Whitworth Leisure Centre handed over to the community
Rossendale Borough Council has announced that the transfer of ownership of Whitworth Leisure Centre to Whitworth Town Council has been completed.
The Town Council has leased the building and the running of the centre to Whitworth Leisure Community Interest Company (CIC).
The council announced earlier in the year that it had taken the decision to close the leisure centre following a report by independent financial advisors Grant Thornton.
The report stated that if action was not taken to immediately address the budget deficit, both the Council and the Leisure Trust could be at significant financial risk over the next two years.
The challenges and the impact of inflationary pressures, along with the operating costs, forced the Council and the Leisure Trust to implement a wide range of actions to ensure both could continue to operate.
The cost-of-living crisis has seen councils across the UK face inflationary pressures and rising demand across all services. As higher proportions of council budgets are absorbed by statutory and frontline services, councils’ ability to maintain provision in sport and leisure has come under increasing pressure and there have been numerous closures across the country.
Rossendale Borough Council’s Chief Exec Rob Huntington said: “I’d like to thank everyone involved for their hard work in getting this transfer over the line. It has been a long and sometimes difficult process, but we hope this transfer will provide the local community with continued access to the facility while also enabling the centre to be managed locally with community involvement at its core.
“The closure of Whitworth Leisure Centre was one the council took with a heavy heart. Rossendale Borough Council understands the importance of leisure activities and leisure provision in the borough but unfortunately, the demands on our budget and the provision of the statutory services meant we were just not able to continue to run the facility.
“On behalf of the council I’d like to wish the Town Council and Whitworth Leisure Centre CIC good luck with the venture.”
Since the local community expressed an interest to take over the running of the leisure centre, Rossendale Borough Council has been working with the town council and the newly established community interest company to assist with the transfer.
A spokesperson for Whitworth Town Council said: “All of us here at Whitworth Town Council would like to thank RBC officers and councillors for their hard work regarding the transfer of Whitworth Leisure Centre.
“The industrious volunteers of Whitworth Leisure Centre CIC are already making significant repairs to the leisure centre, and we are looking forward to seeing it reopen in the New Year.”
The Mayor, Cllr Mike Royds, added: “We are delighted Father Christmas delivered an early present for us, the elves are now working hard on the reopening.”