Council calls for community groups to take over leisure centre

Ashfield District Council is calling for a community group to take over a leisure centre due to cuts to the local authority's budget.
Huthwaite Leisure Centre faces closure by Ashfield District Council, but residents are fighting to keep it open as a community project.Huthwaite Leisure Centre faces closure by Ashfield District Council, but residents are fighting to keep it open as a community project.
Huthwaite Leisure Centre faces closure by Ashfield District Council, but residents are fighting to keep it open as a community project.

The Council is calling for groups to submit a business plan to take over the running of Huthwaite Leisure Centre site as it can longer afford to run the facility.

A public consultation showed support for focusing resources on the three key leisure centres - Lammas, Hucknall and Kirkby - with 56 per cent of respondents strongly agreeing or agreeing with the proposal, according to the council.

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A group had come forward but their business plan showed a £40,000 deficit, however they will be able to resubmit their proposal.

Portfolio holder for health and wellbeing, councillor Jim Aspinall said: “As a Council we provide a fantastic level of leisure provision especially at our three main centres. However, the current level of provision is unaffordable given the huge cuts to our budgets. This proposal will help us protect the major centres while offering community groups and others the chance to identify a different business model for Huthwaite.”

He added:“Ensuring everyone in Ashfield has access to good health and leisure facilities is a priority but we cannot continue on in the same way as before due to budget cuts that keep coming. It is essential that we provide effective infrastructure to help deliver on our aims for health and wellbeing in the district as a whole and we believe this proposal would help us do that.”

The consultation also included proposals for funding to Edgewood Leisure Centre to stop, but the council have now said there are no plans to close or make changes to how the facility is run.