Deeping St James leisure centre closure confirmed by councillors

A leisure centre will close permanently after councillors voted to scrap a £10.5m refurbishment.

The Deepings Leisure Centre in Deeping St James, Lincolnshire, closed its doors in July 2021 after heavy rain caused significant damage.

South Kesteven Council, which had approved a repair plan, was told on Thursday that costs were escalating.

Opponents criticised the speed of the closure decision and asked for other options to be explored.

"We can't keep spending money that we cannot afford," the council's Conservative leader Kelham Cooke said.

Adding it was a "bitter pill to swallow" he apologised, saying the council had failed to manage the facility over the years.

"It has now got to the point where it's unsafe," he said.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, there was a shout of "You've let the people of the Deepings down" from members of the public as the decision was made.

The council blamed higher energy prices, construction costs and the cost of borrowing, warning the project would jeopardise its economic future.

Conservative councillor Gloria Johnson said residents would face 25 years of austerity to repay the costs of the scheme and to continue would be "irresponsible and downright dangerous".

However, fellow Conservative member Judy Stevens urged a rethink.

"We can't just walk away from something we have provided for 48 years," she said. "You don't have to leave us with nothing."

The Deepings Leisure Centre has been managed by South Kesteven District Council since it was built in 1974, while the building and land is owned by Lincolnshire County Council.

Opposition councillors criticised the authority for not making repairs in 2021, but their amendment to consider other options failed.

Alliance SK Councillor Phil Dilks said it was a "betrayal" and his colleague Virginia Moran said the council had left the leisure centre "to rot."

"If there had been space, there would be 50 people from the Deepings in here imploring you - begging you - not to close it," she added.

Councillors voted 27 in favour of abandoning the scheme with 13 against.

The public seating was full throughout Thursday's three-hour debate, with more than 100 people following online.

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