Frodsham ward councillors, Lynn Riley, is urging local residents to sign the public petition against the proposed closure of Frodsham Leisure Centre.

In a blog post this weekend, Cllr Riley criticised Cheshire West and Chester Council's public consultation on the issue.

"If the Council had been listening, they would be in little doubt what local residents think about leisure - and don't get us going on a swimming pool!" she said.

"For Brio to be us asking again in yet another 'strategic review' is just the wrong approach and I suspect they are going to hear that we have all just had enough.

"Or actually, we've had next to nothing, which is really the problem.

"As your local councillors, Frodsham has been our only priority. We waited patiently from 2009 whilst new multi-million pound centres were built in Winsford, Northwich, Ellesmere Port and Chester, believing in the strategy that identified Frodsham as being next on the list in 2015.

"But 2015 saw yet another review when the Council changed hands and the £9m funding previously earmarked for Frodsham went elsewhere.

"This was the start of the problem. Understandably, no major investment beyond moving the library in 2013, had been made in the leisure centre as it was due to be redeveloped.

"No proper program of maintenance has been in place ever since, so it should come as no surprise that the building is now described as being unfit-for-purpose.

"Regular users of the leisure centre will be only too familiar with the leaking roof, the quality of the changing rooms and the 2nd and 3rd hand equipment that gets recycled to Frodsham.

"It's shocking that this is considered good enough for our town and neighbours that number almost 20,000.

"The latest proposals might work for Brio to dig itself out of the £4m black hole it finds itself in, but these simply do not work for Frodsham and our near neighbours."

"Delivery not deliberation"

Cllr Riley went on to add: "In 2017/18, when it was clear that no cash was coming our way, we changed tack.

"Our plan was to try and convince the Council to master plan the whole site around the leisure and medical centre, with a view of fixing many of our long term town problems and reinvesting back into new facilities for Frodsham.

"With some creative imagination, we could create a new community leisure hub with flexible, multi-use options for community activities alongside our library and sporting facilities; we could widen the roads around the site to improve access, upgrade walking and cycling links to the main shopping streets and create new car parking alongside the railway.

"As a councillor now on my 5th strategic review and needs assessment, I'm only interested in delivery not deliberation.

"Please get behind the local petition and once the Brio consultation is done, let's hold the Council to its word about 'playing its part'."

The Save Frodsham Leisure Centre petition has now reached over 1,300 signatures. You can read more about it here.