I’m a member of two Scrutiny Panels on Walsall Council. One dealing with regeneration, the other community services. Both have met this week to “scrutinise” their particular sections of the council’s draft budget for 2010/11.

At both of these panels we have heard from the Tory Chairs what a wonderful job the Tory Cabinet has done in putting together the draft budget as they put together resolutions of support for the measures contained in the reports.

From opposition councillors, both Liberal Democrat and Labour, there have been attempts to get across the social injustice of the proposal to close Willenhall Leisure Centre.

We have pointed out that the closure makes a nonsense of the vision and priorities that the draft budget is supposed to reflect and take note of.

Things like, and I quote from the Leisure and Culture Vision and Priorities where it says ,”Create and enhance opportunities to improve the health and well being of local people by developing a strategic plan for the future of leisure centres” and “Promoting pride in Walsall by “Raising awareness of the services and facilities across leisure,culture and lifelong learning available to everyone in Walsall” How does that square with what the Tory administration has done to leisure facilities to the west of the M6 within the borough over the past two years?

Last year they closed Darlaston’s leisure facility this year it’s Willenhall’s turn to take the hit!

At tonight’s Regeneration Scrutiny Panel opposition councillors were told by the chair that they couldn’t have a debate on the proposed closure and its effect on Willenhall because it wasn’t contained in that portfolio’s remit.

What’s the point of scrutiny if you can’t scrutinise a decision which has not been thought through.

A risk assessment has yet to be done on the costs involved in having an empty building with all that that entails in security, increased vandalism and the negative effect on the town’s regeneration.

The closure comes under the budget heading of ”Service Redesign” Forgive me but redesign suggests that there is an agreed alternative which is as good or better than what already exists.

There clearly isn’t because Community Scrutiny Panel has asked for a report on what alternative provision there is including at Bentley Bridge, Wednesfield provided by Wolverhampton City Council!

We know that the unit cost per head at the Willenhall facility is high, but wouldn’t it make sense to allow Scrutiny to look at the facility to find out why, and whether action could be taken to reduce this as has been the case for Bryntysilio.

I would have thought that this should be done as a matter urgency particularly as £200,000 of council tax payers money has been spent on the place over the past two years. 

Tonight’s Regeneration Scrutiny meeting saw an opposition motion expressing concern that the closure of Willenhall Leisure Centre will have a detrimental effect on the regeneration of the town defeated by four votes to three as all four Tories on the panel voted against.

The debate moves on to the Corporate Scrutiny panel when it meets next week.