More than 7,000 people have told council bosses in Gateshead how they feel about controversial leisure centre closure plans.
At least two facilities could be shut down next year because of budget cuts, a prospect that has sparked warnings of a deterioration in people’s physical and mental wellbeing. The Gateshead Leisure Centre in Saltwell, Dunston Leisure Centre, and potentially the sports hall at Birtley Leisure Centre have been deemed the sites most at risk of being lost, after being branded the “least sustainable”.
Amid widespread dismay at the proposals, locals have been urged to make their voice heard as campaigners bid to save the centres from closure. After an extended public consultation on the plans ended on Tuesday night, Gateshead Council bosses have confirmed that they received a total of 7,419 responses.
