Gateshead leisure centre campaigners call for extra time

Demonstrators have staged protests at Gateshead Civic Centre, warning closures would be a grave mistake

Campaigners bidding to save leisure centres from closure in Gateshead have called for a decision on their future to be pushed back by a month.

The local council says at least two sites could be shut as it battles a £55m financial blackhole over five years.

The Gateshead Leisure Centre in Saltwell, the Dunston Leisure Centre and Birtley's sports hall have been identified as being at greatest risk.

A decision is due on 24 January.

More than 7,000 people responded to a council consultation on the proposal.

Opponents say "huge public interest" means it should be put to the vote at the authority's annual budget-setting meeting on 23 February rather than be signed off by Labour cabinet members this month.

The call comes after Liberal Democrat councillors this week put forward proposals for the council to spend £2.1m of its cash reserves to cover the centres' losses for another year while a taskforce develops a long-term plan.

Explore 'every option'

The Save Leisure Gateshead group, which staged a protest outside the civic centre last month, has backed that suggestion.

Campaigner Neil Coram said "every lever should be pulled, every button pressed and every option explored" before any centres are condemned to closure.

Gateshead Leisure Centre, in Saltwell, faces the axe as the council says some facilities are unaffordable

However, the council said delaying its decision was not possible because of the amount of money it was losing.

It told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "When the initial report was taken to cabinet in October the overspend on Gateshead Council leisure services was already £2.3m.

"This is continuing to rise at a rate that the council can no longer sustain. Regrettably, a decision on the future of the service is time-sensitive in order to curtail spending and delaying a decision to February is not optional."

Labour council leader Martin Gannon said earlier this week his cabinet would consider options to "save as much of our leisure service as possible" but would have to make cuts without immediate government support.