TWO bids to run Ship and Castles Leisure Centre in Falmouth have been rejected by Cornwall Council with officers recommending it shuts next month.

The news is a double body blow to Falmouth as bid to run the threatened Wadebridge Leisure centre has gone through to the next round, which means that centre could be saved.

At a meeting of Falmouth Town Council's finance and general purpose committee this evening, councillors were told that the officers at Cornwall Council were recommending that the Pendennis Headland facility should be closed.

A bid put together by Pendennis Leisure, consisting of local people who were desperate to keep a pool in the town and protect the headland, had been rejected along with another proposal.

An extraordinary emergency meeting of Cornwall Council's cabinet is due to take place on Friday when the final decision will be made.

Breaking the news to fellow town councillors, Cornwall councillor Jayne Kirkham said that she and Cllr Alan Jewel had been told the news at a full meeting of the council this afternoon.

She said the Wadebridge bid had gone through to the next round but the two bids for Ships and Castles had been rejected and it will close on March 31.

"It hasn't gone to cabinet yet," " she said. "It is only the officer recommendation to the cabinet to be decided on Friday."

Cllr Jude Robinson, who has been a prominent voice in the campaign to save the leisure centre, said the decision was "appalling".

Cllr Jewell said it "wasn't the end of the road exactly" as the final decision had to be made by cabinet. However it was pointed out that there were no members of the cabinet from Falmouth but two from Wadebridge.

"The two bids they had had from Falmouth were still way out," he said.

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Cllr Kirkham said if the town council wanted to save the centre it would have six months to find the money. The council said they would help us look for money from Sport England and the university, bujt it could end up costing £5 million.

"When we asked them if it would definitely be sold and would it be sold at market value, they didn't have an answer to that," said Cllr Kirkham.

Cllr Alan Jewell said it was the most valuable site in all their portfolio.

"It's asset stripping basically," said Cllr Robinson. "It's ripping us off and taking the land and making money with no guarantees."

"There'll be no guarantees we'll be getting another pool," said Cllr Jewell. "Maybe in the future."

Cllr Kirkham said all the councillors present disagreed with that recommendation and all condemned it strongly.

All councillors said they should be present at the cabinet meeting on Friday to show the strength of feeling against the proposal and encouraged the people of Falmouth to attend as well to protest.

Falmouth mayor Cllr Steve Eva said it was now up to cabinet to stand up to the council officers recommendation.

He said he would write a letter on behalf of the council to express its "utter rejection" of the proposal.

He said if the recommendation is accepted it was important that it was seen what the local members had done fight it.

Cllr Jewell said he could not understand how they had come up with this recommendation and they had "shot themselves in the foot big time."

The cabinet meeting takes place at 10am on Friday. Many people fear if the centre closes the site will be open to redevelopment.

Public questions have to go in by 12noon tomorrow.