Three Newcastle leisure centres to stay closed with 35 jobs lost

Three leisure centres in Newcastle will remain shut with 35 staff set to lose their jobs.

Eldon Leisure Centre, West Denton Swimming Pool and Walker Activity Dome will not be reopening for the foreseeable future, operator Greenwich Leisure Ltd (GLL) has confirmed.

GLL said social distancing requirements meant it was "impossible" to recoup losses incurred during lockdown.

The decision to close will be reviewed in six months.

It is expected 40% of GLL's permanent staff in Newcastle will lose their jobs, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

East End Pool, Gosforth Leisure Centre, and the Newcastle Trampoline Park and Gym will all remain open with "modified" hours.

Outdoor football pitches at the Walker Activity Dome will also continue to operate, as will the other facilities at West Denton Leisure Centre - aside from the pool.

Newcastle City Council confirmed it has issued GLL with a loan from an emergency £5m fund set up to help businesses through the Covid-19 crisis, but it is not enough to keep every leisure centre open.

GLL was handed control of most of the city's council-run leisure facilities as part of civic centre budget cuts in recent years.

Gareth Kirk, GLL's regional director for Newcastle, said the remaining centres "could only continue to operate in the city if we took action to cut our operating costs".

He said: "Reducing leisure services and also staff numbers is not a decision we have taken lightly, but we believe this is the best available option for Newcastle."

Councillors said they were "very disappointed" by the continuing closures.

Follow BBC North East & Cumbria on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].