Public exercise right to have say on future of sport and leisure
More than 1,000 North Lincolnshire people decided to have their say in a council consultation over the future of sport, leisure and cultural services.
Council chiefs must now sit down and decide how they want to run services in the future – one option being to get private companies, groups of organisations managing some facilities, rather than the local authority.
The findings of the public survey – to which www.thisisscunthorpe.co.uk provided a direct link last month - have not been made public at this stage.
One of the questions was: "If it was a choice between a service closing, being reduced or finding another organisation to run it for the council, which would you prefer?"
North Lincolnshire Council described the response to the consultation as fantastic.
Deputy Leader Councillor John Briggs, Cabinet Member for Asset and Estate Management, Sport, Leisure and Culture, said: "I would like to thank everybody who took the time to complete the questionnaire. It really is gratifying that so many people have made their views known. The results will help to shape the future of sport, leisure and culture in North Lincolnshire.
"We will look at all the information provided and the findings will be reported to cabinet members. As soon as we are in a position to do so a decision on the future will be made."
These facilities benefit individuals and communities, for example, health improvement, better educational achievement and less antisocial behaviour.
The survey explored a number of options into how the council could manage them in ways that could better meet the needs of local communities.
Current leisure facilities operated by the council include:
- The Pods, Ashby Road, Scunthorpe
- Ancholme Leisure Centre, Scawby Brook
- Baysgarth Leisure Centre, Barton
- Bottesford Sports Hall
- Epworth Leisure Centre
- Riddings Swimming Pool, Scunthorpe
Sports facilities run by authority include:
- Brigg Recreation Ground
- Co-op Sports Ground, Scunthorpe
- Quibell Park, Scunthorpe
- West Common Lane Sports Ground, Scunthorpe
- Winterton Synthetic, Floodlit Pitch
- Normanby and Kingway, Scunthorpe, Golf Courses
- Scunthorpe Indoor Bowls Centre.
Cultural facilities include:
- The Plowright Theatre, Scunthorpe
- 20-21 Visual Arts Centre, Scunthorpe
- North Lincolnshire Museum, Scunthorpe
- Water's Edge County Park and Visitor Centre, Barton
- Normanby Hall and Country Park
- North Lincolnshire Library, Scunthorpe, and others spread across the district.
The council also owns venues that are managed by others on behalf of the local community, such as the Baths Hall in Scunthorpe and Baysgarth House Museum, Barton.
PRIVATE MANAGEMENT AN OPTION
7 Comments
by englander61
Thursday, February 09 2012, 6:49PM
“managed by private company's like the baths hall could cost tax payer , in the long run they are on set wage no matter what , if baths hall makes a lost we still have to pay private company for running the place and make up any short fall from taxes this should never have been allowed well thought out labour party , if this is the case .”
by TimothyIngbit
Thursday, February 09 2012, 6:14PM
“Many of these publicly owned facilities will not be run succesfully by the private sector for the simple reason that they are not really viable. The only reason they were built in the first instance is that government distorted the market with taxpayer subsidies. No private business would have committed its own valuable capital to these boondoggles. Iam afraid many of these government sponsored malinvestments across the UK will have to be liquidated over the coming years.”
by Jumbone
Thursday, February 09 2012, 2:21PM
“This is a feeble attempt to blame the public for cuts, privatisations and closure.
Let's be democratic. Keep all facilities in Labour wards under public ownership and privatise or close every single facility in Conservative wards. Then the public will have spoken, the decision will have been made at the ballot box and not via a fiddled questionnaire.”
by englander61
Thursday, February 09 2012, 10:43AM
“longjohn48, from what i understand flood control barriers are not being built so land will flood any how , but why are they building houses there just to make profit while they can before land is useless .i guess”
by longjohn48
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 10:10PM
“And I bet they still plan to proceed with the ridiculous "Lincolnshire Lakes " (flooding 1000,s of acres of farmland between the M180/M181/Gunness straight/river Trent) program and building 1500 houses on the flood plain behind Tesco's and commit us taxpayers to millions £s”
by TB789
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 6:04PM
“They need to do this to fund the Baths. What a fiasco!
Can the ET find out how much a year the council gives to run the Baths?”
by Cordaline
Wednesday, February 08 2012, 11:38AM
“Me and my fellow drinkers think it's already a done deal.”