Dudley Council Leader Promises Protection for Leisure Centres Facing Cuts
Dudley’s council leader assures that leisure centres will remain open for five years despite financial challenges facing the authority
Dudley, UK, Leisure Centres, Council, Budget
Dudley: The council leader has some good news for locals. The leisure centres run by the council are safe for the next five years. This comes even as the council faces some serious financial issues.
They’re looking at budget cuts of £42 million, but it seems leisure centres, libraries, and town halls won’t be affected. That’s a relief for many who use these facilities.
There was talk about bringing in outside operators to manage the leisure centres, which raised concerns about possible closures. But Cllr Patrick Harley, the council leader, is optimistic. He mentioned that they might not have to worry about these centres in the future.
He said they need to make the centres more efficient, but for now, they’re off the chopping block. This means users and staff can relax a bit knowing their places are safe for the time being.
For the next five years, the focus will be on finding a good partner to help run the leisure centres. They also want to look at how to better use libraries and town halls.
There’s been a lot of discussion among the councillors about this. The Unity group, which includes Liberal Democrats and independents, is currently in a strong position in the council.
Even though the numbers are tight, no one is saying a deal has been struck regarding the leisure centres. Cllr Ryan Priest from Unity made it clear they won’t support anything that could harm the borough.
He emphasized the importance of setting a budget themselves rather than letting the government step in. Cllr Harley is hopeful that all councillors will back the budget based on its merits.