Lib Dems Councillors condemn Council hypocrisy on Leisure Services

Wiltshire Liberal Democrat Councillors today
condemned Wiltshire Council's claim to be improving leisure
services, whilst slashing opening hours across North Wiltshire.


Lib Dem Group Leader, Cllr Jon
Hubbard, said "I would not be surprised if a cut in opening
hours triggers an increase in anti-social behaviour. Leisure
centres are vital for health, and provide vital services,
particularly for young people. If you take away the facilities
that give people something to do, they will have no choice to
try and find something else. Not everyone will like what they
choose!

"This is another example of
the Conservative administration saying one thing and doing the
opposite. They promise improvements but deliver cuts".

The Conservative-run Council's
campus programme, often centralising services away from where
local people need them, was meant to be compensating with longer
opening hours. This proposal shows the Council's intention is to
move services away from where local people want them, and cut
opening hours.

Jon Hubbard continued "It
stands to reason that the Leisure Centres stand to make money on
the busiest days such as Bank Holidays, so to close at peak
times smacks of an unthinking bureaucracy unresponsive to local
users."