Leisure centre 'left to deteriorate'

A leisure centre at risk of closing to the public has been "left to deteriorate", according to a local councillor.

The facility in the Shropshire town of Much Wenlock, which is widely considered the birthplace of the modern day Olympics, is owned by the academy trust that runs the Williams Brookes School, but managed by Shropshire Council.

The local authority, which is facing significant budget pressures, has agreed to public consultation before Conservative leaders decide the venue's future next year.

In the meantime, Dan Thomas says the centre is an asset that is not being run well and must be improved.

Construction of the leisure centre was completed in 2010 when the school underwent a £27m rebuilding programme.

Shropshire Council agreed to operate and manage the centre so the public could use the facilities during evenings and weekends, when pupils were not on site.

But Thomas, Conservative, said: "Far from being the heart of the community, the leisure centre is closed mostly when people want to use it.

"Not only are our leisure centre's hours reduced to avoid school time, it will also be closed from 23 December to 2 January. You wouldn't run a business like this.

"Shropshire Council doesn't manage this facility particularly well."

He added: "I've taken my son swimming only to find both the changing room locks and the actual lockers to be broken," Thomas said.

"This is a valued asset for the town and surrounding communities but it has not been used to its full extent."

Withdrawing the authority's annual subsidy would leave the town without a public leisure centre, but save the council about £280,000 a year.

The school is named after William Penny Brookes, the Shropshire surgeon who founded the Wenlock Olympian Games in 1850, which later inspired the modern day Olympics.

The Wenlock Olympian Society, which hosted its 138th annual sports competition this summer, has described the possible closure as "really disappointing" given the town's "historic significance in sporting history".

Shropshire Council leaders agreed on 4 December to an eight-week consultation.

A report on the results is expected to be discussed at Cabinet in March 2025 when council leaders will decide its future.

The council would need to give the school 12 months' notice if it took the decision to stop providing financial support.

A report has suggested the 3-18 Education Trust is "positively exploring alternative ways of operating the centre".

Robert Macey, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for culture and digital, said: "It's very early days but we are encouraged by the conversations we've had with the trust so far. We will continue these conversations to hopefully secure the best future for the centre."

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