Support the Atherton Centre

16/04/2016

ActiveNewham is swindling people who just want to swim by withdrawing the borough wide swim pass and forcing you to buy a full Atherton membership at twice the price. Councillors need to sort this out.

09/01/2012

Oh, look who's won a ten-year contract to operate the handball arena and the aquatics centre after the Olympics: Greenwich Leisure Limited, recently of the Atherton Leisure Centre.
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-olympics/article-24026178-games-legacy-for-britain-is-on-track.do

Critics of the London Olympics were today urged to get behind the Games and "stop grumbling" as David Cameron revealed the event would bring in a £1billion boost to the economy

22/12/2011

This online questionnaire is part of the consultation process that is due to last until March 2012.

14/11/2011

Another public consultation on Obsidian's proposals for Forest Gate:
Wednesday 16 November, 3 p.m. - 8 p.m., Durning Hall.
Short of saving the long-term future of the Atherton, one might at least hope that the Council would grant a stay of ex*****on and insist that a suitable replacement be included in these proposals.

10/11/2011

Excellent piece on the Atherton Leisure Centre and Newham Council in the current issue of "Private Eye", in the "Nooks & Corners" section. Keep campaigning!

06/11/2011

NOTES ON MAYOR'S QUESTION TIME SAT NOV 5 Stratford Town Hall

The Mayor said this had been a very difficult decision but the building was old and riddled with asbestos and the work on the swimming hall roof would have cost £250,000 which, considering the fact that the building was not “green”, justified an end to the continual expensive repairs and the option of a new building. A proper refurbishment of the Atherton would cost £8m which was almost as expensive (£10m) as a new building which would have much lower energy and maintenance costs. He was charged with spending public money sensibly and swimming pools were expensive. The Atherton would require a continuing subsidy by council-taxpayers of £1m p.a. compared to £250,000 for a new building.

A question was asked about whether the Council had carried out the legal requirements of a proper consultation exercise and am equality impact assessment of the effects of closure. The Mayor replied that he was sure these had been done and would be found on the Council''s website.

Asked about a phased refurbishment/ rebuild keeping the Atherton open, the Mayor said he was sceptical as this was normally an expensive option but said he was prepared to sit down with objectors and examine this option I more detail. He was also not opposed in principle to building the new centre as part of the central Forest Gate redevelopment.

He wanted to explore opening new leisure centres in Manor Park and Canning Town. But the Atherton was “ a big old building, difficult to heat, expensive to maintain and expensive to run. The numbers are very clear and we have to choose. Because of the sums of money involved we have to close the Atherton.”

The Council faced a very tough financial situation, but he accepted it would take a minimum of 2 years to open a new centre and that would be a problem for users. “ But if we are going to do it, it were best that it were done quickly”

26/10/2011

Could everyone (!) consider signing the attached.
Many thanks
Kevin

Why did the Council undertake no consultation of consumers, taxpayers or citizens on the future options for the Atherton Centre prior to the Cabinet decision on 22 September, when the Legal Officer's advice says the extent of any public consultation is unclear?

17/10/2011

".......................Hugh Robertson (Culture Secretary) suggested that Newham might be persuaded to provide £40 million to the conversion costs as under the initial deal with West Ham, but conceded that there was no requirement for them to do so......". MUCH BETTER VALUE THAN RENOVATING THE ATHERTON!!

Olympic officials involved in the collapse of the London 2012 Stadium deal will be questioned before Parliament to explain their use of public money, Telegraph Sport can reveal.

06/10/2011

Some questions for Grant Aitken (Divisional Director for Leisure Services) (part 1):

REPAIRING THE ATHERTON

Is the Atherton Centre a listed building?

Why was a full asbestos survey of the Atherton apparently never undertaken before incurring £85,000 of wasted repairs expenditure?

Why does the report say that additional repair costs of £175,000 gross (net of decommissioning -£95,000) cannot be contained within existing budget provision when the Council asserts it follows Audit Commission guidelines in maintaining reserves of 5% of annual budget?

Is the £2.2m 10-year repair schedule for the Atherton available for public scrutiny?

How do the interest charges on £2.2m of repairs compare with the capital costs and projected interest charges of a new facility costing £11—£19m?

If the risks of funding a new facility are “high” why does the Council not continue to conduct repairs and maintain services until it is clear that £11—£19m+ funding for a new centre can be secured?

06/10/2011

Some questions for Grant Aitken (Divisional Director for Leisure Services) (part 2):

OVERALL STRATEGY FOR LEISURE CENTRES

Has the draft Leisure Services Review been published? Where can the public access it? If not, when is it planned to publish it?

If, in the words of the Mayor, repairs at the Atherton are “money down the drain”, why are repairs of £3.3m at three other leisure centres over the next ten years not similarly “money down the drain”?

Has a decision been made to replace the GLL contract with Newham Leisure and Culture Trust? When and at what meeting? Is there a public document explaining the main reasons for the move? What public consultation has been carried out on the proposal?

06/10/2011

Some questions for Grant Aitken (Divisional Director for Leisure Services) (part 3):

PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Why did the Council undertake no consultation of consumers, taxpayers, or citizens on the future options for the Atherton Centre prior to the Cabinet decision of 22 September, when the Legal Officer's advice says the extent of any public consultation is unclear?

When will this consultation period on the options for the future of the Atherton formally open and when will it close?

Will the Council accept residents' wishes if the consultation reveals they prefer an option of keeping the centre open costing £2.2m rather than spending up to £19m on a new centre and having no services for five years?

06/10/2011

Some questions for Grant Aitken (Divisional Director for Leisure Services) (part 4):

A POSSIBLE NEW FACILITY

The estimated cost of a new facility is reported as £11.5—£19m in paragraph 2.6 and as £11m—£15m in paragraph 4.5. Which is correct?

Given that the total capital programme is forecast to fall to £82m, net of the West Ham Loan in 2012/13, and the Leisure Services forecast is £83,000 capital expenditure and zero in subsequent years, how is a new facility to be financed?

What is meant by “a significant risk” of the Council failing to secure capital funding for the new facility?

If the Mayor and Cabinet are “....committed to providing a replacement facility on the Atherton site...” why does the Director of Finance describe as “high” the risks associated with building a new centre?

Where will Atherton swimmers (who constitute 1 in 7 of leisure customers) be accommodated for the five years (?) before a new facility opens in Forest Gate?