Meeting to decide fate of Kirklees leisure centres

The newly built Spen Valley Leisure Centre is classed as a "core" facility

A final decision on the future of leisure centres in Kirklees will be made at a meeting next month.

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) which runs 10 sports facilities is closing some of its centres due to rising costs and reduced funding from the council.

A plan by Kirklees Council would see two "core" and five "marginal" sites remain open.

The authority said it needed to save £47m before the end of the financial year.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the core sites are Huddersfield and Spen Valley.

The marginal sites are; Bradley Park Golf Centre, Deighton Sports Arena, Holmfirth Pool and Fitness Centre, Leeds Road Sports Complex and Scissett Baths and Fitness Centre.

Three centres at Batley, Colne Valley and Dewsbury are scheduled for closure.

The fitness centre at the John Smith's Stadium will close on 30 November

Originally the fitness centre based at the town's John Smith's Stadium was on the marginal list, but it will close at the end of November after KAL said high running costs had caused a "substantial loss".

A public consultation indicted that 69% of respondents disagreed with the plan to close the three threatened centres.

More than 47,000 comments were also received from the consultation.

Some highlighted the impact of the closures, with concerns raised about the negative implications for mental and physical health, reduced access and reduced social connectedness.

The council provided KAL with a £6.1m bailout this year, but said it could only give the organisation a maximum of £2.55m a year in the future .

The not-for-profit charity said "challenging" financial circumstances had left it with "no alternative" but to shut centres.

A decision will be made at a council meeting on 12 December.