Lib Dems slam Harrogate council over handling of leisure overhaul and demand clarity

Responding to the Conservative cabinet's approval of the plan, the Lib Dems slammed officers for an "abysmal lack of communication" on the proposals which will see management of the district's 11 leisure venues handed over to a council-controlled company.

Coun Pat Marsh, the Lib Dems leader on the council, said while the predicted savings of £400,000 a year would be welcome, there are several concerns that need to be addressed before support can be given.

She said: "It is hard to argue with the VAT savings that this proposal could bring, though the abysmal lack of communication we have seen gives me no reassurance that this will be as transparent and accountable as it needs to be.

"If this is to go ahead it must be done with very little day-to-day difference within the service".

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The plan - which would see the council borrow £23million to upgrade leisure centres and spend a further £300,000 on company start-up costs - was last night unanimously backed by cabinet and will now go before full council on Wednesday, July 8.

The company - to be called Brimham's Active - will run the council's leisure venues in Harrogate, Ripon, Knaresborough and Nidderdale.

A public consultation saw nearly half of respondents disagree with the company plan, with residents raising concerns about how services would be run.

And the Lib Dems say those worries "appear to have fallen on deaf ears" following last night's approval from cabinet.

They also say many people were unaware the consultation was being run - including members of the council's leisure facilities.

Setting out the Lib Dems' demands for clarity, Coun Marsh said: "It must remain affordable, with prices not increasing beyond inflation.

"It must guarantee the protection of services, especially Starbeck Baths.

"It must be transparent and accountable, with major decisions being made by full council.

"Current workers must be protected and new staff must receive the same pay and conditions".

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If given the go ahead, the plan would see six council officers or elected members given unpaid roles as directors on a board, alongside three company appointments.

Meetings of the board, however, would not be held in public.

Officers and councillors last night insisted the plan is not a move towards privatisation and tried to allay fears that prices would be hiked up.

Coun Richard Cooper, leader of the council, also said Starbeck Baths - Harrogate's oldest swimming pool - would not be closed down after a report suggested the 150-year-old facility’s future “would need to be considered”.

Refurbishments to Harrogate Hydro and the construction of a new leisure centre in Knaresborough at a location to be decided are also included in the plan.

And multi-million upgrades are already underway at Ripon Swimming Pool.

The company plan will need approval of full council before it can go ahead.

By Jacob Webster, Local Democracy Reporter

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