Bradford Council scaps plans for new Squire Lane Leisure Centre
The authority has already spent £5.4m preparing the Squire Lane Leisure Centre development
BRADFORD Council will likely have to pay a £20 million grant back to the Government after its Reform Executive voted to scrap plans for a new swimming pool in one of the city’s most deprived areas.
The authority has already spent £5.4m preparing the Squire Lane Leisure Centre development, in the Toller ward near Bradford Royal Infirmary, but at Tuesday’s meeting of the Council Executive members said the financial burden of moving ahead with the scheme outweighed the benefits.
Against the advice of their own officers, the Reform-led Executive voted to scrap the plan to build a new swimming pool and leisure centre.
After the vote, Council Leader Stephen Place thanked his colleagues for resisting the urge to applaud the decision.
Plans to build a pool on a vacant Council owned site off Squire Lane date back over a decade.
In 2021, the council secured a £20m Levelling Up Fund grant for the scheme from the then-Conservative Government.
It was hailed as a huge boost for the inner city area, which has a
The current estimated cost for the facility – which would include a 25 metre six-lane pool, a learner pool, fitness gym and studio spaces, and 120-space car park, is £32.9m.
Tuesday’s decision means that the £20m grant, which needed to be spent by 2028, will be lost.
The move also throws into doubt Bradford’s future plans to update its ageing leisure facilities.
A report to the meeting asked the Executive to decide on how to proceed with the scheme.
Referring to the need for a facility at Squire Lane, the report said: “the proposed facility would serve several of the most deprived communities in England, with a great proportion of local residents living in the proposed catchment area considered to be within the 10 per cent most deprived decile.”
At the meeting Dave Shepherd, Director for Place, told members that they faced a “significant decision.”
If they approved the scheme, it would cost £5m more than initial projections. It would also operate at a loss – something he said is similar to many Council leisure facilities.
But he added: “A fundamental issue is our swimming pool estate is ageing – most pools are now more than 35 years old, with several dating back to the 1960s or 70s. These facilities are not always located in areas where demand is greatest.”
He said moving ahead with the pool would take advantage of the “substantial” £20m funding from Government – funding that will be lost should the scheme be scrapped.
He pointed out that planning permission has already been approved, and millions already spent on the project. Mr Shepherd added: “This is an established programme – it is not early stage. It is the right facility in the right place. 87,000 people live within one mile of the site. It is an area with some of the highest levels of deprivation and some of the highest inactivity levels.
“It is a £32.9m project. £20m has already been secured through an external Government grant. £5.4m has already been spent preparing the scheme.
“When it opens it is not expected to operate at a surplus. Public leisure schemes are based on public health benefits, rather than commercial profit.”
Members were told the Council would suffer reputational damage if the scheme was dropped and the funding returned to Government – and it could make it less likely Bradford is given similar grants in the future.
Councillor Imran Khan, leader of the Labour group in Bradford, addressed the meeting, saying the scheme was a “no brainer.” He said a public pool in the area was “desperately needed.”
Councillor Andrew Judson, Portfolio Holder for Economy, Regeneration and Planning said: “We’ve looked at this issue time and time again, and we haven’t come to this decision lightly.”
He said the Executive had to ensure the Council was financially resilient, and added: “The Executive can’t support this project.
“The cost is £32.9m, there is no guarantee that it won’t significantly rise in costs. Bradford does not have a good reputation for keeping projects on budget.
“We are not going forward with this project.”
After members voted to scrap the scheme, Cllr Place said: “I can’t tell you how many hours we spent on this with officers. We understand the Government will take a dim view of this.
“Thanks for your restraint in not applauding this.”
Stephen Mair, interim finance director for corporate affairs, told members that if the £20m is withdrawn by Government, the Council would likely have to fund the £5.4m already spent on the scheme from other budgets.
After the meeting Cllr Khan said: “It is astonishing that the council’s Reform leadership have decided to hand back £20m of government money and cancel a brand-new leisure centre and pool that would have increased children’s swimming lessons, improved people’s health and supported regeneration.
“In cancelling this much-needed new facility they have gone against the data and the advice, which is that the district urgently needs new pool investment particularly in areas of greatest need.
“Running a council is ultimately about trying to improve people’s everyday lives, especially the least well-off.
“Unfortunately Reform’s decision to cancel the new pool is a false economy and it shows exactly what they are about.
“It also sends the wrong message to businesses and investors who want to see confidence from the local authority that this is a city looking forwards not backwards where better public health and regeneration are paramount.”