Deighton Sports Arena could be transferred to the local community as uncertainty still surrounds the future of Kirklees’ leisure centres.
Deighton Sports Arena was one of the three leisure centres in Kirklees that were hit with “temporary” closure last Winter as financial pressures mounted for Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) – the charitable organisation that runs 10 of the district’s leisure centres. The leisure centre re-opened in March but on reduced hours, with this being a short-term measure and due to come to an end in November.
A public meeting was held at Deighton Sports Arena to discuss options for the centre going forward. One option being considered is for the community to run the centre through a Community Asset Transfer.
Taking to Facebook last week, Cllr Amanda Pinnock (Labour, Ashbrow) posted: “If you are interested in the future of Deighton Sports Arena and want to know more about how the community could take over this space, please come along and meet your local ward councillors and Kirklees Council officers.
“At this session, you will find out more about the asset and what you and others would need to do if you are interested in taking it over. You will be able to talk to officers and ask questions.
“Kirklees Council is keen to work with the residents of the Ashbrow ward to find a solution to keep this valued community space open so please come along and be part of the solution.”
Of the other two centres subject to “temporary” closure last December, Colne Valley’s swimming pool has re-opened but Batley Baths and Recreation Centre is permanently closed. In addition to this, the seven KAL-run swimming pools are all currently facing the threat of closure, a council meeting was told last month, as both KAL and the council grapple with financial difficulties.
Previously Kirklees Council was able to provide KAL with a £6.1m support package as part of its last budget, to help address the organisation’s financial issues. However, this level of financial support will not continue due to the severity of the council’s position, with KAL’s funding from the local authority set to drop to £2.55m annually.
A review of KAL’s leisure centres is being carried out to determine which can remain open in the coming years within KAL’s budget envelope. Kirklees Council’s Service Director for Culture and Visitor Economy, Adele Poppleton, explained that millions of pounds needed spending across the centres just to be able to keep them running, with Dewsbury Sports Centre highlighted as needing £2.5m worth of work.
More recently, Dewsbury’s leisure centre made the headlines due to the presence of reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete. Upon this finding, the centre closed its doors immediately, with further investigations to be carried out and no indication of when the site would re-open.
