Kimberley school wanted more than £400,000 to keep leisure centre going

Papers issued ahead of this week’s crucial council meeting to decide the future for the facility, reveal that, in a letter to the council, the school requested £444,538.76 over three years to help keep the facility open.

This was broken down as £122,580.74 in 2022-23, £179.249.21 in 2023-24 and £142,708.21 in 2024-25.

These figures have been challenged by the council, but the school has not altered them.

Instead, the council has offered to pay £100,000 extend the licence at the school until the end of March 2025 but this has been rejected by the school.

In a letter to the council back in September, Andy Park, head teacher at the school, said: “The present arrangements have resulted in a significant financial loss for the school in the last year, which is unstainable and, if permitted to continue, will place the school in a deficit situation.”

The facility is jointly run by the council, the Kimberley School and Liberty Leisure Ltd.

The Labour-run council voted to closed the facility back in December, saying it was losing £300,000 per year and it needs a £2.4m basic refurbishment.

The centre is scheduled to closed at the end of March but this has been challenged by opposition councillors.

The meeting to hear the challenge and decide the final outcome of the facility was originally due to be held behind closed doors before Christmas but will be held in public at this week’s overview and scrutiny committee meeting on Friday, January 19.

Coun Andy Cooper (Lab), who represents Kimberley on the council, said: “None of us want the leisure centre close, but when you look at the figures and you look at how local councils have been treated with cuts in fundings, then I’m afraid it’s a difficult decision.

"The council has been in negotiations with the school for quite and nobody wanted it to come to this but, it is a lot of money.”

The school has also agreed to provide an estimated licence fee cost for running only a ‘dry-side’ facility (gym and studio) and Liberty Leisure has agreed to assess whether this could be managed without any further contributions from the council.