The Best Guide for the Neston Area

Consultation Launched on Leisure, Health and Wellbeing

Cheshire West and Chester Council and Brio Leisure are inviting residents, sports clubs and fitness customers to give their views the future of leisure services delivered in west Cheshire.

A vision for 'affordable and accessible leisure services for all' has been revealed and is open for consultation until November 1.

Councillor Louise Gittins, Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Health and Wellbeing, said: "At a time like this, looking after our health and wellbeing is more important than ever and having easy and safe access to leisure opportunities, like sports and fitness classes, can help us to keep physically well and to look after our mental health.

"In west Cheshire the Council and Brio are working together to change the way leisure services are delivered so that we can make sure everyone can access sports and fitness opportunities easily.

"The Council faces increasing pressures on its budgets and COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on the leisure sector, which was already changing and posing challenges to Brio through shifts in the market with the increase of budget gyms, a rise in operating costs and the ageing condition of a number of its sites in the borough."

Elly McFahn, Managing Director of Brio Leisure added: "We know the way we run leisure, health and wellbeing services in the borough has to be reviewed, and we see this as a real opportunity to tailor valuable health and wellbeing services on a local level, working with our communities to find out how to meet their needs in the best way and encourage more people to get more active, more often.

"We're also keen to work more closely with our customers to better understand their motivations and how these have more recently changed through the health pandemic, to enable us to continue to listen, innovate and evolve based on our community demand."

The future vision outlined in the consultation aims for accessible and affordable leisure, health and wellbeing services designed for each area to support and improve the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities.

It would see Northgate Arena, Ellesmere Port Sports Village, Northwich Memorial Court and Winsford Lifestyle Centre becoming primary hub sites with facilities in Christleton, Neston and Frodsham/Helsby as secondary hub sites. These would offer a customised range of services to meet the needs of residents.

Alongside this, services could also be delivered in different ways closer to communities - including making more use of existing community facilities, partner networks, green space, outdoor facilities and digital opportunities.

Cllr Gittins said: "The Council and Brio want to work in partnership with our communities, all playing our part to look at what we offer, how we do it and how we could do it differently to make a greater difference to people's lives and achieve our aims of supporting children and young people to make the best start in life and enabling more adults to live longer, healthier and happier lives, while achieving the best value for the public money that we have available."

Take part in the consultation

For more information and to have your say visit: www.cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk/brioconsultation

You can also email: briofutureoffer@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk or request a paper questionnaire by phoning 01244 478 590.

Information sessions will take place via Microsoft Teams on the following dates:

Monday 19 October 2020, 6-7pm
Monday 26 October 2020, 3-4pm

To book onto one of these sessions and to receive information about how to access them, please contact: briofutureoffer@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk.

The engagement will close on Sunday, 1 November 2020.

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Comments

Robin H

At 19:45 on 28th September 2020, Robin H commented:

They want to know whether you approve their new 'Vision': …'to deliver accessible, affordable leisure, health and well-being services, tailored to each locality to support and improve the health and well-being of individuals and communities'. How could one not? But what's 'new' about it? It does make you wonder, if it's 'new' what have they been doing all this time? Can it be they've not been delivering accessible, affordable services? Who writes this stuff anyway? But it's serious. When public authorities talk of 'targeting' it makes me nervous. If the few are chosen, what happens to the untargeted? I think the Rec is fairly safe but they do propose disposing of the Civic Hall.

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NCYC Manager

At 16:52 on 29th September 2020, NCYC Manager commented:

Neston Community Youth Centre have already expressed an interest if the Civic Hall is returned to Cheshire West and Chester Council. We would love as many people as possible to take part in this survey. You don't have to comment on all of it.

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Scirard L

At 23:59 on 30th September 2020, Scirard L commented:

I think the Council should be running just those services and leisure facilities that the market can't, so if there are gymns and fitness classes that are cheaper than the Council can do them they should leave them be. Sports facilities such as Swimming pools, Squash and badminton courts, ice rinks, etc are what the market cannot provide. Leisure facilities such as Theatre (the Civic Hall isn't too bad for a small town amateur performance space) Concert venue (at present the only venue in Neston with a piano is the Parish Church).

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