Union warns over Kirklees leisure centre redundancies

Colne Valley Leisure Centre in Slaithwaite is among three sites under threat of closure

More than 200 staff working at leisure and sport centres in Kirklees could be made redundant, a union has said.

Unison has claimed that Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) had said 235 staff posts could be lost across five of 11 centres it manages on behalf of the council.

Kirklees Council has begun a consultation on the future of its leisure centres as it tries to address a £47.8m budget overspend.

KAL said it was working on ways to cut the number of proposed redundancies.

The organisation has experienced financial problems due to the rising costs of energy, staff and maintenance.

Earlier this year, Kirklees Council provided KAL with £6.1m in additional funding, but warned the organisation could only expect £2.5m a year in the future.

The authority is currently consulting on the future of KAL's sites, proposing the closure of Batley Sports and Tennis Centre, Colne Valley Leisure Centre, and Dewsbury Sports Centre.

Unison said the redundancy notices its members had received related to those three sites, plus KAL's head office, Holmfirth Pool and Fitness Centre and Stadium Health and Fitness.

Only three Leisure centres in Kirklees are making an annual profit, with some losing more than £0.5m a year.

Kirklees Active Leisure said it was working to mitigate the impact of redundancies

KAL said it had submitted advanced notification of redundancies to staff in late September and gave a figure of 235 posts.

"This does not mean there will definitely be that number of redundancies," a KAL spokesperson said.

"KAL is consulting with recognised trade unions on ways to reduce the number of proposed redundancies and mitigate against the impact of these redundancies."

The Labour-run Kirklees Council has warned it would have to issue a Section 114 notice, effectively declaring itself bankrupt, if it did not find savings of £47.8m.

In addition to cuts to leisure services, it plans to redesign short break and respite provision, to review supported living provision and to close two care homes.

It has also announced staff redundancies and has frozen all non-essential spending.

Unison regional organiser Robin Symonds said: "There's now a real sense of what council cuts could mean for the people of Kirklees.

"Jobs are going, care homes face closure and now leisure centres are at risk.

"It's local residents who will suffer as the council tries to deal with the fallout from over a decade of government underfunding."

The government has previously said it was up to local authorities to manage their budgets.