The committee considering whether a decision to close Ships and Castles leisure centre in Falmouth has decided to refer it back to cabinet.  

Labour councillors Laurie Magowan and Jayne Kirkham successfully called-in the decision by cabinet members to close Falmouth's Ships and Castles Leisure Centre on March 31 which meant that it had to be reconsidered by an emergency committee today.

The customer and support services overview and scrutiny committee held an extraordinary meeting today (March 28) to consider the call-in.

At the meeting members heard from both councillors Kirkham and Magowan before making their decision to refer it back to cabinet to reconsider its decision to close Ships and Castles.

MORE TO COME

The call-in will be referred back to cabinet at a meeting on March 30 at 3pm, the day before the centre is due to close. If it is unsuccessful the meeting won't take place.

However cabinet member Riachard Pears told the committee that the figures provided bythe bidders to run the centre still did not meet the council's criteria and its decision would not be changed.

The scrutiny committee's agenda gave three recommendations: either to refer the decisions relating to Ships and Castles Leisure Centre on March 4 back to the cabinet or Cornwall Council for further consideration or take no further action.

The council said it undertook an initial appraisal of bids to run Ships and Castles by two bidders including Pendennis Leisure but said it was clear from that analysis that all of the bids received for Ships and Castles Leisure Centre exceeded the approved revenue budget position.

They therefore decided that it was not economically viable to the council to keep the centre open and it was not possible to enter into negotiations with the bidders.

Labour councillors Laurie Magowan and Jayne Kirkham successfully called-in the decision. Speaking at the time Cllr Magowan said: “We decided to call-in the decision made by Cabinet because we felt the negative impacts on the community were not fully considered, with the closure of Ships and Castles, discriminating against people in our communities who won’t be able to access alternative swimming pools. The decision also goes against several of Cornwall Council’s own ambitions to improve health, wellbeing and the environment.”

Concerns about the impact on school children, families and long term users of the leisure centre were raised at a heated Cabinet meeting on March 4. Members of the public were angered by the lack of answers to a number of questions relating to residents of Falmouth and Penryn having no access to a public swimming pool.

Cllr Kirkham added: “I am pleased that the scrutiny committee is going to look again at this decision. I don’t think full consideration of the bids to take over the pool or the wishes of the community in Falmouth were properly taken into account in the original cabinet decision.  “It may be that the review of the original decision will not prevent the closure of Ships and Castles on March 31, but it’s an important step to ensure transparency and accountability are maintained.”

The call-in is the first to be made during the current administration and there had been no successful call-ins under the last administration.