North Kirklees leisure centres face temporary closure as heating costs soar

As financial troubles ravage Kirklees Council, leading to a £34m overspend, it has been revealed that the district’s fitness and leisure centres are suffering the same fate.

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL), which manages 12 leisure hubs across the Kirklees district, says it is too early to say which ones will be affected, with a final decision to be revealed over the next couple of weeks.

This comes as energy prices continue to rise due to the impact of high rates of inflation and the financial impact of major global events like this year’s Russian invasion of Ukraine contributing to the volatile economic situation.

According to Kirklees Council’s quarterly financial review that was published earlier this month, there is £1.7m estimated pressure on KAL. This is despite the council being said to have “provided extensive support to KAL through the pandemic period 2020-22 and current financial year, with earmarked Government Covid-19 funding totalling £9.5m to date, alongside a Sports England grant of around £1m.”

With the temporary closure of leisure facilities on the horizon, services will be accommodated at different locations, and discussions held with staff about how these plans will affect them.

A spokesperson for KAL said: “The global crisis in energy prices has had a major impact on our financial position. This follows a very challenging few years with Covid-19 and the negative impact that had on our revenue. KAL has already taken action to reduce costs but it’s clear we need to do more to improve our financial position going forward.

“Heating swimming pools, in particular, is currently very expensive and KAL need to consider how we can reduce energy usage. This, unfortunately, will mean temporary closures at some of our facilities. We are still finalising our plans and will be talking with our brilliant staff about how their work might be affected. We are also looking at how we can accommodate sessions at different locations while keeping a maximum possible range of services available to residents in every part of Kirklees.

“We aim to finalise our plans in the next couple of weeks and will let our customers know how they might be affected and their options for alternative provision. Despite this temporary position, wherever you live in Kirklees, KAL continues to offer high quality and low-cost services that support the health & wellbeing of local people.

“Our gyms, fitness classes and fantastic Yeah! Days Out family attractions are open to everyone in Kirklees, whatever your age or circumstances. KAL look forward to continuing to welcome customers to make use of the unaffected sites. We would like to thank our staff and our customers for their support and understanding during the challenging period ahead.”

The list of centres facing closure is yet to be finalised but the following North Kirklees leisure centres are managed by KAL:

Batley Baths and Recreation Centre Batley Sports and Tennis Centre Dewsbury Sports Centre Spen Valley Leisure Centre