facilities in Cornwall will be decided on Wednesday when Cornwall Council’s Cabinet meets for the last time this year.
Leisure centres in Falmouth, Launceston, Saltash and Wadebridge are at risk of closure, along with the hydrotherapy pool at Polkyth in St Austell.
They are under threat after operator GLL asked the council to amend its contract to run leisure services in Cornwall so that it could remove the five facilities.
GLL had initially asked the council to provide financial support so that the centres could stay open but the council said it had no budget for the service which is not statutory for local councils.
As a result the facilities could close as early as the end of March. However the council has received a number of expressions of interest from other leisure operators and community organisations which would like to take over the centres.
Cornwall Council’s Conservative Cabinet will meet on Wednesday to discuss the issue and decide the future of the threatened services.
A report to the Cabinet recommends that councillors should accept the request from GLL to end the operation of the services at the end of March.
The Launceston service is slightly different as the council runs this under a lease from the Coronation Park Trust, this lease does not end until January 2023 so the Cabinet has been recommended to provide funds to keep it open until that date.
In addition the Cabinet is asked to note the process which has been drawn up to progress the expressions of interest in taking on the services. The details of the bids have been classed as confidential.
The Cabinet report notes that if any of the takeover bids go forward then the council may have to provide transition funding to enable the centres to continue to operate, possibly under GLL, until any handover can be completed.
As well as looking at the future of the five facilities under threat the Cabinet will also be asked to endorse the council’s new leisure strategy.
This sets out the council’s aims for leisure facilities in Cornwall including a target of people in Cornwall being no more than a 30-minute drive from a leisure centre with a swimming pool.
Campaigners fighting to keep their local leisure centres open have said that if they close it could impact on the health and wellbeing of residents and also make it harder for schools to provide swimming lessons.
They also say that encouraging people to drive and travel further to access services contradicts the council’s declaration of a climate emergency and targets to reduce carbon emissions.
Since the announcement that services could close there have been a number of demonstrations, protests and petitions to try and keep the facilities open.