Plan to permanently close leisure centre questioned following ‘pointless' consultation

Plans to permanently shut a leisure centre have come under question following a consultation that has been branded ‘futile’ and ‘pointless’. Dialstone Leisure Centre, in Offerton, Stockport, was closed in January last year due to flooding, and has not reopened due to the ‘significant damage’ caused at the site.The council now plans to shut it down for good, in order to save £200,000 per year as well as the £150k price tag for bringing the centre back into use. An ‘Active Communities’ programme was launched at Offerton Community Centre so people could remain active - and is intended to continue to compensate for the permanent closure of Dialstone.The Lib Dem-run council also says it will continue to look at ways to enhance the leisure offer in the area. But opposition members have questioned the decision to close the centre, particularly as only 20pc of respondents to an online questionnaire were supportive of the closure plan.READ MORE: Drivers could be fined by council in five problem areas after law change

They also challenged claims that ‘the majority of users have been relocated elsewhere’, noting that 92pc of the 66 respondents had not taken part in the alternative programme. Coun Oliver Johnstone told a scrutiny meeting the report seemed to be ‘avoiding the fact that this consultation has really come out quite negatively’.

“It does sound like the same old story,” the Conservative said. “We have held a consultation, it’s not said what we would like so we turn around and say ‘it’s only a handful of people and they have got it wrong’, is basically the insinuation.

“I know those words weren’t exactly used by anyone but that’s the impression we are getting.”Coun Christine Carrigan, of the Labour group, agreed it was