Kirklees leisure centre closures jeopardise health, council warned

Batley Baths and Recreation Centre is closed until at least the end of March

The temporary closure of two Kirklees leisure centres and a swimming pool will put the health of the local population "in jeopardy", a council meeting has heard.

Batley Baths and Recreation Centre and Deighton Sports Arena in Huddersfield were shut in December, along with the pool at Colne Valley Leisure Centre.

Kirklees Active Leisure, the sites' operator, blamed high energy costs.

But a meeting was told parents and children have been left "in tears".

The temporary closures are expected to be reviewed at the end of March 2023.

People who use the facilities attended a meeting at Huddersfield Town Hall on Wednesday evening

At the Kirklees Council meeting on Wednesday evening, residents told councillors how the closures were affecting the local population.

A disabled woman who attended the Colne Valley pool twice a week said she now relied on others to get to a pool in the centre of Huddersfield.

She said: "Before the closure, I could get to the swimming pool in my wheelchair. I now face many problems and require assistance to be there with me.

"There is nothing worse than losing your independence because when your independence goes your confidence follows it."

Victoria Minton, who lives in Slaithwaite, said the health of the whole population was "in jeopardy" with a number of groups "absolutely dependent" on facilities.

The meeting was told Deighton Sports Arena helped to steer young people in the right direction and away from criminal activity.

Basil Richards, who runs the Deighton Into Sport Project, said: "We are homeless and we have got 285 young people from five years old that are part of our football club. It's devastating.

"I've had parents in tears on the phone, I've had kids on the phone in tears."

Campaigners previously gathered outside Deighton Sports Arena

Louise Lewis, who is a PE teacher, said: "If you take this centre away, crime is going to increase because our children are not being shown and given an alternative pathway."

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL), a charitable not-for-profit organisation, has an arms-length relationship with Kirklees Council and runs the centres on its behalf, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Ms Lewis urged the council to consider taking leisure centres back under its control.

Councillor Paul Davies, of the Holme Valley South ward, told the meeting KAL faced "extraordinary challenges".

"The pandemic as you know hit businesses hard, hit the leisure industry very hard and now of course, we've now got the energy costs which have hit particularly the leisure industry even more," the Labour councillor said.

He added: "With the current situation both for the council and for KAL and the economy as it stands, clearly KAL is trying to look at a sustainable option going forward."