Councils shouldn’t have to close leisure centres - Yorkshire Post Letters

The present status of local government finances is of great concern as some local authorities, like Kirklees, are considering closing and selling off leisure centres and libraries (The Yorkshire Post, September 21, 2023).

I have never known of the 'dire straits' situation where the providers of local public services are having to use their contingency reserves in order to pay for core services like children, adult social services and leisure centres.

Europe's largest local authority, Birmingham city council, has served a section 114 notice, which basically declares the organisation bankrupt.

It now comes to light that Warwick, Nuneaton and Bedworth councils in the Midlands are using more of their 'rainy day' reserve funding.

What is of great concern to me is that residents in boroughs like Kirklees are being denied the use of leisure centres as this council cannot afford three of these facilities.

Council tax payers, whether they live in affluent Chelsea and Kensington in West London, or Huddersfield in West Yorkshire should have the same level of local authority services available to them.

The government is promoting a healthier lifestyle and by closing leisure centres they are denying those who have limited incomes from using the facilities in leisure centres, and thereby potentially saving on national health service costs.