Budget 2022-23: Woodchurch Leisure Centre
The consultation has now closed, thank you for your contributions. The consultation report is published in the Documents section of this page.
On 3 February the consultation was temporarily paused after it was identified that some questions did not provide an accurate reflection of the proposed budget option. A small number of questions were revised, and a modified survey is now back online.
Please be reassured that ALL contributions and views expressed through the survey up to this point will be taken into consideration along with new responses when the final report is presented to members in June.
Apologies for the inconvenience. Please see the FAQ in the documents section at the side of this page for more details around this proposal.
Wirral Council is facing significant financial challenges and is currently going through a detailed process to set a budget for the next year. This is part of a wider approach to address long term structural issues in the council’s finances and deliver substantial savings to balance the budget.
The council is legally obliged to set a balanced budget or risk Government intervention, and the savings measures currently being proposed are intended to put the authority on a stable financial footing for the long-term.
This budget proposal is for the permanent closure of the Woodchurch Leisure Centre. This option includes the demolition of all elements of the facility including pool, changing areas, halls, reception etc.
The proposal is due to the condition of the built facilities on the site, low usage levels compared with other sites, the required level of investment required and the subsidy it carries. It is proposed that the centre is demolished to make way for a growth in outdoor leisure provision.
The site adjacent to the Leisure Centre will see the construction of a new supersize 3G Artificial Grass playing pitch and accompanying built facility during the 2022-23 Financial Year.
This option will generate a potential saving of £402,000 (full year effect) if taken. Further information on the proposals is included in the Documents section on this page.
At this stage no final decisions on any of the budget proposals have been made and councillors have requested this consultation to allow all views to be considered. Following this budget consultation, the next step in the budget process will be for members of the council’s Policy Committees to scrutinise the savings proposals taking into account the comments of the public including any suggestions on alternative ways of making savings and the budget allotted by the full Council to the relevant Committee. This will take place at their meetings in late May or June when decisions will be made on the proposals.
You can find more details about the budget-setting process and all the savings options being considered here: Wirral View Budget Proposals 2022-23
To provide your feedback please complete the survey below.
An 'Easy Read' version of the survey is available in the 'Documents' section. Completed Easy Read surveys will be accepted until 10th April 2022.