Gateshead and Birtley leisure centre closures postponed

Gateshead Leisure Centre, in Saltwell, is among the facilities under threat

A controversial decision to axe two leisure centres has been delayed to allow for potential rescue talks.

Gateshead Leisure Centre and Birtley Swimming Centre are at risk of closure as Gateshead Council deals with a £55m financial blackhole.

The proposals have prompted a backlash from residents, who have launched their own campaign to save the venues.

Both sites had been earmarked for closure at the end of March, but will now stay open until the summer.

On Tuesday, a cabinet meeting was held to discuss their future as campaigners waited outside Gateshead Civic Centre.

A decision on whether the sites should close had been due to be made, months after the plans were first announced the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.

Campaigners outside Gateshead Civic Centre on Tuesday

Labour council leader Martin Gannon told the meeting the sites should remain open for a further three months, likely continuing until a date in June.

He said that would allow more time for rescue talks including community asset transfers which could see a group or organisation take over.

Mr Gannon previously said there was no option but to "rationalise" leisure services amid budget cuts, rising inflation and the cost-of-living crisis.

But defending the council's position he said that the delay, which could cost up to £900,000, was a "major commitment". 

"We are doing it because we believe it is possible to make these community asset transfers happen," he said.

"If I did not believe it was possible, I would not do it, I would be honest and tell people that they have to close."

The council has seen its budget cut by £179m since 2010 and has identified a £55m financial blackhole in spending over the next five years.

As part of the cuts, Dunston Leisure Centre and nearby Birtley Sports Hall had been named among those at greatest risk, but they are no longer set for the axe.

'Lazy attitude'

Campaigner Layla Barclay said the council needed to provide a "firm commitment" to make the asset transfers happen in a "very short timeframe".

A man from Deckham, who asked not to be named, said Gateshead Leisure Centre had changed his life after he started using it following a serious head injury.

The 44-year-old said: "Ever since I started going there 14 years ago I have never looked back.

"I know everybody there, my friends are there. I don't want to go anywhere else."

Judith Fordsham, 48, from Bensham, accused the council of having a "lazy attitude" about saving her local site, where she is an instructor with a swimming club for local children.

"If it closes down we will have a whole generation of children who cannot swim.

"Nowhere else has space for our children. This is our pool, our area. We are a community that is really passionate about leisure."

A date for the planned closures has not yet been decided.