Photo courtesy of Express & Star    

Councillors who attended last week’s meeting to look at options which could help save Willenhall Leisure Centre reported back to Willenhall Regeneration Project Reference Group (PRG) at its meeting yesterday reports Liberal Democrat councillor Ian Shires. Members of the “Friends of Willenhall Leisure Centre” attended the meeting.

Details of the plan to reduce unit costs within the three months demanded by Walsall’s Tory Cabinet were outlined as was the medium to long term option of a Community Enterprise in the form of  Community Involvement Company (CIC).

A special meeting of the Willenhall PRG was proposed in order to look at all the options in more detail but the aim will be to meet the challenge of the cabinet within the 3 month deadline.

“If the subsidy level of Willenhall Leisure Centre are reduced to the same as the other leisure centre across the borough, then the cabinet need to come up with funding to keep the centre open whilst the plan to progress to some form of community enterprise within 12 months.

“Currently there is no provision within the Tories Draft Budget for 2010/11. A point that I have already put to Anthony Harris the new portfolio holder with responsibility for leisure across the borough” said Ian.

Friends of Willenhall Leisure Centre have announced a public meeting to be held at the Leisure Centre on Tuesday 2nd March @ 6.30pm to which they have invited Cllr. Harris to answer this and other questions about the future of the centre.

There was a touch of irony later in the meeting as the PRG received an update of the opportunities for the regeneration of Willenhall through the “Joint Core Strategy Vision for Willenhall” where it pointed to “Improved Culture, Leisure, Health and Education facilities to ensure higher quality of life in the area.

The reality of this to date is that Walsall’s Tory controlled Council has done nothing to improve opportunities for culture in Willenhall but it has closed a Willenhall school (Sneyd). Now it wants to close Willenhall Leisure Centre.

Add to that the continued refusal of Walsall Primary Care Trust (PCT) to provide Short Heath with a much needed health centre, the Vision for Willenhall in reality is vastly different to the one the Tories would have you believe.