Leisure facilities
Shock at Walsall Gala baths £300k revamp
Shock at Walsall Gala baths £300k revamp
The YamYam 9 Mar 10
The surprise announcement by Walsall Council to spend £300,000 on improvements to the Walsall leisure centre has caused “disgust” in campaigners battling to keep Willenhall Leisure Centre open.
The Gala baths in Lichfield Street will undergo an electrical rewiring, the Brine pool will be redecorated and a new suspended ceiling will be installed in changing rooms. The £300,000 expenditure has caused outrage to users of the Willenhall Leisure Centre which has been earmarked for closure as one of the massive cuts in the recently approved council budget. The cost of the improvements to the Walsall centre did not appear in the controversial budget.
Councillor Ian Shires, Libdem councillor for Willenhall, reacted angrily to the news. “My reaction, in a word, is disgust” he said. “I have not seen anything through scrutiny in respect of this. To be honest, if we had had that kind of money spent on Willenhall, it would then be a well-used centre.”
Walsall cabinet member for leisure and culture, Councillor Anthony Harris said: “We believe very strongly that attractive venues are popular venues and I’m pleased to see investment in the Gala baths. “Much of the work will be unseen but vital none the less. It’s important that we re-wire the building since it is many years since this was done and it needs renewing. “There will be lots of night working when the centre is closed in order to minimise disruption which I’m sure people will be pleased to hear. We are also letting people know well in advance about any disruption through the Press, through our website, through Twitter, Facebook and through posters at the Gala itself. “No-one likes to have their fitness routine disrupted everyone will see the improvement once these works have been completed. This investment of £300,000 shows how seriously Walsall Council takes its commitment to provide facilities that are fit for purpose.”
Work is due to start on 15 March and last for around three months. The Gala swimming pool will be closed from 22 March for two weeks. The entire centre will be closed for seven days from April 5 with the Brine pool closed for three weeks from 3 May.
The unexpected nature of the announcement, the fact that the work will start within days, and the comments made by Councillor Harris regarding the need for a rewire has led to speculation that the urgent works are more than merely decorative.
In May 2004, the gym at the Walsall complex was gutted by fire caused by an electrical fault it the air conditioning system and the centre was closed for four weeks while structural engineers made the building safe. Work to replace the gym started two years later following settlement of an insurance claim.
Campaigners trying to save Willenhall Leisure Centre have been given a three months reprieve to formulate a plan to save it.
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