Town's leisure centre could close to the public as latest victim of Shropshire Council's swingeing cuts

Shropshire Council's cabinet will next week (December 4) be asked to consider a proposal for its future involvement with Much Wenlock Leisure Centre.

The facility, which has a swimming pool, gym, sports hall, artificial pitch, and a multi-use games area, is owned by the William Brookes Academy Trust, which is part of the 3-18 Education Trust. 

It is open to the public outside of school time, for a total of 56.25 hours a week, when it is operated by Shropshire Council.

But, in the paper to be considered by the cabinet, the council is recommending starting a consultation on its plan to serve notice on the site, and cease operating it for use by the community - with the loss of four full-time jobs.

The council says the move would save it £280,040 a year - although the savings would only be possible from the 2026/27 financial year, because of the time the process could take.

There are other issues for the council with such a move, with the authority likely to be required to pay back a portion of £1,008,000, from Sport England, which was used to build the facility.

Whether the site remains open to the public will depend on whether alternative management arrangements can be agreed.

The report to be considered by cabinet shows that for the last full year it was open - 2022/23, a total of 102,597 people visited the site, with 300 children attending swimming lessons.

It adds that the education trust is keen to keep the facility open for the public - but would need to find a suitable operating model.

It states: "William Brookes School/Academy Trust is keen to explore continuing to provide community use of the leisure centre should Shropshire Council cease operating at the end of a 12-month notice period.

"The notice period would enable the school/academy to explore suitable operating models and investigate the potential for acquiring funding to support community use of the centre and capital investment to improve the facility."

The paper also argues that the council has no duty to provide leisure facilities.

It states: "The provision of community use at Much Wenlock Leisure Centre is expensive and the facility requires capital investment to enable that expense to be reduced.

"This is not a Shropshire Council owned facility, and it is the responsibility of the education trust which owns the school to consider prioritisation of this investment.

"As things stand it is therefore not likely that the council would continue to operate or support the service financially.

"Providing community use of leisure facilities is a not a duty, it is a discretionary service. The council’s priority is to maintain mandatory services such as social care, highways maintenance and waste services, which are essential services for keeping residents safe."

The move comes as the council grapples with a major financial crisis.

It is currently expecting to be £35m over budget at the end of the year, and that amount could balloon by another £34m if the authority's plans to sell off its car parks does not materialise.

The report on Much Wenlock Leisure Centre explains how the council is in a fight for "survival".

It states: "Shropshire Council is currently managing an unprecedented financial position as budgeted for with the Medium-Term Financial Strategy approved by council on 29 February 2024 and detailed in our monitoring position presented to Cabinet monthly.

"This demonstrates that significant management action is required over the remainder of the financial year and beyond to ensure the council's financial survival."

Much Wenlock Councillor Dan Thomas said he was worried about the potential impact on the area - and said his priority is to find a deal "that works for our community".

He said: "I am deeply concerned about consideration of plans to withdraw funding for community use of Much Wenlock Leisure Centre.

"This is a valued asset for the town and the surrounding communities.

"I understand the need for Shropshire Council to find savings to address the rising demand for social care, but, as the local councillor for Much Wenlock, my priority is trying to find a way to get a deal that works for our community.

"It is undeniable that the location of the Leisure Centre within the school campus is a challenge meaning community users can't access it during school hours.

"This means it is not being utilised to its fullest potential. I am heartened that discussions between William Brookes School  and Shropshire Council indicate they are keen to try and find a way to continue the community use should local authority funding expire after the twelve months’ notice period.

"All parties are very receptive to any support or suggestions from the community or other stakeholders.  I hope that by working together we can find a way to maintain community use of the Leisure Centre."

If approved the council will begin an eight-week consultation on the proposal.

Following the conclusion of the consultation process responses received will be reviewed and considered before a further recommendation goes to the cabinet in the new year.