MANSFIELD: 18-hour cuts to Water Meadows timetable proposed

But the district council - who have contracted Serco to run their leisure services since 2012 - insists the move is not a cost-cutting exercise and will actually improve overall services.

Under the proposals, parent and toddler sessions would be moved to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 9.30am to 10.30am.

On Monday, Tuesday and Thursday fun sessions would open at 4pm on a reduced service (waves and one slide) and close at 7.30pm from the previous 12 noon to 9pm.

The proposals are currently going through a user consultation period, with the closing date this Friday, 18th April.

The leisure pool will continue to open at 10am, but close earlier during the school holidays, while opening times for the competition pool will remain unaffected.

“An assessment of services ran last year and the proposals are based on those figures.” said Phil Shields, Mansfield District Council’s portfolio holder for leisure.

“This way staff can be used more productively when sessions are on, making them safer and cleaner for users.

“It will also make for a much clearer timetable, which the council asked for.”