Council to explore ‘all further options’ for pools

No “irreversible changes” to the facilities of the Sovereign Centre in Eastbourne will be made ahead of further investigations

Eastbourne Borough Council's leader has committed to making no “irreversible changes” to a leisure centre ahead of further investigations into its future.

The commitment was made at a full council meeting on 20 November, in response to a motion by Councillor Kshama Shore which called on the cabinet to “explore all options to keep all the facilities at the Sovereign Leisure Centre open".

Shore’s motion came a week after the cabinet agreed the closure of two of the centre’s three swimming pools ahead of its transfer to Wave Leisure next year.

An amendment was made by council leader Stephen Holt, who asked the council’s scrutiny committee to look into the future of the leisure centre instead.

He argued the scrutiny committee would be the most appropriate forum to discuss alternative proposals and said the council would not carry out any “irreversible changes” until the committee met.

Following the debate, the council voted to adopt the amendment proposed by Mr Holt, reported the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

He said: “Since 2006, with the exception of a few years, Eastbourne Borough Council has supported the Sovereign Centre on average by circa £300,000 a year.

“In recent years we have also invested just under £2.5 million in ensuring the Sovereign Centre stays open and operational by increasing our level of borrowing, or what our detractors call debt.

“I might add that without our borrowing it is likely that the Sovereign Centre would have had to close a long time ago.”