Frodsham Town Council Amenities Committee has stressed the need to emulate the determination shown by Helsby Community Sports in the development of its new clubhouse complex when it comes to providing quality sports and leisure provision in Frodsham.

Cheshire West and Chester Council, which has recently invested £110,000 in maintenance works on Frodsham Leisure Centre, had been due to present draft options for the future of the facility this summer.

This comes after the Council Cabinet voted in November to approve the recommendations of a report that suggested that Frodsham Leisure Centre was 'not fit for purpose' and should only continue to operate 'in the short term' and 'on a limited basis.'

In February, a meeting was convened by the Council to 'kickstart' the formation of a project group tasked with discussing options for the future of the site.

At a Frodsham Town Council Amenities Committee meeting last week, Cllr Caroline Ashton commented on this plan, saying: "What I find disappointing is that they made a commitment to come back to us in July and to get us together again, and we've heard nothing."

During the meeting, Cllr Bill Stockton also referred to a message from Frodsham ward Councillor, Lynn Riley, which suggested that: "the latest [investment] of £110,000 is the bare minimum needed to bring the centre up to comply with post-pandemic requirements."

"In other words," Cllr Stockton added, "it's a sticking plaster: it's not advancing us."

"I think we should do what Helsby did. They drove for their own requirements and facilities and we should be as, let's call it, kindly aggressive.

"People in Frodsham are not happy and we've got to drive as hard as Helsby did to get certain facilities.

"We've got to make [the Council] respond because I was trying and trying and trying to get some response and [got nothing].

"We've been left behind because we've allowed ourselves to be left behind and we haven't been pushing hard enough."

Cllr Bernie Wade added: "Helsby had a public consultation and it was agreed to put the precept up for so many years to help fund the new leisure centre."

It was then suggested that Frodsham Town Council might contact Helsby Parish Council to seek further information on the history and process of the village's new sports club development.