Wirral Council cuts: Libraries and golf courses could close

Protesters gathered outside Woodchurch Leisure Centre in January to save the facility

Nine libraries, a leisure centre and two golf courses are under threat of closure after a council voted to cut £20m from its budget.

Wirral Council has agreed to pull funding for Brackenwood and Hoylake golf courses, Woodchurch Leisure Centre and nine of its 24 libraries.

However, local groups can bid to take over the facilities as part of a community asset transfer scheme.

Council leader Janette Williamson described the step as a "lifeline".

Labour and Conservative councillors voted to pass the budget by 52 votes to 11 with the Green Party, Liberal Democrats and Independent councillor Jo Bird opposing the plans.

Community groups have until 30 September to put in a bid to take over the leisure centre with the council agreeing to provide £330,000 to support the successful bidder.

The nine libraries earmarked for closure will shut down on 1 November unless a bid is agreed.

Those wanting to save the golf courses will also be able to submit a bid but the council will stop maintaining the sites on 1 April, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reports.

Wirral Tennis Centre will also close for a 12-month period as part of the agreed budget cuts.

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Ms Williamson said £225m had been taken from the authority's budget since 2010 and it had lost £450m in spending power.

She described this as a "cruel, ideological punishment" which hit northern Labour-run councils in the name of austerity.

She added she was pleased to have scrapped the increase in parking permit fees and given a lifeline to the leisure centre, the borough's libraries and other services so bids for community asset transfers can come forward.

But Conservative group leader councillor Tom Anderson blamed council errors for the current financial situation.

He cited the money spent on the now ditched Wirral View newspaper, and a £500,000 sum paid out as compensation to a developer for the council's withdrawal from the Hoylake Golf Resort project.

Mr Anderson said the government had given £265m to the council to support it through the Covid-19 crisis.

He added that he had backed the "far from perfect" budget because the council's "eye-watering structural deficit" was removed.

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