Steven Leigh: Absence of Leisure facilities in Halifax that residents deserve

During the meeting, I stated that the Conservative Government had provided £12.2m for the refurbishment of Halifax Swimming Baths which was described as an “untrue claim” by the Labour Cabinet. However, the Government’s own announcement on the 27 October 2021 detailing successful bidders for the first round of Levelling Up Funding used the exact same terminology as I had at the meeting. This trivial issue diverted attention from Labour’s clear intention to deprive the Halifax area of leisure facilities for the foreseeable future - because of their reckless management of the North Bridge Leisure Centre project.

Over a year ago, the Conservatives were raising the alarm over the spiralling costs of this project and the forecasted economic pressures facing the country, and thus proposed the refurbishment of existing facilities as a more cost-effective option. The Labour Cabinet routinely dismissed our concerns and proposals - instead insisting the project was “still on track”. When it was announced that the project had been shelved it did not come as a surprise, but Labour took the opportunity to blame everybody but themselves for the mismanaged scheme. However, it was reassuring to hear the Labour Cabinet now appears to be reconsidering their position and heeding our advice regarding refurbishing existing leisure facilities – despite Labour insisting on several occasions that the £12.2m of Levelling Up Funding could not be used for refurbishing other sites! Where the Conservatives lead, Labour follows…

Halifax desperately needs leisure facilities; the present situation is unacceptable. We have an opportunity to create a state-of-the-art facility at Halifax Baths (incidentally, with deep-diving facilities) and thereby begin to remedy the current lack of facilities in our town - with minimal debt incurred - and it is truly a shovel-ready project. Calderdale residents expect the leisure facilities they rightly deserve.