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CAMPAIGNERS fighting to keep a leisure centre open have described a council consultation process as “rubbish”.
Around thirty members from different groups which regularly use the St. Crispin’s Leisure Centre in Wokingham attended a noisy drop in session this week.
But they claimed it was “little more than a talking shop” and believe council bosses have already decided to close the popular centre – something the council says is not true.
June Taplin who runs a U3A racquetball club at St. Crispin’s said the consultation process was “a waste of time”.
“We sat there listening to officials who basically told us what the council wanted to do and they tried to persuade us to agree,” she said.
“It was rubbish, nothing more than a political exercise. Now they can say they have ticked the consultation box and go ahead and close the centre.”
June called on “every single person in Wokingham” to write to their local councillor objecting to the centre’s closure.
“We sat there listening to idiots doing the political talk. What we need is to let every councillor know we need the leisure centre kept open. I am asking people to write to the council, to the executive members and to fill out an online form on the council’s website objecting to the closure.
“We can also table questions for council meetings to discuss. We have to let the council know how strongly we feel.”
Nick Dyer, spokesperson for the squash club which has 50 members, was equally dismissive: “I am not at all optimistic.
“They didn’t seem sympathetic to our case. For our members, whose ages range from twenties to their eighties, it is not just about playing squash but also about a community. We socialise as well as play but if St Crispin’s goes, we have no other place in Wokingham and I fear we will lose this wonderful community.”
Nick challenged the council’s data claiming it did not accurately reflect how many people use the centre.
“For example, I might book a court but there are eight of us playing so on paper it looks like just one person accessing the centre which is nonsense. We really don’t feel the council is listening and they have made up their minds to close St Crispin’s.”
Another regular user who asked not to be named also criticised the consultation: “St Crispin’s is the only centre on the east side of town. Many of the people who attend the same club as me usually walk there but that won’t be possible if we have to use somewhere like Bracknell.
“Rather than closing the centre, the council would do better to increase the usage.”
Wokingham Borough Council has insisted no decision has yet been made about the future of St Crispin’s. It said the consultation is asking for views on five options which include keeping the centre open, transferring it to St. Crispin’s School, closure, disposing of the site or demolishing the buildings and mothballing the site until land values increase.
Cllr Ian Shenton is the executive member for environment, sport and leisure at Wokingham Borough Council said the feedback would be used, along other factors, when making the final decision, but the consultation was not a referendum.
“For consultation to be fair, open and reasonable, they cannot be about who can shout the loudest but rather about getting a better understanding of the community’s needs and aspirations,” he said.
He warned that closure was not about saving money: “With the way our contract is set up with Places Leisure – who run our council-owned leisure centres –it means we will not save money should the decision be made to close.
“The issue is more that we have a lot of assets and we have to make the best use of them for the community as a whole. With the falling usage at St Crispin’s and other potential uses being identified, it is the right time to think about its future.”
The next consultation sessions are:
Thursday, July 20 – 5.30pm- 7pm
Saturday, July 22 – noon-1.30pm
Wednesday, July 26 – noon-1.30pm
Friday, July 28 – 5.30pm-7pm
Sunday, July 30 – noon-1.30pm
Alternatively log on to Wokingham Borough Council’s website: https://engage.wokingham.gov.uk/en-GB/projects/st-crispins-leisure-centre
