HAVE YOUR SAY - Cheshire East Strategic Leisure Review (possible closure of Poynton Leisure Centre)
CEC launched a Strategic Leisure Review on the 23rd November. Residents have until the 7th of January to respond to the consultation. You can respond via email or a survey but we believe that the consultation is flawed and designed to prompt responses unfavorable to saving Poynton Leisure Centre. We would strongly recommend that you respond to the consultation by email randc@cheshireeast.gov.uk where you can state your views without being forced to answer specific questions unrelated to Poynton.
Previous correspondence sent by residents will not be considered as part of this consultation. You must respond to this latest consultation. Please use the hints and tips below and in the documents as a guide to tailor your own response. Please do not copy and paste the document as this will devalue the responses.
The Town Council has prepared a detailed document providing information on how to respond to the consultation /_UserFiles/Files/017. Strategic Leisure Consultation Detailed Response Final.pdf .
We appreciate that not all residents will have the time to answer in this way so here are some things to consider if you are emailing or completing the survey
Here are some things to think about when responding to the consultation:
· Focus on smaller number of larger sites and where usage is highest
o There should be equal access for all communities to leisure provision
o Larger sites in bigger towns may have higher numbers visiting the centre but smaller centres may be at capacity. Poynton has 650 on the learn to swim list with a further 100 on the waiting list. It is at capacity.
o What provision is available in neighbouring towns, can it be accessed by public transport in the day, on weekends or in the evenings. (no evening or Sunday service to Macclesfield. The daytime journey including a 1 hour lesson would take 3 ½ hours.
· Focus on providing leisure services in areas of greatest need
o Each town has pockets of deprivation and greater needs.
o Closing local facilities will not improve overall health, lack of leisure facilities in towns is likely to lead to a reduction in health of residents
o Poynton compared to other towns has a high percentage of elderly residents
· Reducing scope of high cost services such as swimming
o This would mean losing swimming at Poynton
o Where will Poynton primary school children go for school swimming lessons.
o Is there capacity in neighbouring towns for children to join “learn to swim programmes
The survey can be found at https://surveys.cheshireeast.gov.uk/s/1WHHZA/
Further guidance on how to respond is available here /_UserFiles/Files/Strategic Leisure Review consultation leaflet web.pdf