Gateshead leisure centre closures agreed by council

Gateshead Leisure Centre, in Saltwell, is among the facilities due to close

Two leisure centres that have been at risk of closure for months will shut in July, it has been confirmed.

Gateshead Council signed off on the closures of Gateshead Leisure Centre and Birtley Swimming Centre on Tuesday.

It said running the centres was "no longer affordable" due to budget cuts. The closures are due to go ahead on 21 July.

Talks are taking place to transfer the ownership of both centres to community-based organisations.

There has been public backlash to the plans, which were first announced in October.

At Tuesday's meeting, council bosses were accused of mismanagement and of running the centres "into the ground", the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Gateshead's public health director, Alice Wiseman, said maintaining all leisure services was "no longer affordable", with the annual budget expected to run over by £1.4m.

Business cases put forward to save the centres were "strong and robust", she added.

Campaigners gathered outside Gateshead Civic Centre in January

Gateshead Active, a group set up to save Gateshead Leisure Centre, is hopeful of completing a community asset transfer deal to reopen it in the autumn.

Gateshead and Whickham Swimming Club and the Birtley Swimming Club are proposing to take over the Birtley pool - though that process is at an earlier stage and may not see it reopen until April.

Concerns have been raised over the decision to press ahead with the closures before any possible transfers are complete.

Rosie Lewis, of the Save Leisure Gateshead campaign group, said: "The appalling lack of care for the people and children of Gateshead is just staggering."

The council said no jobs would be lost, with staff transferred to other facilities in Blaydon, Dunston, Birtley Sports Hall and Gateshead International Stadium.