Leisure venues could face axe (From Swindon Advertiser)
Get involved! Send photos, video, news & views. Text SWINDON NEWS to 80360 or email us
Leisure venues could face axe
8:50pm Thursday 20th October 2011 in News By Katie Bond
Venues such as the Link could go
COUNCIL-OWNED leisure services are not bringing in enough cash – and now residents are being urged to ‘use them or lose them’.
Swindon Council’s housing, libraries, leisure and culture services have suffered a shortfall of about £355,000 for 2011/12 because of the recession, with income for the council’s recreational services – including the Oasis and Link Centre – down by 25 per cent.
Bernie Brannan, group director of housing, leisure, libraries and culture, said: “Our costs are in fact below budget but the economic climate is very difficult at the moment and we are doing all that we can with marketing, but you will find most leisure outlets across the country are struggling because disposable income is down.
“We know our footfall is down but we are working at targeting and marketing particular services, especially off-peak times, two-for-one offers to try and attract people in, but it is a competing market and if people haven’t got the money and aren’t to do things like ice-skating or swimming like they used to then we are going to struggle.
“We are doing the right things in the right way and all we can do is keep it up: we have reduced costs where we can but we have to keep a swimming pool heated and we have to have a lifeguard whether or not there is one person swimming or 100.
“I can reassure residents that there are no planned closures but basically, they should use it or lose it.
“If they continue not to use them, there will be no reason for them to be open.”
However, the Labour group’s lead for leisure, Coun Jim Grant, said the figures were a concern.
“What worries me more is that the council needs to cut £1m from the leisure budget over the next two years.
“Where is the administration intending to find this money?
“In August 2010, the administration spent £43,000 on consultants to give the council options on what to do with its leisure services. They completed that report earlier this year yet there has still been no proposals over what the council might do to put its leisure services on a sustainable footing.
“Whatever action needs to be taken to make Swindon Council’s leisure services more sustainable, it needs to be taken now. Otherwise residents might find their most treasured leisure services will be completely lost.”
Comments(51)
I Too
says...
12:12am Fri 21 Oct 11
It's not all about making a profit.
Swindon is already a national joke as a cultural desert.
Stop wasting money on vanity projects, water fountains, sculptures, station plazas, WiFiasco, etc
Promote and engage with leisure centres and entertainment facilities.
Time to focus on the people that LIVE in this crap hole of a town.
I'm sure councillor "I Too Could B Bobs babysitter" will disagree, but people that actually go outside will know what I mean
yougi bear
says...
5:47am Fri 21 Oct 11
I 2 Could B
says...
6:43am Fri 21 Oct 11
However, unlike your childish and blinkered approach, I would like to see the council achieve the best possible results for our money. If the two main leisure centres are not being used and are losing money, that suggests the facilities offered are not what people want and that the money could be better focussed on provisions that people DO want to use.
Simply throwing away large sums of money on things that people don't want and don't use is something you constantly harp on about and find fault with... and yet, in this case, you're actively encouraging it.
What is interesting is that, if YOU actually did anything other than clean the mud off your motorbike, you'd know that there is a wide range of leisure and entertainment services being promoted and run by private individuals in this town. Some are very successful and show that, as ever, it's the residents that know best what other residents want and who can move quickly and astutely to set-up worthwhile groups and activities.
The days of sitting around expecting the council to have a clue about what people want are over. That's why it's so sad that they insist on retaining a stranglehold over the Old Town Bowl concerts, for example.
The Oasis and Link Centre have been there for decades. People know where they are and know what they offer. Clearly, people aren't particular interested anymore. The world's moved on since the 70s and 80s and yet our sports centres haven't. It's of no surprise they're losing money and less and less people are using them.
I Too
says...
7:01am Fri 21 Oct 11
You pointlessly mentioned my motorbike.
You never ask me if I've cleaned my car.
Do try to stick to the topic.
Captain Sensible
says...
7:17am Fri 21 Oct 11
peatmoor pirate
says...
7:29am Fri 21 Oct 11
Also, if it was cheaper for kids to use, then it would be better, they'd drag more adults in with them.
Finally, the amount of time set aside for things liked laned swimming is off-putting to many. I can swim fine but I don't want to be forced to go up and down. A quick glance at the Link website shows most of the time you cant just go and have a general swim, you have to go and do lanes, be in a club or whatever.
Gooey
says...
9:17am Fri 21 Oct 11
blahblahblahblah
says...
9:51am Fri 21 Oct 11
Gooey wrote:I agree with you on everything apart from people on benefits, only certain people on benefits should have a lower price. People out of work and being funded by the tax payer should not be encouraged to spend our money on entertaining themselves, they should be using it to by food and find work.
I was told many years ago that the golf facilities were the only council owned leisure facilities that made money. The ridiculous swindon card tax doesn't help the cause. Why should people have to purchase a card to use facilities at a reasonable cost? It puts off occasional users for sure. Myself included. Ditch the swindon card,have a price for adults,one for kids, one for pensioners, and one for those on benefits.
blahblahblahblah
says...
9:51am Fri 21 Oct 11
Gooey wrote:I agree with you on everything apart from people on benefits, only certain people on benefits should have a lower price. People out of work and being funded by the tax payer should not be encouraged to spend our money on entertaining themselves, they should be using it to buy food and find work.
I was told many years ago that the golf facilities were the only council owned leisure facilities that made money. The ridiculous swindon card tax doesn't help the cause. Why should people have to purchase a card to use facilities at a reasonable cost? It puts off occasional users for sure. Myself included. Ditch the swindon card,have a price for adults,one for kids, one for pensioners, and one for those on benefits.
Robfm
says...
10:00am Fri 21 Oct 11
Mind you never quite understand why people pay to go on a tread mill when you can run along a street or in a park for nothing and the added benefit of fresh (relatively) air in your lungs, rather than the recirculated germs of others.
yougi bear
says...
10:15am Fri 21 Oct 11
silvergran
says...
10:53am Fri 21 Oct 11
I totally agree and was very disappointed to find that swimming at the Link was set up for lane swimming. That's fine for serious swimmers, but for someone who just wants to potter along and get exercise at their own speed, it's no good at all. Swimming at Milton Road is pretty horrible and is not suitable for the century we are in!
I'm sure if private developers set up shop with modern facilities, they would be used by far more people and hence bring in a profit.
The Artist formally known as Grumpy Old Man
says...
11:16am Fri 21 Oct 11
But that isn't the reason I stopped going to them and started going to a private club.
The reason I stopped using council services such as these was the continuous lazy, can't be bothered attitude of the staff, who generally looked upon us as an inconvenience to their day. I now swim at a private club and the difference in attitude is huge!
Not.So.Fast.OK
says...
11:56am Fri 21 Oct 11
Snow Dome
Some kind of water theme park like what you see in butlings.
A better Ice Rink
a proper Olympic sized swimming pool
A proper big sized concert hall
Not.So.Fast.OK
says...
11:56am Fri 21 Oct 11
Snow Dome
Some kind of water theme park like what you see in butlings.
A better Ice Rink
a proper Olympic sized swimming pool
A proper big sized concert hall
Robfm
says...
11:59am Fri 21 Oct 11
As for peeing in the pool, so adults don't do that ?
SockPuppet
says...
12:38pm Fri 21 Oct 11
Time to look at biting the bullet and building for today and tomorrows customers. Even if it need private investment to help in these tight times.
Not.So.Fast.OK
says...
1:07pm Fri 21 Oct 11
I 2 Could B
says...
2:37pm Fri 21 Oct 11
I Too wrote:Unlike yours, my post WAS on topic, you cretin.
Ooh look! You pointlessly mentioned my motorbike. You never ask me if I've cleaned my car. Do try to stick to the topic.
I 2 Could B
says...
4:51pm Fri 21 Oct 11
Captain Sensible wrote:...but choose not to, it would seem.
£355k? Shame Bluh gave £500k to his conman mate for non existant WIFI, it would have come in handy to keep the leisure centres open, something that all Swindonians can use....
I Too
says...
5:06pm Fri 21 Oct 11
I 2 Could B wrote:My post was about the council wastin money that could have been betterspent on leisure facilities.
I Too wrote:Unlike yours, my post WAS on topic, you cretin.
Ooh look! You pointlessly mentioned my motorbike. You never ask me if I've cleaned my car. Do try to stick to the topic.
That is on topic.
Making pointless comments about motorcycles?
Not on topic.
I've told you before, if you want to call me an imbecile and a cretin to my face, bring it on.
I 2 Could B
says...
8:07am Sat 22 Oct 11
My entire post was on topic apart from one throwaway remark about you and your cleaning rag. That you can't see that doesn't surprise me at all, mainly because you're 100% mental.
icurus
says...
9:02am Sat 22 Oct 11
What the council has failed to take advantage of is hosting a minor country at next years olympics ?? all these hotels in the town ??? etc . Reveue could have been generated from this , however its the usual story and sad faces " There is no money " maybe when they stop waisting it on water fountains they will take notice
I Too
says...
10:02am Sat 22 Oct 11
The money wasted on WiFi alone would have covered it with change.
Blackwell 2
says...
11:16am Sat 22 Oct 11
It would make a nice change for SBC to think of the residents of the town for a change.
Better sports, entertainment, and leisure facilities might even diminish the number of people loitering around the town.
That would make Swindon a better town for everyone
Robfm
says...
11:48am Sat 22 Oct 11
Robfm
says...
12:14pm Sat 22 Oct 11
/programmes/b00cpbqm only available for another 7 hours, 9 minutes in.
I 2 Could B
says...
12:31pm Sat 22 Oct 11
Not content with issuing inane little threats, he's now actively logging in and out to post under his various accounts on the same thread. Seriously in need of help.
As has already been pointed out to him, whichever persona he's operating under at the time, the Council run facilities are clearly no longer what the residents of the town want to use. Stop throwing good money after bad and wasting it on outdated sports centres.
Blackwell 2
says...
1:02pm Sat 22 Oct 11
Robfm wrote:Wrong thread?
Did anyone see the news report on Swindon last night, sadly I missed it, apparently it was about Swindon going from virtually 0 unemployment to 11% amongst the young in a short time.
Jiver
says...
2:12pm Sat 22 Oct 11
I 2 Could B wrote:That post seems to suggest that you are in denial that more than one person could disagree with you.
Using two logins to make two different in a row? I Too / Blackwell 2's behaviour gets ever more bizarre and erratic.
Not content with issuing inane little threats, he's now actively logging in and out to post under his various accounts on the same thread. Seriously in need of help.
As has already been pointed out to him, whichever persona he's operating under at the time, the Council run facilities are clearly no longer what the residents of the town want to use. Stop throwing good money after bad and wasting it on outdated sports centres.
Disagreeing with you does not quantify insanity.
The coincidence that you and Robfm appear simultaneously is interesting.
Perhaps it's time you had an argument with yourself to throw people off the scent
Phantom Poster
says...
3:21pm Sat 22 Oct 11
Robfm wrote:I agree to some extent, but running on pavements does cause some people knee problems. However, I've never understood the reason for cycling machines in gyms.
Perhaps the proliferation of private clubs now means the public sector should be cut back. As the article says, use them or lose them.
Mind you never quite understand why people pay to go on a tread mill when you can run along a street or in a park for nothing and the added benefit of fresh (relatively) air in your lungs, rather than the recirculated germs of others.
who dat?
says...
6:56pm Sat 22 Oct 11
facilities .
Drove down the 419 ,followed the signs to the Park & Ride and ,sod me ,it was
closed !!!
Sign of things to come,perhaps!!
dasmith
says...
7:34pm Sat 22 Oct 11
house on the hill
says...
9:21pm Sat 22 Oct 11
The real problem is that this is a sympton of everything that as wrong with this council. They have sat on their complacent backsides for so long while everything around them wore out that their faciliteis are just not good enough anymore.
The same for everything, the facilities are falling apart, the working practices and most of the staff are the same as they were 15 - 20 years ago, nothing has changed. Forward Swindon is now a contradiction in terms, at best it is "standing still swindon" and at worst it is "falling down around our ears and we dont have the first clue what to do about it swindon".
The whole ethos and work ethic needs to be changed along with the vast majority of the staff and councillors who are still stuck in the past with no clue how to get out. The waste and incompetance and double dealing is scandelous, but wont change as those with the power to change it are the ones most in need of being got rid of as they are holding it all back! It will get worse befre it gets better sadly.
I Too
says...
1:03am Sun 23 Oct 11
It all seems very corrupt.
Problem is that most people are not actively involved in politics and don't differentiate between local and national when it comes to voting.
Many regard the local vote as less important.
Maybe, now that central goverment has changed, a few protest votes will topple the current SBC regime
house on the hill
says...
9:48am Sun 23 Oct 11
Add to that the fear of the Unions and all the complacent lazy staff who have been there for ever and have no concept of hard work and putting the customers first, you can see whu Swindon is crumbling around our ears. All these stupid wasteful ideas are testament to this and the fact they still havent shed the 30% of thier staff they were supposed to need to get rid of to balance the books. Too many out of date box tickers with no concept of busines relaity is the real problem within SBC, they are all more concerned about pleasing Govt than pleasing thier customers the tax payers. Clueless and scandelous that it is allowed to continue on its downward spiral.
I 2 Could B
says...
10:39am Sun 23 Oct 11
Jiver wrote:Er, you think Robfm and I are the same person?
I 2 Could B wrote: Using two logins to make two different in a row? I Too / Blackwell 2's behaviour gets ever more bizarre and erratic. Not content with issuing inane little threats, he's now actively logging in and out to post under his various accounts on the same thread. Seriously in need of help. As has already been pointed out to him, whichever persona he's operating under at the time, the Council run facilities are clearly no longer what the residents of the town want to use. Stop throwing good money after bad and wasting it on outdated sports centres.That post seems to suggest that you are in denial that more than one person could disagree with you. Disagreeing with you does not quantify insanity. The coincidence that you and Robfm appear simultaneously is interesting. Perhaps it's time you had an argument with yourself to throw people off the scent
It's not a case of I Too being mental because he disagrees with me (ironically, he often does agree with me), it's his pathological need to continually post under two different logins in the same threads, almost exclusively to make insulting comments towards Robfm and myself.
The man is clearly troubled.
Robfm
says...
11:29am Sun 23 Oct 11
Please all those who have nothing better to do than ruin these threads get over themselves.
Blackwell 2
says...
11:41am Sun 23 Oct 11
Blackwell 2
says...
11:48am Sun 23 Oct 11
Then you might gain some respect
Personaly I don't regard myself as anyone of particular importance, but neither am I an imbecile.
Treat people as you would have them treat you.
Otherwise you end up recieving a taste of your own medicine.
Common sense really.
No point in pretending to be a victim when you spend all day every day trying to own this site.
Jiver
says...
12:12pm Sun 23 Oct 11
I do not think you and Robfm are the same person.
I was merely questioning your logic at believing 2 people are 1.
I don't particularly care even if you and Robfm are the same person or related etc.
You claim to be harassed and insulted?
I can see how you started insulting "I Too" at 2:37pm Fri 21 Oct 11.
The insults from you continue with every reply
Would you care to highlight exactly where, on this thread YOU have been insulted at all?
I 2 Could B
says...
6:08am Mon 24 Oct 11
The really amusing thing is that this I Too / Blackwell 2 individual believes that I am the same person as another registereed member called 'Scott'. I think that's the delusional side of things highlighted very dramatically.
Where did I claim to be have been harassed and insulted? It just gets extremely tedious to read, day in, day out, I Too / Blackwell 2 jumping into threads purely and exclusively to insult people. He seems to feel it's his role to troll Robfm (at every opportunity) and he also has a very bizarre obesession with constantly attempting to bait me. Sadly, he has neither the wit nor intelligence to be able to achieve the latter of his those two aims.
Check back through I Too and Blackwell 2's posts, they are almost always stupid and inane little digs at people - none of which are anywhere near as amusing as he clearly believes them to be.
I Too
says...
10:01am Mon 24 Oct 11
A person that has needlessly called me an imbecile and cretin (with no similar exchange from me) is implying that he is the victim?
A person that has searched other websites just to make derogatory remarks about my perfectly normal hobbies is implying that he's the victim?
I 2 Could B
says...
2:53pm Mon 24 Oct 11
Where have I claimed I'm the 'victim'? That's your department.
I'm actually finding it quite hysterical that you're now using both your two logins on the same thread to login and reply to yourself. And you claim you're mentally stable?
I Too
says...
4:32pm Mon 24 Oct 11
"Oh, I think there's definitely a need."
?????
Yes. You need to get out more.
I 2 Could B
says...
6:36am Tue 25 Oct 11
I Too wrote:Learn how to read, please.
I 2 Could B says "Oh, I think there's definitely a need." ????? Yes. You need to get out more.
I Too
says...
12:48pm Tue 25 Oct 11
I know how to read already
I 2 Could B
says...
7:48pm Tue 25 Oct 11
I Too wrote:Quite clearly, you do not.
No point. I know how to read already
I Too
says...
11:31pm Tue 25 Oct 11
I 2 Could B
says...
8:09am Thu 27 Oct 11
I Too wrote:Very clearly, you have the mental approach of a 12 year old. Well done.
Very clearly, I do.
MrAngry says...
9:10pm Thu 20 Oct 11