10:08am Thursday 18th March 2010
By Catherine Pye
FREE swimming in Darwen has been cut back – but bosses say it is still the best provision in the borough.
In the last week, free sessions at Darwen Leisure Centre have been reduced from 54.5 hours to 48 hours, a cut of more than 10 per cent.
The free sessions are available to Beez card holders. Cards are available if you live, work, are in full-time education or have a GP in Blackburn with Darwen.
Town councillor Dave Smith said it was the wrong move just six weeks after the new £12.7million centre opened.
He said: “To cut the free sessions by 10 per cent so quickly doesn’t seem right. There’s no indication why it’s happened, and it’s a bit naughty. The council needs to get its act together.”
One leisure centre user said: “I feel very let down by this. We had to travel to Blackburn for all the time we were without a leisure centre and now the services are withdrawn once more.”
The free sessions were made available under the re:fresh scheme which aimed to tackle the borough’s poor health.
Steve Rigby, director of culture, leisure and sport said: “The re:fresh scheme has always delivered a varying programme of free leisure across the borough. Since the new centre opened, we’ve listened to comments of our users and have made minor changes so that as many people as possible now benefit from free swimming under the re:fresh scheme.
“This new programme incorporates early morning swim sessions, parent and toddler and swim-fit sessions and lane swimming at the weekend, which is what our users have asked for. Darwen Leisure Centre offers significantly more free swimming than any other facility in the borough and the people of Darwen are making full use of the opportunity to use their new £12.7million venue.”
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