Sudden closure of Huddersfield leisure centre announced

A leisure centre in Huddersfield will permanently close in less than a week, with high running costs blamed for it operating at a "substantial loss".

Kirklees Active Leisure (KAL) said it was with "significant regret" the Stadium Health and Fitness Club would close on Thursday 30 November.

The not-for-profit charity said "challenging" financial circumstances had left it with "no alternative".

The future of all leisure centre in Kirklees has been subject to review.

KAL said it operated the club at the John Smith's Stadium on a commercial lease basis, with "significant rental and service charge costs" to Kirklees Stadium Development Limited, the site's operator.

These costs were "a major factor for the facility operating at a substantial loss", it said.

A KAL statement said, external: "Unfortunately, this position is no longer sustainable for the charity."

It added: "KAL absolutely appreciate that customers will be disappointed with this outcome, however the extremely challenging financial circumstances and high rental/service charge costs at the Stadium site give KAL no alternative but to sadly end our lease at the facility."

KAL runs a total of 10 sport and leisure centres across the borough on behalf of Kirklees Council, and its facilities in Batley and Colne Valley were closed last year.

Kirklees Council needs to save £47m before the end of the financial year and said it was unable to provide KAL with the same level of funding it had previously given the charity.

The council provided KAL with a £6.1m bailout this year, but said it could give the organisation a maximum of £2.55m a year in the future .

This has prompted a full review of the borough's KAL-run leisure centres to determine which could continue to operate with reduced funding, with just the Huddersfield and Spen Valley sites not at risk.

Consultation on the leisure centre review has now come to a close and results are yet to be shared with the public.

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