Councillors have been slammed by a watchdog for consulting the public AFTER making a decision to close a sports centre.

Kirklees Council’s Cabinet has been criticised by the Local Government Ombudsman over plans to shut Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre in Cleckheaton.

The Cabinet decided two years ago to demolish the sports centre at the adjacent Whitcliffe Mount Business and Enterprise College and build a new school elsewhere on the same site.

But campaigners claimed the public consultation had been a sham and complained to the ombudsman.

Whitcliffe Mount School
Whitcliffe Mount Business and Enterprise College

Now the ombudsman, who rules on maladministration by councils, has found Kirklees at fault.

A report on the investigation says: “The ombudsman’s view is that the council should consult the public before withdrawing a service it has provided to the public.

“In this case the council consulted after making the decision to close the leisure centre and so the council pre-determined the outcome of the consultation. The failure to consult before making the decision to close the leisure centre was fault.”

The sports centre in Turnsteads Avenue is due to close in May next year and facilities at Spenborough Baths in Liversedge are currently being expanded.

The ombudsman also criticised the council for not carrying out an equalities impact assessment. It relied instead on a “screening assessment” which scored low because the sports provision was not being totally withdrawn, simply moved elsewhere.

The ombudsman has now ruled that the matter must go back to the council and campaigners are insisting this means a full council meeting, open to the public, and not Cabinet.

A spokesman for action group Save Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre said: “The findings of guilt against the actions of the Kirklees Cabinet makes it imperative in the interests of objectivity, accountability, openness and honesty that the meeting should be a full council meeting.

“This should be after a full report as detailed by the ombudsman has been published with sufficient time for all parties to consider.

“The decision should not be left to the Cabinet who have shown a clear contempt for the local community and sports centre users and a clear disregard for due process.”

Kirklees Council
Kirklees Council

A spokesman for Kirklees Council said: “We have received the final judgements of the ombudsman and will now work through the implications of this.

“We have agreed with the ombudsman that the matter will go back to Cabinet, potentially in December, and the scope of the report to councillors will cover the areas highlighted in her report. The meeting will be held in public and will be advertised once the date is set.”