Committee to explore ‘further options’ for Eastbourne Sovereign Centre

The commitment was made at a full council meeting on Wednesday (November 20), in response to a motion submitted by Conservative councillor Kshama Shore, which called on cabinet members to “explore all options to keep all the facilities at the Sovereign Leisure Centre open.”

Cllr Shore’s motion came a week after the council’s cabinet agreed savings proposals, which included the closure of two of the Sovereign Centre’s three swimming pools ahead of its planned transfer to Wave Leisure next year.

Cllr Shore argued the closure of the pools would both threaten the centre’s viability and have a detrimental impact on the town’s residents.

She said: “What you are proposing is to reduce the number of pools available while protecting swimming lessons, school swimming and structured sessions such as lane swimming — I can’t believe that can actually be possible.”

Cllr Shore added: “Yesterday the papers reported that a thousand members’ lessons will most likely be cancelled. This coupled with the closure of the cafe amounts to a wilful and systematic dismantling of the facilities.”

Cllr Shore criticised the level of detail around the Sovereign Centre’s planned transfer to Wave Leisure and said more consideration should have been given to alternative options.

Councillors considered two potential amendments. The first, from Liberal Democrat council leader Stephen Holt, asked the council’s scrutiny committee to “explore all further options to keep the existing facilities of the Sovereign Leisure Centre open.”

He argued the scrutiny committee (a body chaired by Cllr Shore) would be the most appropriate forum to discuss alternative proposals and said the council would not carry out any “irreversible changes” until the committee met.

He said: “Since 2006, with the exception of a few years, Eastbourne Borough Council has supported the Sovereign Centre on average by circa £300,000 a year. These costs due to utilities, chemicals and staffing have only increased. In recent years we have also invested just under £2.5 million in ensuring the Sovereign Centre stays open and operational by increasing our level of borrowing, or what our detractors call debt. I might add that without our borrowing it is likely that the Sovereign Centre would have had to close a long time ago.

“However, we have had to make this momentous decision in light of the significant financial challenges that the council faces and the legal need to ensure that we end this year with a balanced budget.”

The second amendment was tabled by Conservative group leader Robert Smart maintained the original motion’s wording, but added calls for the council to market the Sovereign Centre to other potential operators and to keep its facilities open until “the most satisfactory long term future is determined.”

Cllr Smart argued this approach would offer a greater understanding of the alternative options available to the council.

The council voted to adopt the amendment proposed by Cllr Holt.

Speaking after the meeting, Cllr Shore said: “The snap decision to close the Sovereign Centre’s fun and training pools whilst making no serious attempt at developing an alternative plan is disgraceful and symptomatic of the broader lack of any sort of strategic planning that plagues our council.”