Save Clapham Leisure Centre
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 Only Labour, here with Culture Minister Rt Hon.Tessa Jowell MP , have consistently campaigned to Save Clapham Leisure services |
Labour councillors have pledged to save Clapham Leisure Centre and make sure Clapham keeps its swimming pool. If Labour wins the council elections, they will refurbish and expand the leisure centre on its existing site - including extending the pool and building new gym space. This is the option that local people want. In recent days Clapham Tories have attempted to distance themselves from council decisions that they took.
Clapham Leisure Centre on Clapham Manor Street is under threat of closure with no guarantee that facilities will be replaced because the Conservatives and Lib Dems who run Lambeth Council want to sell off the existing site for private development. They say they will then build SMALLER replacement services on the High Street. Their official “preferred option” does NOT guarantee a replacement swimming pool.
For the last four years, the Lib Dems and Tories have run the Council together with the Lib Dems. They voted IN FAVOUR of proposals to close the leisure centre and sell it off. The evidence for this is already publicly available:
1. In December 2005 Conservative and Liberal Democrat
Councillors backed plans to sell-off the existing swimming pool site without
any guarantees about replacing services. Their own Council document states:
“The inclusion of a basement pool increases the complexity of the
building and will need to be considered during development.” This
is a get-out clause that means the Tories are not guaranteeing a replacement
swimming pool.
2. In February this year the Tories voted through a budget which explicitly
stated “The general fund receipts for 2007/08 and 2008/09 include
£3.900m and £18.850m receipts from sale of major sites. These
include Clapham Leisure Centre.” This proves the Conservatives have
already decided to sell off Clapham Leisure Centre.
Clapham Town Labour Candidate, Cllr Helen O’malley said:
“While local campaigners and the Labour Party are campaigning to protect and improve local leisure facilities, local Conservatives have been voting at the town hall to sell them off and provide a second-rate replacement without a swimming pool.
People have a clear choice when they vote on 4 May. Vote Labour to keep Clapham swimming or vote Tory to pull the plug on our swimming pool forever.”
You can sign the petition on-line at www.keepclaphamswimming.com.
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