It was very disappointing this week, at Full Council, when Labour councillors voted against Conservative, Green, Liberal Democrat and Independent councillors to narrowly defeat Councillor Debbie Davis's proposal to defer the decision to close Baildon Recreation Centre for six months whilst all the information and options were properly considered, along with proper consultation with users and local councillors.
Since the closure announcement at least two individuals or voluntary groups have come forward interested in taking on the centre, perhaps as a Community Asset Transfer and they are pledging to keep it going for the benefit of the community. These offers need exploring further but if the centre closes in March it will be very difficult to get it open again and get back those groups and individuals who use it now. If there is a practical solution that will save the Council its running costs and the refurbishment costs it can only be a win-win for the both the Council and the community.
Councillor Debbie Davis's full speech at Full Council:
Thank you Lord Mayor
Firstly I would like to thank the Scrutiny Committee for voting to debate this important issue here today in order to give all councillors the opportunity to find out more about Baildon Recreation Centre and why I feel it is so important that the Executive’s decision to close it in March is wrong.
I’d also like to thank everybody who has contacted me expressing their support for the recreation centre; in particular Ian Pearson from Baildon Badminton Club who spoke passionately at the scrutiny meeting on why it was so important to him and other people and who has gathered over 1000 signatures on a petition.
For those not familiar with Baildon Recreation Centre it is an old army barracks with a large sports hall on the bottom floor plus a table tennis room, on the first floor is a dance studio and the top floor houses Shipley Model Railway Society who have been based there for over 40 years. The bottom floor of the building was refurbished in 2016 following the 2015 Boxing Day floods – all the electrics and the boiler were moved upwards, Yorkshire Water relocated a pipe to under the river and even with the recent flooding over Christmas the building was totally unaffected.
The information presented to the Executive Committee was inaccurate in a number of ways – firstly it said it was in Baildon ward when it is actually in Shipley ward, it said the facility had an extremely low number of users, offered a poor customer experience and there would be no impact on children and young people when in fact over 80 children join in dance classes there every week. The comparisons with other leisure centres across the district were misleading as Baildon Recreation Centre is only open around half the hours that Thornton is and the column stating Baildon only has 4 active memberships is hardly surprising when this refers to gym memberships and there is no gym at Baildon Recreation Centre. Our argument is that the Executive made a decision that will have a massive impact on local people without sufficient information, without any consultation with local councillors or users of the centre and without considering any other options other than its closure.
The centre costs £91,000 per year to run which includes £85,000 of staff costs but with greater marketing the income generated here could be so much higher – the recent publicity has shown that many local people had no idea what facilities are on offer.
Also, since Ian Clough Hall in Baildon was demolished last year there are very limited facilities for young people so ward councillors had hoped Baildon Recreation Centre could be used as a place for young people to meet, to take part in sport and other activities. There used to be 5 as side football and children’s parties that could all be held again to increase usage and income.
The centre is a short walk from Shipley Railway Station, is on a bus route, has a large car park and is in an established residential area. It attracts users from many wards, not just Baildon and Shipley.
If it closes how is it going to save money when there are staff costs to consider and costs to secure the building or to demolish it – give it a chance to increase income and it could even cover its costs.
Yes, it is an old building and does not offer very modern facilities and wheelchair access is limited to the ground floor but there seems to be some snobbery around the decision to close it. It is nowhere near up to the standards of Sedburgh Leisure Centre or Wyke Sports Village, but these cost over £26m and are over 8 miles from Baildon – hardly accessible for local people.
We understand the Council is strapped for cash and we are told nearly half a million pounds is needed for electrical work but where does this extortionate quote come from? – again we haven’t been told any detail. We are also told the centre is safe to use at the moment so let’s defer the decision for six months.
To close it goes against the whole “Healthy People, Healthy Places” mantra – three times a week there is an over 50s “keep moving” exercise class to help prevent falls, improve strength and which also gets older people out of their homes and socialising. I received a letter from an elderly lady explaining these classes are helping to keep people out of hospital so as well as being good for their health and wellbeing is also saving the NHS money. These users would struggle to travel to other facilities even if they were available.
Another reason to support deferring any decision to close Baildon Recreation Centre is that Keighley Leisure Centre is due to close soon until and won’t re-open until the summer. Users are looking for alternative venues and although Baildon can’t offer everything that Keighley has but we do have many facilities.
Since the closure announcement at least two individuals or voluntary groups have come forward interested in taking on the centre, perhaps as a Community Asset Transfer and they are pledging to keep it going for the benefit of the community. These offers need exploring further but if the centre closes in March it will be very difficult to get it open again and get back those groups and individuals who use it now. If this is a practical solution that will save the Council its running costs and the refurbishment costs so it’s a win-win for the Council and the community.
I hope I have demonstrated why any decision taken on the future of Baildon Recreation Centre should be deferred for six months whilst all options are explored. I therefore urge you to support referring the matter back to the Executive, with all the relevant information and updates, for it to be considered in more detail before making a decision.
Thank you.