The controversial plan to demolish Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre will be reconsidered, Kirklees Council has said.

The u-turn comes just weeks after campaigners pleas to save the centre were ignored.

But last week a critical report by an ombudsman recommended the council re-think the plan, following complaints.

Kirklees has now agreed to re-open discussions both at full council and at the cabinet – a small group of senior Labour councillors.

The public will be invited to a meeting to be held in Cleckheaton.

The issue is the latest to be challenged following criticism of Labour chiefs’ decisions on grass cutting, libraries and the transfer of Mirfield Community Centre amid increasing hostility between the Labour and Conservative groups.

Kirklees Conservatives have now opted to challenge the authority of the council’s cabinet by lodging a motion of no confidence in the cabinet.

It will be heard and voted on at the same meeting that will review an ombudsman’s report into the Whitcliffe Mount issue.

The decision to pull down the sports centre at the adjacent Whitcliffe Mount Business and Enterprise College and build a new school elsewhere on the same site was made by the cabinet two years ago. A smaller sports centre with fewer facilities is planned once the new school is built.

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

The ombudsman agreed saying the decision had been made before the public were consulted.

Council leader, David Sheard has now vowed to re-open the matter and reveal the full timeline and sequence of decisions that led to the final decision that the leisure centre should be demolished.

Council leader Clr David Sheard

Clr Sheard said he was happy to take the ombudsman’s report to full council but felt it was “important” the final decision was made by the cabinet.

His comments come just days after 11 Conservative councillors lodged a motion of “no confidence” in Clr Sheard and his eight cabinet colleagues – councillors Graham Turner, Peter McBride, Shabir Pandor, Erin Hill, Jean Calvert, Viv Kendrick, Steve Hall and Cathy Scott.

The motion will be heard at the same full council meeting on Wednesday, December 9.

The motion says: “This Council notes with extreme concern the damning ombudsman report into the way the cabinet made the decision to close Whitcliffe Mount Sports Centre.

“This council further notes, with equal concern, that overview and scrutiny has found failures in the cabinet’s decision making processes on grass cutting, libraries and community asset transfers, all within the last five months.

“This council therefore resolves that it has no confidence in the ability of the present cabinet to properly adhere to principles of good governance in accordance with the constitutional powers delegated to it by the council.”