Public anger after council confirms Catmose Sports Centre closure

Rutland County Council said it had been left with "very little choice"

Campaigners say they are disappointed after a public meeting over the future of a Rutland leisure centre.

Catmose Sports Centre in Oakham is set to close as no operator could be found willing to run it at no cost to the county council.

Councillors were questioned by gym-goers, sport club members and parents who are uncertain what will replace it.

But officials said they could not afford current levels of financial support to the centre.

All seats - which had to be booked in advance - were filled for the meeting

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition to keep it open.

The meeting - where all available seats had been booked - heard the building was used not only for sports but also community events and school holiday clubs.

Many voiced their anger during the two-hour meeting as one resident said: "You haven't heard the last of this."

Last month the authority said it had been supporting the current operator to deal with Covid and utility price increases but could no longer sustain the cost.

Council leader Lucy Stephenson told the meeting the authority had to save £4.9m in the coming years.

She said: "To extend this contract would have served only councillors by moving the same difficult decision until after the May elections.

"This was an incredibly tough decision to take, not least because it was commercially-sensitive and so therefore restricted from the public."

Campaigner Andrea Gordon-Kerr said the site was vital for the community

Andrea Gordon-Kerr, a regular user of Catmose Sports Centre, said it was much more than just a gym.

"We're not just talking about a gym and fitness facility, we're talking about a sports facility used by countless community groups here," she said.

"It's been the local heartbeat in the community for the last 11 years since it opened and if it closes, there isn't anywhere else to go."

A statement from the council said it was working with Catmose College on a deal which would "allow many local community groups and sports clubs to keep using facilities at the college site".