The building of a new leisure centre in the outer west of Newcastle has been “undermined” by the chaos in government, an MP has warned.
Catherine McKinnell hit out after it emerged this week that the cost of the new complex due to be built in West Denton has shot up by almost £4m and its opening date has been pushed back. Construction is now due to start next month on the centre in West Denton Way, which will act as a replacement for the area’s existing swimming pool that was shut down in 2020 by operator GLL.
The current West Denton library and customer service centre will also be demolished to make way for the new development, the bulk of which is being funded by a £19.8m grant from the government’s Levelling Up Fund (LUF). But there have been worries across the country about the impact that the current economic crisis will have on LUF-backed projects and whether local councils will still be able to deliver them, with inflation pushing up building costs substantially.
