Dear Editor,
Last November, I robustly challenged the Labour-led administration’s plans to cut four “shared leisure centres” aligned with four of our high schools.
After further public consultation, I attended Monday’s E&C Committee meeting where it must be said, important progress had been made.
CEC had held useful dialogue with Everybody Health & Leisure (EHL), approving an extension to EHL’s operating agreement, minor invest-to-save improvements for larger leisure centres, (with three year investment reviews), modifications to fees and charges and a graduated reduction to zero (£0) of the management fee paid to EHL.
Additional monies to bridge the funding gap will be supplied from the Council’s Public Health budget and a further £460k from EHL’s own reserves, whilst
Middlewich and Holmes Chapel Leisure Centres are to be transferred to their respective schools in due course.
But glaringly obvious, is a failure to invest in those shared facilities that need it most – and we must ask; “why?”
It’s the old “chicken and egg” conundrum. Do Leisure centres fail because their operating model is flawed or does their operating model fail because failure to invest in it, causes centres to fail?
It’s significant that Poynton and Knutsford Leisure Centres have been bypassed for investment for over a decade and capital budgets allocated for both, were wiped out by this Labour-led administration, when the capital addendum was scrapped during 2020 (along with the approved business cases for other capital projects including Mountview, Bexton Court and the Stanley Centre).
We are very aware this administration has serious financial problems, but modest, prudent investment is the key to fiscal growth and economic stability in our leisure centres.
EHL understand the need to invest in the Poynton and Knutsford centres if they are to ‘make them pay their way” – but EHL are the tenants – CEC is the landlord.
So with the future in mind, together with Conservative colleagues, I proposed a successful amendment at Committee on Monday, to include a third area for fiscal planning in recommendation 4;
“A programme of investment to counteract the current lack of future-proofing at Poynton, Knutsford and Alsager leisure centres to be made ready for inclusion in the 2026 MTFS”(Budget) subject to market conditions.
This will ensure these centres are included in the next three-year investment round with “prepared and ready” business cases available for rapid implementation.
The E&C Committee will have a further opportunity to see this embedded in September.
This must not preclude all other efforts to secure the long-term sustainability of these vulnerable sites, but don’t be confused by media hype!
Whilst the Labour-Independent administration will claim no Leisure Centres are now planned for closure in 2024/25, Poynton, Knutsford and Alsager will be subjected to a managed decline to closure unless investment is secured.
The residents served by these centres, deserve better. They require guarantees, not rhetoric.
Yours,
Cllr Janet Clowes (Wybunbury Ward)
Conservative Group Leader
Cheshire East Council
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