The results of the Brio 'Shaping the Future' public consultation regarding the future of the borough's leisure services have now been published, and suggest that Frodsham Leisure Centre would continue to operate 'in the short term' and 'on a limited basis'.

Meanwhile, a project group involving local stakeholders would be set up in January 2021 to draft options for the site and the town's leisure and sport provision.

Cheshire West and Chester are currently offering a 'hub and spoke' model for the borough, whereby 'hub' sites – including Northgate Arena and Ellesmere Port Sports Village – would continue to provide full facilities, complete with swimming pool, gym and café.

Meanwhile, 'spoke' sites would provide a 'more locality based model', using existing facilities but 'also going out into the community and working on a local basis'.

"The spoke model is still somewhat unclear because it's something that's going to grow and mushroom as we move forward. It will become a whole network of people with a common aim," said Council Leader, Louise Gittins.

She also stressed the importance of community spaces in this aspect of the proposal, adding, "The use of the outdoors has an evidence-based impact on people's physical and mental wellbeing."

In the consultation survey, which deemed Frodsham Leisure Centre to be 'not fit for purpose', 43% of Frodsham respondents opposed the idea of making the town's leisure centre into a spoke facility.

Meanwhile, 21% neither agreed nor disagreed and 23% agreed or strongly agreed with this idea.

Speaking at this evening's Council Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting, Frodsham ward councillor, Lynn Riley, said: "It's quite obvious why some of the proposals around the hub and spoke model work for Brio, but I really hope that Cheshire West is going to invert the telescope and look at it from the people end.

"Communities like Frodsham have not been well served over the last ten years when it comes to leisure services from this authority, and this report does not give me cause for optimism."

"We quite often describe Frodsham as the 'Cinderella state', where there are always a couple of other sisters getting to go to the ball.

"In the report you see before you, Frodsham is, again, bottom of the list.

"Your consultation feedback shows very high levels of dissatisfaction in the Frodsham area.

"We might be very short of decent leisure facilities but we're really not short of passion, ideas and ambition.

"We are not just Frodsham Leisure Centre or Helsby, we are a community of just short of 25,000 people."

In response to councillors' comments on the report, Cllr Gittins said: "This is about expanding our offer and making it more inclusive. Coming to the community rather than expecting the community to come to a building which is a barrier in itself."

12% of the survey's Frodsham respondents also felt that there should be access to a swimming pool facility in Frodsham, to save residents from having to travel to Ellesmere Port or Northwich.

However, Sport England's Facilities Planning Model stated that nowhere in the borough was there 'sufficient unmet demand to necessitate additional pool provision'.

Cheshire West and Chester aim to work with Halton Borough Council to help make Runcorn swimming pools more easily accessible for Frodsham residents.

The report will now be sent to the Cheshire West and Chester Cabinet, who will vote on it in their next meeting on November 25th .

What are 'spoke services'?