Gateshead's councillor for culture, sport and leisure has welcomed a fund for at-risk leisure centres across the UK but says that without austerity, this "predicament" would not exist.
There have been months of outrage after the proposed closures of Gateshead Leisure Centre on Alexandra Road and Birtley Swimming Centre due to council cuts, with community members saying closures would be "devastating". Sports clubs, MPs and council leaders have all called for "something to be done" to save the centres, and it looks as if plans from the Government announced last Wednesday offer a shred of hope - as does a plan to to save the Alexandra Road site which should be ready in the coming weeks.
However, Angela Douglas, councillor for Bridges Ward, told ChronicleLive after a full meeting of Gateshead Council on Thursday afternoon that it is still too early to say if the leisure centres will be saved. The planned closures of both centres are currently on pause to allow for extra public consultation and a possible community asset transfer.
