COUNCIL U-TURN OVER LADYWOOD CENTRE WELCOMED

Midlothian Council’s u-turn which has resulted in the saving of Penicuik’s Ladywood leisure centre has been welcomed by the SNP MSP who helped lead the campaign to keep the facility open. Christine Grahame MSP said the announcement by Midlothian Council came about as a direct result of pressure from local activists and following an extensive consultation exercise conducted by her which showed the overwhelming majority of people in the town was opposed to the Council’s plans. Ms Grahame said:

The council are now desperately hurrying about trying to claim credit for this which is understandable given they have been shown to be totally wrong to propose cutting this facility in the first place, claiming it was ‘surplus to requirements’.

The fact however is that it has been locally people and local activists who have lead the opposition to these closures and I have supported them every step of the way. Following the precedent in the Scottish Borders I recommended the alternative of a not-for-profit trust which would allow the centre to remain open, an alternative now backed, following sustained pressure, by Midlothian Council.

This u-turn by the Council demonstrates that if local people join together and work hard to fight against decisions made by a Council that failed to consult and failed to listen to local people, then results can happen. It has not been an easy fight but certainly it will prove worthwhile.

The key now is to ensure that the Council do not try to undermine the trust by putting in place people on the management committee who may have an agenda simply to close the centre at some later stage, and in effect buy the Labour council time until after the election. We will all be watching carefully to make sure that doesn’t happen.

SNP It’s time.....