Political, Wimborne | Posted on July 23rd, 2024 | return to news
New hope for future of QE Leisure Centre in Wimborne
Following a petition and statements from the public, Dorset Council will look again at the future of Wimborne’s Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre.
At the start of the year, Dorset Council announced the decision to stop running the Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre (QELC), closing the facility to the public from the end of March.
However, the new administration – the Liberal Democrats took control of the Council from the Conservatives during the May local elections – has promised to revisit the decision following a Council Meeting on 18 July.
During the meeting, the Council heard from campaigners who presented a petition signed by 7,000 people calling for the leisure centre to be re-opened. The Council also heard several questions from members of the public.
One question, from Hannah Small, asked how the council plans to address the health inequality for disabled and elderly people caused by the closure of the QELC. She said: “Closing the facilities at Queen Elizabeth Leisure Centre has had a negative impact on the disabled population of Wimborne and its surrounding rural villages, resulting in a loss of access to relevant therapies including Exercise Therapy and Aqua Therapy.
“There is no replacement service of the same accessibility and quality within a reasonable and affordable distance of QELC, and no rural public transport links for those who cannot drive due to ill health.”
The previous administration defended the decision by stating there were other leisure facilities within driving distance of Wimborne, but this was challenged by a question submitted by Rebecca Ilghany. She said: “This raises concerns with the environmental impact this has and goes against government targets to reduce emissions.
“Furthermore, since the closure of QELC, other local fitness providers have been overwhelmed with people unable to get on to now oversubscribed classes with waiting lists. Such lack of exercise provision will only impact on the NHS, Public Health Dorset and Council’s Adult Social Care. “
The Council also heard a statement from Initio Learning Trust, which works with several schools across Dorset, arguing that QELC could be commercially viable with minimal cost. The Trust said: “Our market engagement suggests that with a one-off capital investment and little or no revenue subsidy the Council could successfully and viably recommission QELC as a public leisure centre operated by a specialist third party leisure provider.”
Following this, councillors voted to refer the matter to the next cabinet meeting in September.
Lib Dem council leader Nick Ireland told the meeting he was concerned about the closure of the centre and promised to commission a fresh report on the decision. He said: “This won’t be a rubber-stamping exercise of the previous decision – we are a new administration.
“I’m a swimmer and the reduction of swimming facilities is of great concern to me.
“We will be asking the officers to produce a new report, not a rehash of the old one, so you have my word on that, and we will look at it properly.”
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