Dumfries leisure centre membership inquiry refused

A request to reveal the impact of persistent problems at a Dumfries leisure complex on membership levels has been refused.

The BBC Scotland news website submitted the Freedom of Information bid to Dumfries and Galloway Council about the DG One site.

The flagship facility has been shut since October for major repairs.

The council declined to reveal membership levels at the site saying it was covered by "litigation privilege".

DG One has been dogged by a string of problems since it opened in 2008.

Dumfries and Galloway Council shut the facility in October last year to allow extensive repairs to be carried out.

The BBC Scotland news website submitted an FOI request seeking details of the impact of the closure on the number of memberships at the site and its temporary replacement facilities.

'Best interests'

However, the council rejected the bid saying it believed that to release the information would prejudice its legal case against contractors Kier Construction.

It said any loss of income was being submitted as part of its claim.

Senior information management officer Aaron Linden said the local authority accepted members of the public would have a "natural interest" in the issue and disclosure would demonstrate "openness and transparency".

"However, due to the current circumstances surrounding this facility and the ongoing legal case, the public interest lies with the council being able to prepare as robust and confidential a claim as possible," he added.

"It is in the best interests of the public that the council does so in order to seek the best outcome from the legal case and, ultimately, to protect the public purse and ensure a closed public facility is repaired and opened as soon as possible.

"Should the information be disclosed to the public at large and subsequently accessed by the opposing organisation, this could prejudice the council's claim and the course of the proceedings."