Campaigners fighting to save the St. Crispin’s Leisure Centre insist it will be closed to save money.
A public consultation on the future of the centre on London Road is due to end in less than a month, but there are fears its future has already been decided.
Nick Dyer, who has been leading the campaign to keep St Crispin’s open, has written to every Borough councillor asking them to lobby the council’s executive which will make the final decision.
In a strongly worded letter, he was particularly scathing on a promise made by Cllr. Ian Shelton, the Executive Member for Environment, Sport and Leisure.
He wrote: “We are told by Councillor Shenton ‘it is not a cost cutting exercise’ Frankly, not a single one of the people I have spoken to believes this to be true.”
Mr. Dyer also claimed Places for People (PfP) appear to support the case for closure on the basis that membership has fallen in recent years.
“In the light of the pandemic and recent opening of the Carnival Hub, this may well be the case. The poor maintenance regime and understaffing at the centre suggest a lack of commitment to the centre which no doubt sits poorly with their shiny corporate image.
“However I believe membership is the wrong metric to apply. Membership (i.e. a fixed fee monthly fee) is not required for a whole range of activities which can be attended on a pay-per-play basis.
“Therefore I would suggest that usage is a much more sensible measure. To date neither PfP or council officers have been willing or able to supply any date about usage.”
Mr Dyer said a number of groups have regularly used St. Crispin’s for the past 25 years, adding it was “unclear how usage could have declined.”
These included a 50-strong squash club, several run by the University of the Third Age, tae-kwon-do and judo groups, football and a number of fitness classes.
“Many users who have tried using the Carnival Hub have found that obtaining bookings there is difficult – a situation that is likely to be exacerbated as the population of Wokingham continues to grow.
“As a Council that espouses the need for health and fitness, particularly among its older members of the community, closure of St. Crispins would be a retrograde step and a devastating blow to its many users.
“Having considered all of this, I would respectfully ask all those councillors who will not get a vote to lobby the members of the executive on behalf of your constituents and demonstrate that this is indeed “not a cost-cutting exercise” as we have been assured.”
The Borough has insisted no decision has yet been made on the future of St. Crispin’s.
In a statement announcing the public consultation, it stated: “The user numbers at the centre have been declining and this has been getting worse since the opening of Wokingham Leisure Centre at the Carnival Hub last year.
“Therefore, we are considering whether the centre should remain open, or if an alternative use should be found for the site.
“The findings from this consultation will be used alongside other factors to help us make a decision on the best future use for the site.”
