Council leaders accused of “airbrushing” Deepings Leisure Centre to improve stats

South Kesteven District Councillors have been accused of airbrushing out Deepings Leisure Centre in order to improve performance statistics ahead of a decision on its future on Thursday.

Scrutiny councillors on Tuesday were given an update on Key Performance Indicators up to September 2022 by leader Kelham Cooke which included a section on Healthy and Strong Communities and investing in sustainable, high quality leisure facilities across the district.

The report noted condition surveys have been carried out on leisure centres in Bourne Grantham and Stamford, noting that “All works which will be required over a 30 year period have to identified and categorised between A (in good condition) and D (end of life or health and safety)”.

However, opposition members noted there was an absence of Deepings Leisure Centre, which was due to be given a £10.7million refurbishment until council leaders looked again at the finances recently and declared it now “cannot afford” the work.

A meeting tomorrow (Thursday) will ask the Full Council to vote against proceeding with the project and hand back the site to Lincolnshire County Council.

Councillor Phil Dilks accused the report on Tuesday of airbrushing Deepings Leisure Centre.

“I’ve got to say, to come to this committee and say that we’re just taking Deepings out of the equation and then we can get a green sheet in the current status of our leisure KPIs… who are we trying to kid? Nobody’s going to be fooled just by taking the Deepings out of it”.

“The KPI is how we’re doing in investing in sustainable high quality leisure facilities across the district – not in part of the district – and there’s nothing in here about the Deepings. There is no plan for the Deepings.”

Councillor Ashley Baxter said the green outline was “bare faced cheek”.

“[The leader] is saying that on September 30, he thought [the KPI’s success measures] were going swimmingly.

“What has happened in the last six weeks to overturn that to the point that instead of having £10-and-a-half million to spend on Deepings Leisure Centre we’ve now got zero and want to hand back the keys. I cannot believe the bare-faced cheek.”

Councillor Kelham Cooke denied the report had been airbrushed and said it was referring only to the three “operational” leisure centres at the time it was produced.

He said the report was created before the latest documents around the Deepings Leisure Centre and reiterated no decision had been made yet which he said meant the report was accurate.

He said he expected a “full and frank” debate around the plans on Thursday.

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