Kirklees Council: Two under-threat leisure centres set to be saved

The futures of Colne Valley Leisure Centre in Slaithwaite (pictured) and Batley Sports and Tennis Centre have recently been in doubt

Two under-threat leisure centres in West Yorkshire are set to stay open, Kirklees Council has said.

Batley Sports and Tennis Centre and Colne Valley Leisure were earmarked for closure by the local authority, which faces a £47m hole in its finances.

The announcement follows a consultation collecting views on leisure centres across Kirklees, with 17,800 responses.

The local authority said it was "unable to reopen" Dewsbury Sports Centre, another site facing closure.

"We will work with the local community to explore future options," said council leader Cathy Scott.

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

Kirklees Council needs to save £47m before the end of the financial year and said it was unable to provide KAL with the same level of funding it had previously given the charity.

Batley Sports and Tennis Centre is one of several sites in the borough run by Kirklees Active Leisure

A fitness centre at Huddersfield's John Smith's Stadium will shut at the end of November after KAL said high running costs had caused a "substantial loss".

Deighton Sports Arena will remain open under current limited opening hours until April 2024, the council said.

Discussions were ongoing to find a long-term plan for the site, it added.

Councillor Scott said views and ideas submitted during the consultation had "really made a difference".

"We've been able to build a viable case for keeping Colne Valley Leisure Centre and Batley Sports and Tennis Centre open alongside six other KAL-run centres," she said.

"This is a much wider offer than we were able to make a few weeks ago."

Kirklees Council warned public support needed to be maintained to keep the centres going

She added: "We need to face facts, it's still a tough financial environment for councils and leisure operators across the country - our leisure centres need ongoing support from the council and communities for the foreseeable future."

Reacting to the news about the centre in Batley, local MP Kim Leadbeater, who previously raised the case in the House of Commons, said: "I'm delighted the campaign, which has been supported by so many local people and users of the centre, has been successful.

"The real winners today are the local residents, schools, sports groups and others who will now continue to be able to make use of the full range of facilities the centre offers."

Jason McCartney, MP for Colne Valley, described the announcement about the leisure facility in his constituency as "really welcome news".

"Everybody has worked so hard to prove that this much-loved community asset - with the right investment and the right sustainable model - can survive and thrive," he said.

"Local people need access to wellbeing support and it is good for all of us to remain physically active."