One-stop council centre plans hit by funding cuts
PLANS for a multi-million pound one-stop customer campus for council, health and leisure services in Sleaford may have to be drastically re-thought and scaled down after government funding cuts.
The scheme announced before Christmas would have seen the county council buildings on Eastgate levelled and replaced by facilities to include council offices, children's centre, register office, health centre, library and leisure centre with 25m pool.
The scheme was to be funded by NKDC, the county council and the NHS, partly from the sale of the Eastgate Centre for affordable housing development with a view to completion by 2012.
Councils around England have been told there is now no money available as the Government has cancelled the 25 million capital modernisation programme for public swimming pools. Primary Care Trusts are also to be disbanded, meaning the health centre may be shelved.
Coun Barry Singleton, Deputy Leader of the County Council insisted they were still working with NKDC and partners to share services and office space: "The plans for Sleaford Customer Campus may now be more modest than those planned six months ago."
NKDC Deputy Chief Executive, Alan Thomas said 600,000 towards their 4m-plus project to redevelop the town's Leisure Centre had been withdrawn: "It is a set back and we are obviously disappointed but we are proceeding with a feasibility study into the best way of still delivering this project before the end of 2011, because the public has told us it wants a new 25m swimming pool at the existing site or very close to it."
He said the Government grant was an important element, but they would seek other funding and look at their own contribution and that of facility management company Leisure Connection. Mr Thomas said NKDC and PCT had found it difficult to proceed with the original project due to cutbacks but the partners still intend to work on a joint venture when the funding position becomes clearer.
Email to a friend
Print this page
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Sleaford
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: -4 C to -1 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 1 C to 4 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North west
