Gateshead leisure centres unaffordable, council warns

Two Tyneside leisure centres may have to close because services have become "unaffordable", council bosses warned.

Gateshead Leisure Centre in Saltwell and Dunston Leisure Centre are under threat due to a funding crisis.

A meeting of Gateshead Council heard "really difficult" decisions will have to be made.

Councillor Jonathan Wallace, the Liberal Democrat opposition leader, accused the Labour-run authority of a "catalogue of errors".

A meeting on Tuesday heard the sports hall at Birtley Leisure Centre could also be under threat, with a decision expected in January.

Councillors were told the aim had been for leisure centres and pools to be self-sufficient by 2020 but that was "no longer realistic" and they are "unaffordable" in their current state.

Angela Douglas, cabinet member for culture, sport and leisure, said "really difficult" decisions were necessary due to the impact of Covid-19, escalating maintenance and repair bills and problems with staffing.

The council had budgeted £2.2m to help pay for leisure services in the current financial year, but is estimating it will now have to pay almost double that figure, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

The council said it was "critical" some centres do close.

It comes after Heworth Leisure Centre was shut for eight weeks over the summer because of staff shortages.

Mr Wallace said the drive for sustainable leisure services should have started "well over a decade ago" and he pointed to neighbouring Newcastle City Council's scheme for a new leisure centre using government levelling up funds.

The meeting heard Gateshead was limited in the amount of levelling up bids it could make and had chosen to focus on the new Quayside arena development.

The authority is set to launch a procurement process for a contractor to run its leisure centres and pools for the next 10 to 15 years.

However, that will not make the immediate savings needed.

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