Public to get a say on £479,000 cuts to leisure
CONSULTATION has started on how to cut £500,000 from Cheshire East leisure services budget with reduced opening hours a possibility.
The council has to look at ways to save £479,000, in addition to £1.29m already cut earlier this year.
One option had been to stop funding four leisure centre - including Poynton - so they would either be run privately or close down.
A public outcry saw the council backtrack and now a consultation on new proposals is open until January 7.
They include reduced opening times, different charges for members not from Cheshire East and changes to the membership discount scheme.
But it appears closures are not completely off the table - the council says if cuts cannot be found funding will be targeted to areas where health of residents is lowest and centre usage highest.
Councillor Mick Warren, chair of the environment and communities
committee, said: “Leisure centres are hugely expensive facilities to run and maintain and costs are rising drastically. We cannot afford to meet these costs.
“Significant budget savings have already been made and additional income secured, including through one-off grants
from Sport England, but this is still not enough.
“The health and wellbeing of our residents is extremely important to the council, and so we now need to ensure that the limited resources we do have for leisure services are being targeted to the best effect.”
The council has a predicted budget deficit of £18.7m for the year 202324.
It says the focus for the leisure budget is on using money in the areas that will have the greatest impact on health and wellbeing.
Coun Warren added: “The comments we receive – plus more detailed data relating to the use of leisure centres by community groups, sports clubs and, where appropriate, schools – will help us to shape the final proposals.”
Visit cheshireeast.gov. uk/consultations.